| If you are homeschooling your children then you | | | | consider themselves "guides" to information and not |
| know how time consuming, frustrating and costly it | | | | the "source" of all knowledge. Why not plug into the |
| can be to find good quality lesson plans and teaching | | | | best the world has to offer and use what has |
| resources. It is almost impossible for one individual to | | | | already been developed? |
| reinvent the wheel when it comes to developing an | | | | Here are a few tips to help you sort through the |
| entire curriculum for multiple years and subjects. The | | | | vast resources available online. |
| Internet can be a free source of quality resources. | | | | Take the source into consideration. Not all Internet |
| The good news is that there are tons of resources | | | | information is created equal and some is pure junk. |
| available online. The bad news is that there are tons | | | | The URL is important. Anyone can buy a .com URL. |
| of resources available online. Who has time to go | | | | .edu URLs are reserved for authority sites and those |
| through them all? | | | | produced by respected institutes. Skim through your |
| You may be Homeschooling to keep your kids away | | | | Google search results for the .edu addresses and you |
| from the overly permissive aspects of our culture. | | | | can often pick the best sites right off the bat. |
| The Internet is certainly a major player in the | | | | One of the best things about computers is the visual |
| dissemination of that culture. At the same time it is | | | | capability. Not only does it hold kids interest but many |
| pointless to sit your kids down in front of a monitor | | | | of us are visual learners and will get much more out |
| for hour on end with no guidance. Yes there are bad | | | | of a short video than a long section of text. Google |
| aspects to the Internet but it can also be your | | | | allows you to do a search for videos and/or images. |
| salvation when it comes to educational resources. | | | | After typing in your search term, instead of clicking |
| There is no point in throwing the baby out with the | | | | "search" click on the link for "video" or "image" and |
| bath water when it comes to the Internet. It takes | | | | your results will be limited to those categories. |
| some searching and direction but having your kids | | | | The search term is also important. If you add "virtual |
| online can expose them to some of the best | | | | tour", "tour", or "virtual" to your term you will get |
| educational resources available. | | | | some incredible results. For instance doing a search |
| As a former professional educator I realized early on | | | | for "solar system virtual tour" will lead you to |
| that it came down to the reality of time not | | | | invaluable sites. Another option is to add "lesson plan" |
| intention. You decide which product is likely to be | | | | to the term and you will get some great ideas. |
| better - 1: one individual preparing 6 hours of | | | | Refining your search techniques and getting over the |
| instruction each day with a limited budget and | | | | stigma of sitting the kids in front of the "electronic |
| resources. 2: a professional studio or university | | | | babysitter" can open your kids up to an entire new |
| spending months or sometimes years and many | | | | world of understanding. The Internet is no substitute |
| thousands of dollars developing a lesson on a single | | | | for personal attention and instruction but it can be an |
| topic. As talented as many parents and teachers are | | | | extremely effective arrow in the quiver of an |
| they are handicapped from the start and it is no | | | | instructor. |
| contest. That is why the best educators today | | | | |