My two oldest kids, 8 y/o and 11 y/o, recently took a new "live" class from CurrClick. The class was on Water, Water Everywhere - everything to do with water.
It was incredibly well done. There were videos to watch, experiments to watch and then do, and worksheets in pdf files for the kids to complete both for fun and assessment. We could watch the videos as many times as we wanted or needed - at our convenience. The teacher was clear and seemed knowledgeable about his subject.
Also, it was nice not to have to drag out a bunch of books.
I was reminded today of how often it happens that we just get on the Internet to find out about...well...stuff! My 11 y/o was telling me about how she was talking with a friend Sunday who told her about writing a report on Helen Keller. I asked my dd if she knew who Helen Keller was. She told me a few things she knew - Helen Keller was blind and deaf, was an author, and lived in the "olden" days.
So, I sat down at the computer and did a search on Helen Keller. We found out much information that neither one of us knew, and found these wonderful movie clips from The Miracle Worker. We talked about what we learned and saw. We discussed what life must have been like. We surmised that she was probably so unruly because she lost her sight and hearing at such a young age, so she was probably "stuck" at that age until her "light bulb" came on after Ann Sullivan came. (This is just my opinion...I was going by how the character Helen Keller behaved in the movie. Almost like a small child who couldn't express her desires.)
I have been wondering why more public school systems and parents aren't taking advantage of all of this wonderful technology? I have mentioned before how I have used technology in our homeschool, and I do plan on using it more. Our public school system was supposed to get a "public school at home" program ( I think K12) but these plans never materialized, and I haven't been to the DOE web site in a year or so and am not exactly sure what happened to that plan.
Recently, distance learning came up on a teacher's blog that I follow. He seems to think distance learning wouldn't be a good idea for most students because:
1. learning is a social process that requires contact with others, and
2. many people have a hard enough time staying on task in a classroom, getting done what needs to be done, and don't have the self-discipline to take classes over the Internet.
Okay, I can agree with #2. However, I certainly disagree with #1. I'm sure this teacher, who actually has a teaching degree, knows more about all of the psychology of learning and child development, and could probably cite some experts I have never heard of and blow me away in a debate on the matter. (Besides, I'm terrible at arguing my case.) However, I fail to see what is so "social" about learning - especially in this day and age when we have access to all forms of media.
I watched the above-mentioned class on water with my kids, which was technically social. But I have observed independent learning in my girls - and myself as well. It seems to me that if you can read well with understanding, you can learn just about anything you want.
As has been demonstrated by Helen Keller, people can even learn just by using their senses. Of course, she had to have someone - Ann Sullivan - to initially spark that interest in learning new things. She didn't have to be in a classroom with a bunch of other kids. She didn't have to be in a school setting at all. If learning is such a "social" process, then why do schools with smaller classrooms, for the most part, have the highest academic scores?
Maybe that's not what this teacher blogger means. Maybe he's talking about the teacher-student relationship. However, I can maybe think of two teachers during my school years that had the time and/or patience to work with kids who didn't understand the material. Besides that, I was (and am) independent by nature and would have never even thought of asking for extra help - and I went to private Christian school most of those years!
I can think of many reasons why this technology would benefit public school children - especially if they were able to do school from home. I know this isn't possible for everyone - since most families have two working parents. However, many could, and this would make for smaller classes for the rest of the children. Smaller classes translate into less problems with discipline and a greater chance of getting one-on-one attention. Even if the school had to pay for every single child to have a computer at home (at least in my district), it would still translate into less dollars per student, given the amount they spend to keep them in the classroom now.
Teachers would be free to do what they were trained to do, and that is *teach*! They could, potentially, make a lot of money as "independent" teachers online, if they were able to get enough subscribers. Therefore, the teachers that are truly good teachers and get results would be the most successful.
Teachers would be free to try to spark and interest in their subject - just like Ann Sullivan did with Helen Keller. Just like homeschoolers try to do every day. What do you do to make a subject interesting?
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