YOU CAN TURN YOUR CHILD INTO A ACADEMIC SUPERSTAR

WE CAN HELP!

Girl with an iPad

Okay,we’re still waiting for flying Jetson-style cars, but there is no denying that the world we live in right now is remarkable. Think about the changes that have come in just the past 15 years! Remember dial-up internet? Your children have never known a world without high-speed internet – think about that for a second.

Many parents wax nostalgic about how we walked barefoot in the snow and endured paper cuts in the library using the card catalog. People lament that children don’t learn the way we did. Well, duh. How likely is it that you would have ignored the internet had it been available to you in school? The path to success for today’s kids is not the same path as their parents. Help your kids get a jump on the future by availing yourself of the best Modern Homeschool Resources available.

Technology isn’t going away. While you want your children to be safe online, you also want them to appreciate what a powerful tool for learning the internet is. Homeschool is the ideal setting to teach your child to use their phone, tablet, and computer safely and to their greatest benefit. Most available homeschool resources (many free) can save you significant amounts of time, money and stress. Often parents worry that their child will become too involved in the virtual world and neglect playing and participating in the real world. It’s up to you to determine what the right amount of screen time is given your child’s personality. Some kids do need strict guidelines while others can self-moderate with few rules.

Now if you are sitting there muttering to yourself, “Great, I just learned how to get to the voice mail on my phone,” don’t panic. There are plenty of generous, geeky folk out there who go to great lengths to teach the rest of us how to navigate the 21st century! Their contributions to the network of homeschool resources is priceless. Stop here. Read no further unless you are prepared to spend hours reading and learning and shouting “Who knew?????” at your screen. Seriously. At least go get a snack before you read further.

Homeschool Resources For The Modern World

The following links will open up new worlds for the technically-challenged homeschool parent. Bookmark these sites. Sign up for email alerts when new articles are posted. If you read something you don’t fully understand, leave a comment. People who keep blogs love comments and are more than happy to answer questions. In fact, comment on this article if you have additional questions!

Special Education Resources have also exploded in the modern world. It’s easier than it’s ever been to find the resources you need to ensure your child is successful should you choose to homeschool. Services such as special education tutoring and online schools exist to help supplement the curriculum you’re teaching.

1. Modern Homeschool Resources For Parents;

  • Get Me Geeky – The name says it all. Meet Lauren. Mother of three. Army wife. Geek supreme. She can teach you to use things like Evernote, WordPress and all sorts of life/home tricks to keep you at your most efficient.
  • CoolMomTech – Kristen and Liz are here for you. They love to share tips on internet safety, style, new technology an parenting. Everyone will learn something (and have fun doing it) on this site.

2. Modern Homeschool Resources For Homeschool “Teachers”;

  • The sites listed here are geared toward educators in general. Sometimes an article won’t address a specific homeschooling need, however, the bulk of material found at these sites will be worth your time.
    • Free Tech 4 Teachers – Richard Byrne may become your new best friend. His blog has an extensive archive and regular new content outlining FREE (don’t you love that word?) resources for educators. There is material for both teachers and students.
    • The Innovative Educator – Lisa Nielson offers advice and resources for teachers everywhere. Once a kid who was bored and miserable in school, Lisa’s worked hard to save other kids from the same fate. She uses that energy to bring new and interesting material to the forefront.
    • The Whiteboard Blog – This isn’t really a homeschool resource but, it is a terrific resource for parents who are teaching children with a strong interest in technology. Don’t let the headlines scare you – click through even if you aren’t entirely sure what the subject is. Really. Posts are well written and easy to understand (and you can ask questions if you don’t understand).
    • Ask a Tech Teacher – See? They want to answer your questions! (Be polite and search the archives before asking, however.) This blog is run by a group of technology teachers who are eager to help anyone interested. You will find lesson plans, general essays on technology, website reviews and so much more!
    • The Wired Homeschool – John Wilkerson, father of seven and a homeschooler for the past sixteen years hosts a site that is a homeschooling resource dream! His blog and podcast are dedicated to helping homeschoolers incorporate technology into their homeschools. You’ll also find articles on homeschooling philosophies and how technology affects our daily lives.

3. Modern Homeschool Resources – Apps;

There Is an app for everything – even homeschooling!

  • Best Apps For Homeschooling Parents – Learning Lift Off is a nice, general education site. They offer homeschool resources for kids of all grade levels. Their list of parent apps is excellent.
  • Best Homeschool Apps For Elementary School – Common Sense Media should be on every parent’s radar! They offer age appropriate reviews and recommendations on all sorts of digital material.
  • Best Homeschool Apps For Middle School – The Free Spirit Publishing blog has multiple bloggers offering parents and educators a great assortment of ideas – technology-related or not.
  • Best Homeschool Apps For High School – Nice list with Android and iPhone apps! Graphite is a site worth saving – all they do is offer you the best websites, games and apps for your students.

You won’t learn everything you want to know overnight. But, now that you have a strong set of homeschool resources, you are ready to start your children on the path to being technology-savvy self-starters. Who knows, maybe they’ll finally invent that flying car?