High-tech Homeschooling With Computers
If you’ve been a homeschooling parent for some time, you should know by now that children respond less to conventional homeschooling methods; this means that your child will probably yawn at the thought of another hour of workbook assignments and flashcard drills. Fortunately, the boon of technology includes the ability to use educational computing, and the advantage of incorporating computers and software into your child’s daily lessons are numerous, to your benefit as a parent, and to the child as a student.
Educational computing saves on time by doing away with the repetitive and exhausting task of coaxing your child to do traditional drills; plus, its instantaneous show-and-tell feature enhances the learning process by providing your child with an audio visual experience. This is particularly helpful with art and music, as the student will have access to information and illustrations which would otherwise be impractical to print in textbooks. The computer’s ability to render interactive and three-dimensional animation shows how things work more efficiently than any workbook can, and the high interactivity factor affords for instant feedback; your child will know how he or she fared in a test with just a mouse click. The fact that children just love to tinker with computers, and that most software are very fun to interact with, makes educational computing a must for every homeschooler.
If the computer is hooked on to the internet, then all the more better; your child will have access to a real live instructor, one who has a deep knowledge of the subject and can interact with the student in ease. Online environments also promote socialization with other classmates, building on your child’s team spirit. And the web is an inexhaustible resource of information which the student can dive and to and squeeze for all its worth.
As a concerned parent, you’re probably aware that using computers in your child’s homeschooling education can take an unfortunate turn and lead to the wrong direction, especially if you choose to use desktop computers. The main problem with desktop PCs is that they are stationary, and in your child’s case, will almost always be placed in the sleeping room. If it’s internet-capable, the PC is plugged directly into the phone socket, meaning that anyone can log in or out anytime. This hampers the learning process for most students, as well as limits your ability to supervise the child’s activities; he or she may be engaged in computer games instead of the day’s lesson, or is dealing with shady personalities online without your knowledge. For these reasons a laptop is a more favorable option to use, since you will ultimately have the final say on all of the child’s activities; you can keep the use of internet access only as a necessity, and the installed software can be closely monitored. Laptops also afford the mobility which is practically non-existent with desktops, and you can use the former as a bargaining tool by limiting access to it until your child shapes up. Despite the significant difference in price, laptops offer more educational mileage for your homeschooled child than desktops do.