Homeschool World Forum

I am considering homeschooling this fall and don't know where to start. I've been checking the internet and all resources i can find to research. What is online homeschooling??? Do homeschool parents integrate their teaching with online stuff? Please explain. Thank you.

Online homeschooling is just what it sounds like - homeschooling using as much online resources as possible. This often includes supplementing with online courses. For instance, we've used PA Homeschoolers, Scholar's Online Academy, Apex Learning, Escondido Tutorial Service.

Well I found places like Grace school and Faith school etc. These are complete online curriculum, or so it seems, running from about $700 - $2000 a year.

That's what I'm interested in knowing about.

yes, it pretty much is self explanatory, online home schooling is basically having your house as the classroom, and using the internet for resources, courses, curriculum etc. there are several out there, and a lot have found it as a great alternative...

Here's some info on the pros and cons of computer based curriculum that may be helpful to you.

Computer Based Homeschooling

Some of these programs involve online seminars, telephone conferences, etc. You will have to contact your specific program to see how it works and whether or not it will be a good fit for your child.

Your child will have to learn independently a great deal of the time, and will have to be comfortable without a great deal of person to person teaching time. You also need to consider your child's learning style. These programs work great for visual learners, but may not be a good fit for auditory or kinesthetic learners who prefer interaction and hands on activities.

Computer based programs do make homeschooling more convenient in terms of time spent planning lessons, teaching and keeping records, and many students enjoy them. But they do not work for all families.

Online learning uses the power of the Internet to do what parents used to have to do by themselves. Online learning frees homeschooling parents of many of the tedious chores so that they can use their time to really enjoy their children and focus their energies on helping them grow and discover their God-given gifts.

Online learning is an option for homeschoolers who use the computer and Internet for the delivery of their educational content. Distance learning, elearning, eschooling, online courses, online curriculum, cyber schooling, web based instruction, and computer based training are all terms that are used interchangeably to describe the process by which students learn online. The common denominator among all these terms is that students typically receive their courses, syllabus, tests, discussions, grading and teacher interaction through the Internet.

With the new learning opportunities that technology offers comes a need to understand the different ways that online can be delivered so that you are empowered to make the best choice for your children.

CHECKLIST OF Outstanding Online Education Academies:

1. Full year of course material in the form of either traditional textbooks or electronic textbooks with all of the tests, lesson plans, assignments, activities that make up a comprehensive course.

2. Live 1:1 Teacher support so that when a student asks a question, it is answered in real time within seconds of when it is asked.

3. Daily moderated safe interaction between peers and teachers.

4. Engaging curriculum materials that extend beyond books to encompass rich multimedia components such as video, websites, virtual reality, webventures, audio and activities.

5. Accredited by a nationally recognized organization.

6. Biblically centered to give children a full and sound basis for living & learning

Students should be able to log onto the online classroom 24/7/365. Study, research, discovery and new knowledge are at a student’s fingertips. It is here that the student’s enthusiasm level is piqued.

How does online learning improve homeschoolers chances of success?

Without an option like online schools, parents used to have to do many of the repetitive tasks over and over again, such as:

1.Pick curriculum materials which could vary from subject to subject and even within a subject area.

2. Plan the daily assignments i.e. “Read pages 3-23 in your Science book and complete pages 4-6 in your workbook.â€

[quote="mrothschild"]Online learning uses the power of the Internet to do what parents used to have to do by themselves. Online learning frees homeschooling parents of many of the tedious chores so that they can use their time to really enjoy their children and focus their energies on them grow.

<snip>
Without an option like online schools, parents used to have to

1.Pick curriculum materials which could vary from subject to subject and even within a subject area.

2. Plan the daily assignments i.e. “Read pages 3-23 in your Science book and complete pages 4-6 in your workbook.â€

To me, writing out my children's daily assignments was a tedious chore that plagued me every Sunday night which was my allotted time to do it. With many kids, it seemed that planning their week, subject by subject, would never end. When I finished one child's work for the week, there was still a whole week left to go for the rest of the kids. This, to me, was a tedious chore that an online Academy does for you.

Also, for me personally, another tedious chore was the continual grading my student's work. The computerized system in an online learning Academy grades most of the student's work for the parent. This is really critical for people like me who are extremely math-challenged.

Families at Learning By Grace, Inc. tell me all the time that our Academies free them up to spend more time with their children which is one of the missions of the organization.

Why do you assume that because I am involved with managing a number of online Academies that there is something wrong? What makes you believe the nonsense on Helen Hegener's website?

Mimi Rothschild
Founder, Learning By Grace, Inc.
Exodus 20:16
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Another online learning programme that's less than $2 a week (i.e. US$99 a year) is Renzulli Learning Programme, at http://www.renzullihomeschooling.com/br ... onials.asp.

I want to be clear up front that YES the company I work for, sells it here in New Zealand , so I'm hesitant to add the name here... but I'm also a parent of three and an advocate for learning and thinking, and am passing on the link because of the previous posts and my passion for children. I just want to make it clear that I'm NOT putting the name up for any personal gain or financial purposes (which is why I'm careful to keep my company's name out of any of my contributions!)
The programme is special in that each student fills in an online questionnaire to determine their interests, learning preferences, academic ability etc... then when the students searches for a topic, it "pushes" them activities personally tailored to their profile. So two children would get different activities. Designed by Joseph Renzulli, famous in thinking and education circles; recommended by people like Sandra Kaplan, Carol Tomlinson... worth checking out.[/url]

hi everybody,

My name is Sarah and I have 2 daughters (ages 5 and 7)

I was struggling to find resources and activities to keep them interested and make it fun. I was searching for ideas and resources the other day and came across this site www.primaryleapfrog.com
I decided to become a member and am very glad I did. They have some super sheets on maths, english and science and are adding 10 more subjects soon apparently. I was impressed with the online graph that they have because I can now keep track on my kids progress and see which areas they need extra help. As I am teaching them myself I found this very helpful.

I hope this is helpful to other homeschooling parents

On another homeschooling forum I've seen that a few people were using this free online school...

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

Anyone have any experience with it?