Comments on: “Do our children learn differently”?

By: Tracy

Tracy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:13:54 +0000

“Homeschoolers never touch a video game”… That single thought has kept my family “hidden” for so very long. It was not until we met and became friends with Kat’s family that we could finally open up and be more of who we were. We live in a very rural community which is home to homeschooling families that do so for religious reasons only. We are not a normal home schooling family but for my children’s benefit we have mingled for the last 5 years with families that would not normally approve of our lifestyle. Everything in moderation is our key with a very wide assortment of activities that include (but are not limited to) woods/metals/shop classes with my father (a master carpenter and overall a “hands on” guy) Arts/crafts and cooking with both their grandmother and myself, science with their father and physics/religion and life lessons with their Godfather.

We are not a “normal” homeschooling family but we strive very hard to “fit-in” with both traditional public school and other homeschooling families. I’m sure that there are more of us out there… someplace… For now we are happy to have one family who accepts us totally for who we are, what we stand for and how we are raising our kids! Life is really to short to worry about anyone else anyway…

I’m happy that we are able to show you a bit of who we are and what we do…..

By: Tracy

Tracy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:03:44 +0000

Although you and I agree for the most part there is one point that I strongly disagree with. There are no type of electronics allowed in bedrooms. Radio is the only thing you will find in my boys room. My husband and I would never allow tv, dvd, computer or game systems to be in the bedroom. We decided early on that our children would always be in the same room or nearby. We too have wireless but have stuck to desktop machines for now. Even when laptops are introduced to our home they will not be allowed out of the common areas. It is not so much a safety issue with us right now because of the age of our children but simply because we enjoy them being around. I am sure that eventually I will want to “watch over them” (not that we don’t now but they do not stray to much from their on line games, T4L, simple game sites and research right now) and what they are doing but by that time (when they are teenagers? getting more into areas that we are not comfortable with) they will be so used to us being able to see and hear what they are doing that I don’t know that will be an issue. We shall wait and see.
I like that the four of us each have our own areas but also are together in whatever we are doing.
I like your idea of parenting in an electronic age and hope to see that move forward. I am not sure what I can add to it, I have never been a parent with out electronics. I know it is aging me but we had a 3 channel B&W until I was in HS and got our first VCR when I was a junior. Although I look back at those times fondly for myself, it is not the way of the world and I am glad that my kids have had their fingers on a keyboard since before they could walk.

One last comment about this is about the tv. Although the kids do watch on their own, they are close by. They enjoy mostly discovery, the weather channel and a few select cartoons. Prior to all four of us getting computers we were a TV family… I hated it being on but was just as guilty of abusing it as my children were. I have forgotten to pay the bill on occasion and because some days it never gets turned on for any reason it has gone unnoticed. Collectively we spend so little time with a TV on and also enjoy “family” times watching and discussing some of the same shows. I am happy that my kids are now growing up without the need for TV. I don’t necessarily trash people that always have it on but am glad for the music that is always playing in the background of our home so much more now.

By: Terie

Terie — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:54:37 +0000

This string of comments is very interesting because there are many people who think that home schoolers never even touch video games (not me by the way).

Let’s see, over the years we have acquired a Super Nintendo which isn’t working anymore, another Nintendo type game which is rarely used, a Gamecube..again never used and finally my 16 year old bought a Wii with his own money and that is only played on weekends when the kids are done their chores and ready for some downtime–it was great when it was too hot outside. My 13 yo daughter has a handheld which is really only used on long trips and my 5 yo has a V-Smile..again great on car trips. OK..that’s it for video games. Aside from the computers of which we have the family PC, my son has this cute imac laptop which we all use and one more PC in my son’s room. I don’t worry about the privacy/security issue because he rarely uses that one, it’s mostly used by Natalie to play games or go on T4L when I’m upstairs doing chores.

I think kids today learn with more hands-on activities because of technology. However, because of technology, my kids don’t really know how to go to the library to research a topic. Pretty amazing I think because I knew no other way. I think its great, however, technology really helps us teach our kids in a more efficient way. My 13yo, Emily, is very inquisitive and I think it’s so great to say “let’s look it up online” and voila! we have the answers were looking for.

Kids learn in everything they do, as long as we help them make the right choices, of course. Cooking with my kids, helping dad make Windsor chairs, and yes, even watching certain TV shows, etc. I guess my point is, just like in nutrition and fitness, everything in moderation goes a long way.

Terie

By: john

john — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:50:22 +0000

LEARNING DIFFERENTLY…. My article quoted Marc Prensky who argues that the rapid pace of TV & films & advertisements in the last decade (news with scrolls, rapid changing of images etc) coupled with the impact of using the computer has produced kids with minds that are just wired differently than of previous generations. This premise came argues that these kids are more than just fluent with the new technology, they have become “wired” for it. He also pushes the “Engage me or Enrage me” concept which is that todays kids would benefit from a more enlightened stimulating and interactive type of education than the old-style that is still dominant. And it argues that most students today find the old-style teaching to be not just boring but insulting.

I agree that the technology has opened up all sorts of new ways to teach and learn which I think we have just begun to explore.

By: john

john — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:41:48 +0000

Hi Tracy. Wow, I’m not sure where to start.

TECHNOLOGY AT HOME. I struggle like most parents with how best to integrate technology into our lives.

In terms of consoles, we have a few. I try to only buy games that are multiplayer games and I tend towards the cartoony (rather than the realistic or violent). My family might have set the record for number of hours spent playing bomberman (which is only fun when played in groups) but we are big on Nintendo Party and Super Smash Bros. Ok, we’re a little retro…

Computers. We have alot of computers. I think I goofed when I set up a wireless network since the kids tend to gravitate into their own rooms (we have portables mostly). I’m thinking of disabling the wireless router and providing the net only in a family room both for community and safety reasons.

Portable electronics. I find the portable game machines and the Ipods and iphones are disasterous for family time. I won’t allow headsets or electronics when we’re together and I consider it to be family time. I love it when we all listen to the same book-on-tape but with the wide spread of children’s ages, this is rarer than I’d like. I’m more than a little nutty about this but I don’t get to spend enough time with the kids so I treasure it.

We mostly use the TV for rented videos (netflix) which we watch in groups. The kids never sit around and watch TV on their own.

At some point, I want to put together a community which focuses on these questions. In fact, I started once putting together: http://www.parenting-in-an-electronic-age.com but didn’t get real far.