Since those of us on this blog use Time4Learning in one way or another, we are all using the internet for education.  But how else does everyone use the Internet at home?

Our homeschooling experience would not be the same if it weren’t for Time4Learning.  Our family is a computer family.  Serious techies. :o)  My husband and I each have a laptop, which we take everywhere with us.  My 8 yr old has a desktop of his own and my 3 year old is going to get one as soon as we have a place to put another PC.

Education is done primarily online.  And not just with Time4Learning.  We have areas where Bailey does spelling and math drills online, and we are considering starting him in a online art program…we’re waiting a little while on that though.  My 3yr old, Braeden, also does some preschool work online.  Not yet with Time4Learning, but with an excellent program called Starfall (www.starfall.com).  One day we may even sign the boys up for music appreciation online.

While we still like to have the boys look up information in books, Bailey has discovered Google.  This opens up avenues for him to explore and learn, in a way that he just simply would not have if he ONLY had books.  At least in my opinion.  When he searches, depending on what he is looking for, he is parentally guided.  As much as we are Internet junkies, I still struggle with him having access to some areas online. He has seen a few (very few at this point) videos on You Tube that we have let him watch, things like a homeschool student’s speech and a couple of music videos.  He also watches videos on United Streaming (www.unitedstreaming.com) which is run by Discovery Education.  This is a remarkable service provided by Discovery!  I think they have something like 20 or 30,000 educational videos in pretty much any catagory you can think of.  In my state, Georgia, I went through Georgia Public Broadcasting to gain free access to this site.

Other ways that the Internet has changed us…not just how we educate, but honestly our day to day lives…is how we communicate with others.  Is letter writing an important skill to possess?  I think that everyone should know how to write a letter if the need arises.  However, with email, Bailey (all of us really) is able to talk with family and friends in a way that he wouldn’t have if he had to wait on regular mail.  And email is cheaper than the phone…Bailey’s grandmother lives in California.  So besides the cost of the call, we have to work on a 3 hour time difference.  Email is just easier on a daily basis.  Through forums and groups, I am able to get and give advice to and from other moms.  And Bailey likes knowing that he can email and chat with friends that use Time4Learning just like he does.

Just to make things clear…our family is a family of AVID readers.  What my husband and I consider “quality time” together, is each of us curled up in a recliner with our own good book.  :o) Our boys have the same love of reading (right now they love it conditionally…it can’t be too educational, lol)  We have weekly trips to the library and Bailey knows how to look up information in the Dictionary and in the Encyclopedias.  We also do crafts, activities, cub scouts, field trips and more together, so we don’t JUST sit in front our computers all day.  Well, most days we don’t anyway. :o)

I would like to know how other families use the Internet.  Not just homeschooling families, although since I am a homeschooler, I would probably compare my family most to those that do homeschool. :o)  Are there any websites that you use for education, besides Time4Learning?  Any places that your kids like to go online that you feel helps them learn?