Thursday, February 28, 2008

Homeschooling Resources... the Online Variety


Homeschooling Resources - How to Get the Most Out of Them
Guest Article by Kayley Kenzie

It can be really frustrating, time consuming, and costly to locate excellent homeschooling resources. The Internet can be a great place to find free or low-cost quality resources.

There is an immense collection of homeschooling resources online. However, you probably don't have all the time in the world to go through the tons and tons of resources.

If you are planning on using homeschooling resources from the web, you need to be careful. One of your decisions for homeschooling may have been to remove your child from a negative culture.

The Internet can be a place where lack of values can also be found. It is important that you don't just have your kids surf the internet or use homeschooling resources without learning about them yourself first.

The Internet has some awful aspects to it, but it can also be really helpful, especially as you try and locate educational resources. Finding the best homeschooling resources will take some time, but you can present some of the best educational resources from online sources.

Even though you may be a talented parent, you usually start homeschooling rather handicapped. It is really difficult to plan and prepare instruction everyday, especially while trying to be the source of all the knowledge.

That is one of the reasons why some of the best educators in our nation consider themselves to be learning mentors of information instead of the source of all the knowledge.

They know how to direct students toward the information, not just tell them everything. There is nothing saying that a parent can't do the same. Why not tap into one of the best homeschooling resources there is?

Here are some suggestions as you try to choose which resources online are the best for you and your child:

First of all, it is essential that you look at where the source is coming from. Information on the Internet is not equal. A lot of it is garbage. It is important to learn who has developed the information.

One of the greatest advantages of finding homeschooling resources online is the ability to help visual learners. A short video, in many situations would be able to hold a child's attention instead of a long information text.

Google allow you to search for videos and images. You may want to limit your search to videos and image only, so that you don't get as many results.

When trying to find other resources. It is important to be specific in the search terms you use. For example, if you are looking for a virtual tour, you may want to also type in what kind of virtual tour. Typing in "lesson plan" in addition to the topic you are researching can also help you out.

The Internet is not a substitute for personal instruction. However, it can be a great place to find homeschooling resources if you use it the right way.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kayley_Kenzie
http://EzineArticles.com/?Homeschooling-Resources---How-to-Get-the-Most-Out-of-Them&id=1010371

I find this article especially interesting as I currently work on building a monster homeschooling link list. I've found countless free online resources, some wonderful... others not so much. I've also found a lot of sites asking for money for things that are offered in free versions, varieties, and formats elsewhere. I'm hoping to sort it all and provide my readers with all the best in FREE... yes I said FREE! Keep your eyes open for that monster link post... set to publish in a couple weeks. ;)

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