A recent development in the traditional school and college environment are numerous pilot programs testing the viability of integrating smart phones into the daily educational lives of students. School officials have recognized the integral part that this technology plays in the lives of our children and they are attempting to to harness this momentum and integrate learning into this very tool. I think this is a huge step in the right direction and I believe homeschool parents could certainly take note of this shift.
The pilot programs have lots of support from developers associated with the particular devices but that should not dissuade the home school parent. There are numerous programs and apps that focus directly on kids and what they are learning. I think that it is important to recognize the time wasting capacity of these devices but also recognize that our children will use these as a part of their daily life in the very near future. With that in mind we need to show our kids how to properly use these devices and that they can be used to harness the power of information.
The school programs focus on the communication and connectivity of these devises and use them for all manners of class room activities. From attendance to on the spot web research, children have reported huge success with the programs and more are being planned in the future.
In the homeschool classroom this technology can be used to watch on demand educational videos, do fast on the spot research, practice multiplication tables, communicate with friends about ongoing projects, fact check, or any number of other possibilities.
Take into account that ground rules must be laid down about usage and expectations must be set. Rules are an important part of the formula with any new undertaking like this, but it is also important to build flexibility into the program and let it evolve. Be too rigid with a program like this and you run the risk of not allowing it to be fun. We are looking to engage our children and reach them on a level that they respect.
Another important aspect of an undertaking such as this and a lesson that our children will do well to learn sooner than later is how to filter out the noise in todays information laden society. We can use modern technology for great things but we can also be endlessly distracted by the news feeds and constant twitter updates. Teach your kids to focus and teach them the importance of internalizing important information.
Make your classroom a fun end engaging place and don’t hesitate to take it to the next level with new types of home school software and other forms of technology.