Technology in the Classroom

I have to admit, I really struggled with this topic.  I think school supplies and I think.. oh yay.. talking about pencils, papers and glue.  BIG YIP! How in the world can I make THAT topic exciting?   Should I talk about how I organize them?  Should I talk about the differences in pencils when it comes to doing art?  Hmm...

I sat and pondered.  Thinking about what school supplies would I prefer to not live without.
Then it hit me.

My cell phone!  My Laptop!  The Tablets!   Seriously...this tech I would not want to be without.

If I combine them with my boy and his questions, and me and my ingenuity... we have a workable solution for our homeschooling needs.

YES we still need paper, printers, pencils, pens, erasers, glue and what not...but in the end.. what we really would have a hard time living without for our schooling purposes is the internet and how it comes through in the cell phone, laptop and tablet.

These three items make our schooling so much easier.

Let me walk you through how these items are vital in our homeschool.

Value added to curriculum purchased.


Take for instance the Inventors Lapbook that we are currently working on.

It is so much easier to explain what swimming fins are (the Franklin invented) if I can just quickly pull them up.

You see, no curriculum can put EVERYTHING into their product.  It would make them too bulky, you'd have to ask permission to use images, and would become far to cumbersome and no one person can determine what will catch the fancy of every student using their materials.  It's impossible.  But with technology at my fingertips...when the lad asks a question not covered in the curricula, I can look it up.

Broadening Excursions

For instance, if we are out for a walk and the lad asks me a question about water striders and if they hibernate or just have eggs over the winter, to pull up the question and discover the answer (means I don't either have to remember the question or write it down).    Just so you know... they do indeed hibernate.

Or when we went to Fort York last year and there was no guides at some of the stops, we could google ideas brought forth ...like the differences in the cannons displayed, how they were moved around and what not. 

Ease of Research
When my lad researched ants over the past couple of weeks he watched a TON of youtube videos on his tablet.  Watching them over and over again until he got the information he wanted. Then he could look up how-tos on putting together a formicarium for his ants. Then it came spilling out in conversation on walks, at supper and just as we did things together.   So much learning, so readily available.  Pulling up related articles, finding new information, learning how to write reports....it's all right there, so handy to use.

A Casual Way to Learn Spelling
My lad is developing an interest in learning to spell better.  He now sees a need for it.  So When he doesn't know how to spell a word he will speak it into his tablet and voila!  The right word comes up, or he can use the spell check on the tablet.  Overtime his spelling is improving and it's great to see. 

Teaching honesty and integrity
 Last year I had my son learn to write reports.   He initially thought it was okay to just copy and paste without giving proper accreditation.  This gave us the opportunity to discuss plagarism and citing sources and how it's honest to say where you got the information from and who said it.   You can't call someone else's work your own.  This was a big eye-opener for my lad and helped him understand why other people did it. 

Purchasing Items Needed
"Mom!   I need xyz for this project.   Where can I find it?"
I live in small town Ontario, with the bigger city not too far away, but sometimes finding unique items is a bit of a challenge.  That's where technology comes into play, being able to find thin copper sheeting, larger quantities of LED lights and so forth.  It's great!   Teaches a lad patience while he waits for supplies to come in and saves aggravation in trying to find supplies.  :)

Is technology important in your schoolroom?   How do you use it?

Check out the posts of others by going here. 
Here are a few to get you started:
Rebecca – Our Life ~ Home and School – I blog about our homeschool journey and life at home.
Rebekah – There Will Be a $5 Charge For Whining – I want to share with you how I’ve kept most of my sanity and give you mostly practical advice.
Sabrina – Kids, Crunch, and Christ – Encouragement and resources to help moms live with joy from a crunchy homeschooling mom of five!!
Sheila – troutwife – We have a busy life, are involved in church and 4-H, enjoy science and each other, and keep learning new things all the time! I so totally don’t have it all together! 🙂
Stephanie – Swinging On Small Hinges – homeschool mama to 2 spunky girls
Susan – My Happy Homeschool – Welcome to My Happy Homeschool! My  heart’s desire is to encourage the homeschool mom to live out God’s calling and stay the course.
Yvie – Gypsy Road – Yvie is a road-schooling mother of two boys. Her blog centers on Charlotte Mason and unit study style learning based on the adventures her family has taken together!

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