Archive for June, 2010
“For things that can not be changed, such as appearance you should help them â¨realize that differences are good! They don’t want to be a clone! They were born an individual so they shouldn’t let others tear them down or tellâ¨them they don’t look right. They shouldn’t let those people take that away their individuality (appearance or personality)!
Another thing to consider â¨is why a kid would want to be cool and popular. If they just want to fit in then I have covered that. But if it’s something about being liked or getting â¨friends, I have this to say: If they don’t like you for who you are, then changing is pointless! I understand this very well! If a kid changes â¨themselves to fit in with people they don’t fit in with, they are most likely to find themselves lost or just plain bored. They will end up talking about â¨things they have no interest in, listening to jokes they don’t find funny, and doing things they don’t want to do(not necessarily bad things, just things â¨they have no interested in doing).
If anything, kids (especially my age (12-16)) need to realize having a small, maybe nerdy group of friends to have fun â¨with and trust is much better having a lot of friends, maybe popular, that they wouldn’t get along with and would probably not accept them if they changed. â¨Once again, this all goes into the embrace difference thing, but if they fit in with the ‘cool’ crowed then that’s okay too. To all their own, just make sure that no one brings them down.
All this being said, I think a child would be able to over-come peer pressure and exile.”
Thank you Remi – you have answered the question beautifully.â¨â¨ Mistacres School creates an environment that supports the individuality in each child, allows them to be successful, fine their strengths and over-come their weaknesses.
add comment | (0 Comments)
Virtual schooling allows for positive social interaction without the fear of being bullied. My niece continues to explain:
“I have noticed that one thing kids do make is mistakes. If a kid messes up or fails in anyway, they will most likely get teased for their failure. For this reason alot of kids never try, because if you don’t try you won’t fail. Changing this frame of mind is pretty simple, all they need is more self-esteem.
One, if a kid is happy with themselves they are less likely to be brought down by others, and two, they will be more sure of themselves, thus more assertive. I find that the best way for developing self-confidence is to first let your good qualities shine. Help the kid find the things that they are most good at, that makes them different from the rest, whether it’s math, english, an instrument, â¨painting, or balancing spinning plates on a stick, anything that makes them distinctive is good.
Second, a kid should learn to accept their faults and move past them. For example, say there is a kid that is not good in science. Well first he should except it, basically thinking ‘okay I’m not very good at this’ but then he should also think ‘but I can fix that!’. You can be good with anything. It just might take a little, or a lot of practice and determination. “
One of the most frequent questions asked at Mistacres School is regarding the “lack of social interaction” with a virtual school. Those watching the trends of students today will tell you schools are no longer the primary place for socialization. Technology is.
One parent brought up the difficulty that children have in dealing with peer pressures. They want to “belong” and so will succumb to the negative demands. So how do they rise above these pressures? Well, I asked my 14 year old niece to tell me what she thought. I share this now with you.
“First of all, from my experience, the “cool” crowd doesn’t make success. If you’re smart than okay thats fine whatever, occasionally you’ll â¨get the ‘ Hey!! lemme copy off a ya!!’ thing, but that’s more annoying than anything else (although it probably differs from one place to another.)”
I want to share with you some quotes from inspired people in history and literature. These quotes have made me happy and given me something to think about. They have led me to decide to provide online education to children. I hope you will enjoy them as well.
This weeks quotes come from students who were involved in Project 
Tomorrow’s Speak-up. They refer to technology as it refers to learning.
“By using new technology in our schools kids will be able to participate more and will be more interested in school. Grades can increase if the teachers provide lessons in the form of powerpoints, student’s can review the lessons and be better prepared for tests and quizzes. By allowing students to use technology in school you are giving them the ability to perform in an environment that they are well adjusted to.”
– , Space Center Intermediate, TX
“Technology use is important to me because it’s more interactive than just learning straight out of the book and doing outlines! >:( And then having a test/quiz the next day the outline is due!”
– , CLEAR LAKE INTERMEDIATE, TX
We can have an amazing imagination. Most of the things that you want us to learn we don’t want to do. Were not lazy or trying to rebel, but its all boring. Put some creativity in the subjects we learn and make it fun.”
– 10th Grade Boy, JEFFERSON WEST HIGH, KS
Whether your child goes to a traditional school or is homeschooled through a virtual program, summer reading is critical to continuing reading growth. “Find a Book” developed by Metametrics is a free online book search which you and your child can use to develop his or her own reading list based on their Lexile level and their topics of interest.
Using the “Find a Book” is simple and, once your child learns how to use it, this will become one of their most used bookmarks. Just follow these simple steps
Go to www.lexile.com/findabook 
“Find a Book” has built in links to WorldCat which allows you to check the books availability at your local publi library. It also links to Barnes & Nobel.com which has joined Metametrics by Lexiling their books.
Many libraries also have reading incentive programs. Call you local library to find out how to join. Reading IS the key to success. Lexile helps them be successful in their reading. And isn’t success what it should all be about?!
Deciding to homeschool your child has never been easy. In today’s troubled economy, if you have a two-parent family, is is common for both parents to be working. In the past, success in homeschooling a child depended greatly on the amount of time a parent had to dedicate to the education of the child. Now, however, homeschooling may not require a parent to leave a job completely. Virtual Schools now have the ability to supply the resources and academic teachers and support, and with a willingness to compromise, working parents combine work and homeschooling.
Working parents should know that there many independent schools offering K-12 homeschooling curriculum through the Internet. In fact, research regarding this alternative to traditional education is not only proving most beneficial but gaining popularity amoung students and parents alike.
Working parents who opt to homeschool may need to be creative in developing their own work schedule. Even though virutal schools offer the curriculum and teacher supports, it is important that the children also have the support and involvement of their parent(s). Traditional schools have many more concerns then just your child. As a result, they offer their curriculum during specific days and times. Virtual schools, however, individualize to the student and family needs allowing them to determine their own schedule.
Another option is to form a group of parents whose children are virtual learners. A space within each home can be designated as a sort of learning center. Then families can share the responsibility to be “educational monitor” according to work schedules.
I was brought up with the saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way”. With all the resouces that technology has created for educational purposes, homeschooling is not just for the few any longer. With a little creativity and commitment, anything is possible.
An Exploration of At-Risk Learners and Online Education
posted by admin @ 8:00 AM
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) recently released a research paper entitled “An Exploration of At-Risk Learners and Online Education”. There have been many claims that online education is successful at supporting students identified as “at risk” or having Learning Disabilities. This research was done to prove or disprove these claims.
The report is broken down into two sections: “Strategies for Working with At-Risk Student Populations in Online Environments” which presents and discusses various online programs that are successfully supporting “at risk” students; and “Trends and Instructional Practices for Teaching At-Risk Students in Virtual Courses” which surveys online schools to better understand the delivery and design methods being used to support these students.
President and CEO of iNACOL reports; “Blended and online learning programs are offering new student-centered school models for a diverse group of kids who are looking for more options. This report highlights how online education is providing solutions to help remediate and accelerate “at-risk” learners and meet their individualized needs. I believe this report is a must-read for education leaders and practitioners to think differently about innovative interventions through online and blended learning for addressing a wide range of student needs, providing guidance, and helping to change the landscape of education for all learners.”
I would go on to say that it is a “must read” for parents who may or may not have an “at risk” child but who wants to be more involved in their child’s education. If, in fact, online education can have such positive results with these children, then what could it do for the gifted or “normal” children. And aren’t all children entitled to have their individualized needs met?
Source: International Association for K-12 Online Learning
Getting kids interested in learning can be more than a little tricky, but there are definitely tactics and methods that can make the endeavor easier. For one, always make sure that education is presented less as a lesson plan and more as a game. This way, they get to build on any number of basic skills, but they will also have a lot of fun while doing so. Also make sure those games utilize many different forms of media in order to keep them appropriately engaged.
As such, educational games for kids are almost always more successful if they use diverse tactics. Some of these tactics can be utilizing internet games or internet sources. Kids are so comfortable with the internet these days that online learning tools are in no way intimidating or confusing for kids. Rather, it actually increases the likelihood that they’ll enjoy and use these various educational tools.
I want to share with you some quotes from from students who were involved in Project Tomorrow’s Speak-up. They refer to assessment as it refers to learning. They continue to encourage me to provide online education to children. I hope you will enjoy them as well.
“Technology is important because you can share ideas with people online, and you can also get help from many different websites. Also, there are many games or quizes you can play online to practice.”
– 8th Grade Girl, WEAVER HIGH SCHOOL, AL
“Get online tutors and play educational games, and find different kinds of websites and do like tests and quizes. technology is important to me because it makes things in life 10 times easier for everyone.”
– 10th Grade Girl, DIGITAL HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL, MD
“I need technology to help myself understand lessons. Educational games will help me better understand the lesson, and online tutors will help me if i still dont understand. i can also check myself w/online tests and quizzes.”
– 8th Grade Boy, LAFAYETTE TWP., NJ
Traditional education methods of the last 200 are being questioned and seen as out-dated.
The internet and all it has to offer, access to bulging libraries, boundless sporting and social extra-curricular activities are making home-schooling more and more attractive to parents. The home-schooled child no longer need suffer any disadvantage from the traditionally schooled child. They are able to receive all, if not more, educational activities offered by the public schools as well as the social activities offered. Once again parents are choosing to be more involved in their children’s upbringing and educational process. In fact, with the social, budgetary, academic and safety issues facing the public schools now, many parents are demanding the right to provide their children with an individual, high quaility education necessary for a healthy, well-adjusted transition into adulthood.
Demands on the public schools continue to increase faster then they are able keep up. This is particularly true in the area of social responsibility. Many, but not all children, learn the literacy and numeracy basics but often lack primary social skills. Today’s children have few manners or, what we called, social graces and are often unresponsive or resentful to educators. As they progress through the traditional classrooms they become more disinterest in traditional teaching. This is especially true with our students who are raised with technology everywhere around them. The traditional methods turn them off, shut them down and they ‘slip through the cracks’.
Home-schooling may be the answer for these children. Parents would have the opportunity to be more closely involved with the child’s educational requirements while instilling moral, social and ethical values. Pehaps this would be the answer to a lost generation of children who are suffering from an education system that does not meet their needs.