Homeschool Connections

End of the Year

9 days left of school

You can do it.

Don’t give up.

Do your best.

Finish well.

IT’S FIELD DAY TIME!

All Field Days will be held from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Each event includes a Barbecue from noon to 12:30 p.m.  Please enroll your students in Launchpad.  Event numbers listed below. To view more detailed information see Launchpad for flier.

See below for the date and location in your area:

• Friday, May 15th: MARTINEZ FIELD DAY – Martinez Marina – Region Shoreline Park. #3865 Open link for map.
• Thursday, May 21st: JACKSON FIELD DAY – Detert Park – Jackson. #3866 Open link for map.
• Friday, May 22nd:    SO. LAKE TAHOE FIELD DAY – Tahoe Paradise Park. #3867 Open link for map.
• Thursday, May 28th:   DAVIS FIELD DAY – Davis Community Park. #3868 Open link for map.
• Friday, May 29th:   SACRAMENTO FIELD DAY – North Highlands -  Freedom Park. #3869 Open link for map.
• Thursday, June 4th:   FOLSOM FIELD DAY – John Kemp Park. #3870 Open link for map.
• Friday, June 5th:   ELK GROVE FIELD DAY – Elk Grove Regional Park. #3871 Open link for map.

Please complete and sign a Field Trip Permission Form (one form for each family with all attending student names on the form).  ALONG WITH THE FORM, WEAR PLAY CLOTHES, SUNSREEN, AND A HAT IF NEEDED. ENJOY A FUN TIME WITH YOUR VISIONS STAFF AND FAMILIES!

Ten Web 2.0 Activities You Can Do With Your Kids

1. Go on a park hop.

Shared this with a few homeschooling families and they loved it! Start at home by searching for a few parks in a particular area. Use an online mapping tool to map out your day. When you’re at the park, give the camera to one of the kids to take a photo. It’s great seeing pictures of the parks from their perspective. Record that child’s thoughts about the location and features. Have the kids take turns being the photographer and reporter for each park. Later, map out the parks using place markers in Google Earth. My students decided to create a placemarker, upload their picture, type a few sentences highlighting the best features of the park. Now they can share the Park Hop Travel Guide with others.

2. Have an art day.

Turn up the music, set out materials, and get creative. Have each child choose their best masterpiece and take a picture of it. Upload the pictures to Art Snacks. While their, check out the other artists and find 3 pieces of art that you enjoy on the network. Choose a rating and leave a comment for those fellow artists.

3. Start a family blog.

Have each person be responsible to post on a particular day of each week. Teach your kids how to find a picture using creative commons, and how to give photo attribution. There are so many skills that can go into this one. Want a safe way for the kids to surf the internet or keep a family blog? Check out KidZui.

4. Write a song together and record it.

Upload it to your song and invite friends and family to listen to and post comments.

5. Create a digital storytelling project.

See what you can do with Photostory3. Document a family vacation, a trip to the zoo, or what your family does on an ordinary day.

6. Interview an older family member.

Have the kids write the questions and record the interview. Upload and share on YouTube or a video sharing site.

7. Plan a meal together.

Choose a theme and delegate the tasks. Have each child find one recipe online that you can add to your menu. Go back later and have them write a short review or post a rating for the dish. Create an original dish together and photograph it. Upload it to a recipe site and check back later to see what people think of it.

8. Review a book.

Check out an online bookstore such as Barnes and Noble, Jr., Borders, or Amazon and find a favorite book. Have each child write a short review. Consider choosing a new book or two to add to your library.

9. Become authors.

Publish your story and share it with others. Decide on a topic and map out the storyline. Give each person specific pages to write and illustrate. Transfer your story to a self-publishing website for kids like this one.

10. Create a movie

Check out Kerpoof Animation Studio. It’s free. Animoto makes it easy to create videos.

10 Cool Web 2.0 Activities To Do With Your Kids are great, but 12 would be even better; with one activity for each month of the year! Can you think of a great idea or two to add to this list?

Photo Attribution: Kidzui, TikaTok, Computer Keys: Lizzardo

In the previous post, I’ve shared the mission and core values of Visions in Education.  Our mission is to prepare each student to succeed in a rapidly changing world.  An important part of this mission is a focus on helping students become familiar with the technology tools that are available.  These tools can help students communicate, collaborate and contribute now, as a student; in their future education; and later, in the workforce.

I’ve taken the opportunity this year to learn more about educational technology, research how homeschoolers are integrating it into their curriculum, and investigate some of the web 2.0 technology tools.  I am learning so much that I’m almost overwhelmed.  (Okay, I’m already overwhelmed.)  To help, I am choosing to focus in on just a few things for next year the next several years.  I will be sharing more about these in the future.  For now, here’s a brief description of the goals I’ve set to address our school’s mission statement.

1. Blogging:  I will be using this blog to communicate and keep you informed.  Additionally, I want to provide a place on the blog for student blogging.  Students tend to write better when they have a purpose and an authentic audience.  I will provide a “publishing place” on my blog for posting student-writing projects next year.  There will also be a “student spotlight” which I’ll share more about later.
2. Social Networking:  The Visions Homeschool Network will be used to facilitate community and connections for you and other homeschooling parents.  I have it just about ready to launch so you’ll have a chance to join before summer.
3. Technology Instruction:  I’m not sure how this will take shape yet.  I hope to either create a “Tech Club” for interested students or find a way to teach mini-tech lessons periodically.  Let me know if you are interested in this or have ideas.
4. Project 2.0:  This is a self-directed learning program that I am putting together for 7th-12th graders or Parent Educators who want to learn more about Web2.0.  I hope to have it completed for the fall semester.
5. Online Portfolio Projects:  Colleges are seeking out potential student candidates through online networks.  I will be available to help your high school student create an online portfolio that they can add to throughout their high school years, and later present, as they apply for colleges and scholarships.  Let me know if you are interested.

If you have any thoughts about any of these, I would love to hear it.  Post a comment below.

Photo Attribution:  Tyler Howarth

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Our school has recently completed the WASC process.   In a few weeks, we should hear the results of our application for accreditation renewal.  In the past year, our self-study gave us an in-depth look at the strengths and areas for needed growth regarding our program.   As a result, we have a Four-Year Action Team Blueprint to address these areas needing improvement.  If you would like to view the Self-Study Report or any of the supporting documents, you will find it in VIE Community.  (Type “WASC” in the search bar.)

Mission Statement, Vision and Values

A valuable part of participating in the WASC process was familiarizing ourselves with our school mission statement and core values.  I wanted to take time to remind you of our vision and purpose.

Vision Statement

Preparing each student to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

School Mission

As an independent study/home school program, Visions in Education Charter School utilizes a standards-based education that addresses individual differences and learning styles.  We empower students to take ownership and responsibility for their present and future learning by developing their academic, interpersonal, and technological skills.

School Values

• Learning
• Relationships
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Innovation
• Respect
• Service

Remember the social network I started this Fall?  The potential for collaboration and connecting was wonderful, but I felt we needed a larger group to make it more meaningful for you.  Well, I have good news.

A new social network, like the one we had, is being launched for our entire Homeschool Academy very soon!  I am putting on the finishing touches to the network and will be doing trainings for teachers in a few weeks.  When all of the teachers have been added, (hopefully around May 20th), the network will be launched.

I’ll send you an email invitation to join.  I’m really excited to open it up to others so you’ll have a chance to collaborate with more families, as well as connect with my other Homeschool families, on this network.   It will provide another place for us to communicate, besides this blog.  I look forward to inviting you a bit before everyone else, in hopes that you can help me by giving me feedback, before everyone else jumps in.

Here’s a sneak peak:

I’ve added 30 groups, on topics ranging from homeschooling methods, organization & scheduling, to gardening and sharing recipes.  If you have any suggestions or thoughts, please leave a comment here.

Here are a few groups…

Creative Commons Photo Attribution:  Starbucks Mocha Coffee by tskdesign

Jefferson County Schools, in Tennessee, has a great collection of educational links on their website. Check on these pages on Geometry, Graphing, Fractions and Algebra. For more math links, check out the math page, which has 14 categories to choose from.

APlus Math has a variety of online flashcard games. The Math-O game is a fun way to practice addition facts. You can also create and print your own flashcards here.

MathBrain is a popular one with my students. You can choose your grade level and game piece that marks your place on the game board. The arcade-style games focus on various areas of math. Students love the fact that when you take a break, you can get a password that allows returning users to pick up where they left off.

FreeMathHelp is a wonderful resource for junior high and high school students. The lessons focus on: Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and Statistics. After the lesson, students can play games for practice, or ask questions on the message boards.

Several of my students have had great success in boosting their math skills with the videos from the Khan Academy. I’ve introduced a few different ones, but they seem to go back to these most often. If you aren’t familiar with it, take a look at the website, where you’ll find the entire video library or subscribe to the Khan Academy channel on YouTube.

Salman Khan is the man behind the Khan Academy. Sal describes the mission for his not-for-profit organization as “providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere. We have 700+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, and finance.”

Yes.  I know.  It is April Fool’s Day.

And how could I forget, when my students expressed their creativity all day long, in hopes to get me this time.  Who knew that tales of missing work and spiders on my computer could bring them such joy?  People were trying to fool me all day long.  My favorite today was the link shared with me about Google’s amazing announcement:  “Research group switches on world’s first ‘artificial intelligence’ tasked-array system.”  Google refers to the artificial intelligence as CADIE, the world’s first Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity,” according to their blog. Check out the announcement.

Mathionaire is a site I recently came across.  It is intended for students in grades 3 and up, for practicing math skills.  If you answer incorrectly, you start at the beginning again.  Students can use the 50/50, phone-a-friend, or ask-the-audience options if they need extra help.

Check out Scientific American’s spotlight on Tim Berners-Lee.  A proposal he wrote twenty years ago became the blueprint for the World Wide Web.  The celebration took place earlier this month.

Read here to find out more:

•    Facts about the Web’s Creation

Read a few interesting facts about the Web’s early days.  “Information Mesh” was one of the early names suggested for the Web.  Another option was “The Information Mine,” of which the author, Mark Fischetti, shares that “Berners-Lee thought the acronym, TIM, was too egocentric!”

•    The Mind Behind the Web

I enjoyed reading about Tim Berners-Lee and his vision for the Web.  It’s amazing that it has come so far, so quickly.  It reminded me of my first experiences exploring the Internet.  Back then the service I had charged by the minute.  I would sign on, hurriedly gather information (as much as was possible with dial-up), and quickly sign out, in hopes that the bill didn’t get too high.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“By 1990 Berners-Lee had a fully formed vision: “Suppose all the information stored on computers everywhere were linked,” he thought. “All the bits of information in every computer at CERN, and on the planet, would be available to me and to anyone else. There would be a single, global information space,” a natural resource like air and water. The task left to him was to marry hypertext and the Internet.”

•    Remembering the Day the World Wide Web Was Born

In this article, Mark Fischetti writes about the early days of the Web:

“Berners-Lee accessed the first Web page, on the first Web server, using the first Web browser on Christmas Day 1990. Why did it take until 1993 before the public became aware of the creation?”

“Once Tim and Robert Cailliau established that the Web worked, they wanted to spread the word. After getting CERN to buy in, Tim spent 1991 flying around the world meeting with people who were interested in hypertext and the Internet and linking to create Web browsers to access what was a growing repository of information on Tim’s CERN computer. He also encouraged enthusiasts to start their own servers. From there, listservs helped spread the word; so did university computer science programs, which saw the coding of browsers and servers as a great way to get students to experiment. (One of the best known of these projects was headed by the University of Illinois’s Marc Andersen, who would later transform his creation into the Netscape Web browser.)”

“Tim began to get concerned, though, about universities and companies like Microsoft creating their own networks that might compete with the Web, or charging for content, which would violate his core principle: that everyone should be able to communicate freely with everyone else. To stop this from happening, he got management at CERN to release all of his source code under a general license so that any programmer anywhere could use it for free. He thought that if the whole world was building the Web together, no one company could take control of it.”

What do you remember about the early days of navigating the world wide web?

Here’s a great video to share with your kids when explaining how the World Wide Web works.