Happy Holidays

This is my last post for 2011.  For the next few weeks, Homeschool Tech Mom is going offline to have some much needed downtime.  Look for my blog to be back online in January.  I wish all my readers a Happy Holidays and wish everyone all the best for the new year!

Before I sign-off, I wanted to leave you with one holiday website that my children and I have always enjoyed visiting.  Make-a-Flake is a really cool website that allows you to make virtual snowflakes.  It's just like making paper snowflakes, but without paper cuts or little bits of paper everywhere.  While you may find it a bit of a challenge using virtual scissors, I think you'll soon get the hang of it.  After you are done creating your snowflake you can save it to a gallery for others to view.  A quick trip to the gallery will convince you that it really is true "no two snowflakes are alike".

Happy Holidays! 

Homeschool Tech Mom

Roadside Attractions

With the winter holidays so close, many families are starting to get ready to do some traveling.  Since many families still seem to do traditional roadtrips, I felt compelled to point out a website that is an "oldie but a goodie."

Roadside America is the ultimate website for those of us that travel by car.  They claim to be "Your Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions", and I believe that they live up to that assumption.  Here is a sample of some of the oddities listed on their website:


Oregon Vortex
A mystery spot where things are just not what they seem.  Where tennis balls roll uphill and brooms stand on end.  That's the kind of craziness you will find at the Oregon Vortex, near Gold Hill, OR.  Open to the public since 1930, no one knows exactly what is the cause of the mysterious goings-on here.

Fridgehenge
While everyone has heard of Stonehenge, over in jolly old England, have you ever heard of Fridgehenge?  This curiosity can be found near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It is supposed to be a replica of Stonehenge made completely of old refrigerators.  If you're not into "fridges" they also have several "Carhenges" to check out too.

Corn Palace
How about visiting a palace made of maize?  That's what you will find when you stop off to visit the famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.   The walls of this cool structure are adorned with murals made entirely out of corn.  Each year there is a different theme, so the murals are ever changing.  Apparently, visitors come back again and again, probably because it's truly "a-maize-ing".  By the way, guided tours (in the summer) are free.

The Thing
If you've ever traveled through the state of Arizona, you must have seen at least one billboard advertising "The Thing".  Actually, there are apparently 247 billboards that advertise this southern AZ oddity.  It is the kind of roadside attraction that kids just beg their parents to stop and check out.  And for the low price of  $1, it's kind of hard to say no.

I have been to all the attractions listed above, well, except for "The Thing".  Even though I lived in Arizona for over 20 years, I never got down to see this famous Americana relic.  I loved the Corn Palace and wondered how they keep the birds eating all the murals.  I absolutely hated the Oregon Vortex, because for some reason it made me feel dizzy and nauseous.  Everyone else in my family loved it!

The nice thing about the Roadside America website is that you can search for a list of oddities to visit by typing in a town/city and state.  There is a separate page listing for each state, so you can get a birds-eye view of what attractions each state has to offer.  They now also have a mapping feature which allows you to generate a map of roadside attractions for any cities you plan to visit.

Finally, there is now even "an app for that".  The Roadside America App for the iPhone can be purchased for $2.99, providing you with complete access to roadside attractions while you are on the road. 

So the next time you plan a family roadtrip, you might want to check out the Roadside America website in advance to see what curiosities are en-route.  While most of them will end up being fun and quirky, it will probably leave your children with a fun memories that will last a lifetime.  And afterall, isn't that what's behind the whole idea of a family roadtrip anyway?

Educational Videos You Can Watch Online

Videos are a great way to supplement your child's learning.  Regardless of their age, most kids like to watch movies.  So when we can find videos available online for free - it's only natural that kids and parents get excited.  I am sure that is why websites like YouTube have become such a popular website.

Unfortunately, many parents soon discover that while there are lots of great videos on YouTube, for instance all the Khan Academy videos, there are lots of bad videos too.  This leaves parents wishing for a website that would specialize in videos that are kid-friendly.  And, if that dream website could also specialize in "educational videos" parents would be even happier.  Well, such a website exists, and it's called WatchKnowLearn.

WatchKnowLearn is a website that specializes in educational videos that can be watched for free over the Internet. All of their content can be viewed any time - any where.  You don't need to have an account and you don't have to purchase a subscription. 

The dream for WatchKnowLearn began in 2007 by a Memphis-area philanthropist and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi.  Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, was asked to lead in the development of this non-profit educational video service.  The vision for WatchKnowLearn was simple:   

We believe everyone should have the same opportunity to learn. The best way to make this possible, we believe, is to organize into one, super directory the hundreds of thousands of good videos currently available on the Internet. To make this a reality, we invite teachers, instructors and educators to suggest videos for inclusion into our directory, and then to review, approve, and assign those videos into appropriate categories using a wiki framework and philosophy.

In just a few short years, the WatchKnowLearn website has grown with leaps and bounds.  They now boast a collection of over 20,000 videos, covering 3000 categories.  Their video collection is targeted for kids of all ages - elementary to secondary schools (K-12).  Videos on the site are 100% Kid Safe!

 

Here are just some of the topics covered:

- Language Arts
- Math
- Science
- History
- Social Studies
- Languages
- PE & Health
- Computers & Technology
- Arts
- Life Skills
- Vocational, Career Development, Business
- Philosophy, Religion, & Ethics
- Hobbies & Crafts
- Holidays & Special Days

In addition to being a depository for educational videos, the website has been designed as a  "wiki, probably because Larry Sanger was involved at the beginning.  Being a "wiki" means that educators (that means us homeschool parents too) are encouraged to suggest additional videos to be included, and to review, approve, and assign those videos to the appropriate subject categories.  I especially like that there are additional features, like an age filter, and a search box.  This helps us sort through the website to find videos that best meet the needs of our particular family.

It's terrific when an educational resource like this is made available to everyone - public school students and homeschool students.  While there are other websites that offer streaming videos to watch online, most of them seem to come with a subscription fee and/or only accessible to public schools.  So, in my opinion, the WatchKnowLearn website is quite a find.


WatchKnowLearn Now - Demo

Search Engines for Students

When our kids ask us something that we don't have the answer to, it's easy to say "Google It".  However, depending upon the age of your child, that's not always the best response.  While internet search engines, such as Google, the king of them all, can offer a ton of information... sometimes that's not what our kids really need.

Instead, most kids (especially those 10 and under) need to learn - how to do effective internet research and they need to access websites that are appropriate for their age.  This is especially important when your kids are looking for graphic images.  As most parent know, sometimes a Google image search provides images that are so graphic that they should be rated "X".

If you are looking for a search engine that is custom-tailored for kids, I suggest you check out a website called Sweet Search.  This research tool only accesses websites that have been reviewed and approved by a team of librarians, teachers, and educational research experts.  I was surprised to discover that Sweet Search actually analyzes the contents of 35,000 plus websites during a typical search.

In addition to being a simple search engine, Sweet Search also provides other research assistance:

• SweetSearch Web Search Research Tutorial - which teaches students web research skills
• SweetSearch4Me - geared for elementary aged learners
• SweetSearch2Day - a daily assortment of interesting web content, ranging from "Today in History" to "Dilbert Cartoons"
• SweetSearch Biographies - thousands of biographies of people from all walks of life
• SweetSearch Social Studies - resources for using the web to do research specifically in the area of social studies.  Of special interest is the section on "Beyond the Headlines", which gives some really good tips on doing research with controversial resources like Wikipedia.

I think that SweetSearch is a great illustration of the expression "Good things come in small packages".  For such a tiny and unassuming website, this research tool has a lot to offer.

Audio Emails?

Okay, so we all know that children (and adults) have different learning styles:  Visual, Auditory, & Kinesthetic.  And yet, when we send emails we are only reaching out to the visual learners.  What if there was a way to send an Audio Email?  You're in luck... cause there is with Vocaroo.

Vocaroo calls itself "The premier voice recording service."  It is probably the easiest method you will ever find to record an email and send it to someone. All you do is click on the box marked "Click to Record" and start talking.  When you're done you click the box marked "Click to Stop".  Told you it was simple.

Once your done making your audio email, you have the option of listening to the recording or doing it over again.  At the bottom of the screen you will find a prompt to either send your message via email, or post it to the internet.  (Just in case you were wondering where on the internet you would post it?  Probably on your website, blog, or facebook.)  If you elect to post your recording to internet, you have the further option of posting it as a "link" or embedding the HTML code.

So what applications does this have for homeschooling?  Well, I think it's a great tool for giving someone (aka auditory learners) another way to process information.  For me, my kids don't have their own cell phone, but they do check their emails pretty regularly.  So an audio email from mom, would get noticed in my house.

It's also a great way for people who would rather send communications verbally, as opposed to typing out their message. This might appeal to my oldest son, who finds writing and typing the worst possible punishment known to man.

I have used Vocaroo in the past to keep in touch with my kids when I'm off traveling.  To me, sometimes it's nice to just send a message using a human voice so that they don't miss me.  If I had younger children, I might even think about using Vocaroo to tell them a bedtime story.  Of course, with my kids being teens now... probably the only thing I could get away with is a good "knock knock" joke.

Vocaroo is also a fun way to have your kids stay in touch with long distance relatives.  Instead of having them type a dull thank-you note, imagine how much fun it would be for grandma or grandpa to get an audio message?

Finally, there are some things that our kids only respond to if they hear an official "mother's voice".  So, Vocaroo is a great tool when I have to give your kids a little nudge.

Homeschool Tech Mom
Vocaroo Demo

Historical & Fictitious Characters Come Alive

How can you take a subject like History and make it come alive for your kids?  By combining something old with something new.  I think that was the vision behind a very cool website - myfakewall, where users create fake "facebook-like" profiles.

After signing up for a free account, users can upload images, write wall posts, add comments, and even create "likes".  The fake profiles are an engaging way for homeschoolers to do biographical reports on historical figures.  Think of all the great skills that are involved, such as:  research, writing, image editing, and technology use.  Not to mention a good dose of creativity and fun.

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to just historical figures.  This could be a great way to explore and illustrate characters from a novel.  Like... Jo March from "Little Women", Ebeneezer Scrooge from "A Christmas Carol", or Katniss Everdeen of "The Hunger Games". The possibilities for fictional characters are endless.

Finally, for those families that have facebook accounts, you will be happy to know that you can even "share" your myfakewall on your real facebook wall.  Now how cool is that?

Young Entrepreneurs Part #4 - There's A Book For That!

Well, we've all heard the quote - "there's an app for that" (Apple's advertising slogan for the iPhone), but to go one step further, "there's a book for that". In followup to my last few posts about Young Entrepreneurs,  I wanted to point out a few books worth checking out.

Marketing Your App - Recommended Reading:

I recently picked up this book at my local library.  I was amazed at all the great information it contained.  Apparently, there are lots of things to take into consideration before you actually publish an app.  Who knew?   

Get Rich with Apps!: Your Guide to Reaching More Customers and Making Money Now 
Jesse Feiler
McGraw Hill Company (April 22, 2010)

Amazon Review: 
If you’re considering entering the market, stop thinking about it and make your move. You’ll reach more customers, expand your product offerings, and grow new revenue streams. And it’s much easier than you may realize. 




Young Entrepreneurs - Recommended Reading:

I would like to recommend the following books that all focus on subject of Young Entrepreneurs.  I was delighted to learn that there are so many great books to choose from.   Obviously, the topic of Young Entrepreneurs is being taken very seriously.

Richest Kids in America
Mark Victor Hansen
Hansen House Publishing (June 1, 2009)

Amazon Review: 
Get ready to meet some amazing entrepreneurial superstars who are living their dreams and making a big difference doing it. They’ve shared their stories to inspire you, teach you, and show you that your own opportunities are endless. 

How did they discover their passion? What were their first steps to building their business? Who supported them along the way? Why do they all choose to give back to their community? In this book you’ll learn the key principles that catapulted each of these incredible young entrepreneurs to success and how these same principles will lead you to a life of ultimate fulfillment.

Kidpreneurs: Young Entrepreneurs With Big Ideas!
Adam Toren & Matthew Toren
Business Plus Media Group LLC (November 24, 2009)

Amazon Review: 
You've heard the saying, ""It's never too late." We say, "It's never too early!" Even children can be introduced to basic business principles and the rewards of entrepreneurship. Our goal with Kidpreneurs is to outline some basic tools and strategies kids can use to gain some valuable experience in starting, managing, and growing a successful business venture. Through easy-to-understand basic principles and a creative approach, we outline some key techniques that will have a powerful and positive impact on your child's ability to understand entrepreneurship. Using kid-friendly design and illustration, we break down some of the major points of entrepreneurship, so your child can have fun as he or she learns. Also, your child will enhance his or her decision-making skills by trying out simple businesses as he or she grows up.

Prepare to Be a Teen Millionaire
Robyn Collins & Kimberly Spinks
Health Communications Inc. (March 3, 2008)

Amazon Review:
The hottest teen entrepreneurs reveal what it takes to turn an idea into major money!


The founders of Millionaire Blueprints magazine, the award-winning Texas-based entrepreneurial magazine, know that teens are savvier than ever and that they possess the ingenuity and technology to take their ideas from conception to million-dollar products. Through their spin-off magazine, Millionaire Blueprints Teen, Tom Spinks, Kimberly Spinks-Burleson, and Lindsay Spinks-Shepherd have been offering teens the know-how and insider techniques to take them beyond the lemonade stand and headfirst into real-life business.

Now, in their latest book, Prepare to Be a Teen Millionaire, the authors have selected the best advice and teen examples from previous issues of Millionaire Blueprints Teen to create this one-stop compendium. Prepare to Be a Teen Millionaire features the true-life stories and struggles of – and lessons learned by – teens across the country who have successfully created businesses. It offers an array of business ideas, information, and step-by-step detailed instructions on finding funding, marketing, and manufacturing. The result is a tried-and-true 'blueprint' that assists creative and ambitious teens in fulfilling their dreams. 

Letters to a Young Entrepreneur 
Ricardo B Levy
CreateSpace (March 27, 2010)

Amazon Review: 
Letters to a Young Entrepreneur speaks to everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, capturing the personal challenges encountered in actualizing a vision. In twelve letters, each distilling the essence of significant insights, the author reflects upon experiences that enabled and inspired his journey. Penned with gem-like clarity, this book sharpens our sensitivity to the human dynamics and complexities of growing an extraordinary business.

Young Entrepreneurs Part #3 - Children's E-Books

Okay, for the past two days I've been talking about Young Entrepreneurs.  Yesterday, I blogged about the exciting world of  "app development" and the importance of finding mentors for your children.

As many of you, may well know, app development requires a certain level of technological expertise, that not everyone possesses.  So, what do you do if your child has the imagination to create an app, the entrepreneurial drive to market it, but just doesn't have the skills to develop it own their own?  You find someone else - to help them.  You find them a mentor, and mentoring people through the digital book publishing process is the whole idea behind TaleSpring.

TaleSpring is an internet start-up company based in Utah.  Their business is to help people create and market children's e-books.  With TaleSpring, you can learn not just how to create a digital book for children, but how to create a children's book that is interactive and animated.

TaleSpring - Demo:

What's great about TaleSpring is that there is no pricey software to buy or download.  Instead, everything is web-based, so you create your e-book online.  Another plus, TaleSpring requires no knowledge of computer programming. You simply upload text and graphics, and then begin creating your e-book, one page at a time.

The mentoring from TaleSpring doesn't stop there. They are also there to help you publish your children's e-book for the iPhone/iPad and sell it directly to Apple's app store. TaleSpring's goal is to have your e-book submitted to Apple within 2 weeks of completion. Once Apple has received your book, you can usually look forward to it being published within about 2-6 weeks.

Okay, I know what you are thinking, this sounds good, but what's it going to cost?  You will be happy to learn that with TaleSpring there are no up-front costs at all.  It is totally free to sign up and totally free to create your e-book.  Once you are ready to publish, you will be charged $150 to have your e-book published and receive a 50% royalty on all app sales.

Since TaleSpring's motto is “Create Once. Publish Everywhere.”, a variety of publishing devices are supported which includes:  iPhone, iPod, and the iPad.  In the future, there are plans to support Android and Windows Phone 7.

So if your Young Entrepeneur, has a great idea for a children's e-book, you might want to have them give TaleSpring a try.  With a company like TaleSpring - you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Young Entrepreneurs Part #2 - Creating Apps

When I was a child, I used to watch a show called "Kids Say the Darndest things".  Most of the vignettes were humorous little anecdotes meant to display the innocence of children.  While kids still say the "darndest things", today children have become less innocent and much more sophisticated.

For instance, take a look at Thomas Suarez, a young entrepeneur who lives in Los Angeles, California.  Now when I say "young", I'm not kidding.  Even though this kid is an experienced computer programer and app developer, he's only in the sixth grade.  When I think back to when I was in the sixth grade, I think my biggest accomplishment was riding my two-wheel bike.

Thomas Suarez was recently a featured speaker at the TED conference (October 22, 2011) in Manhattan Beach, California.  In his talk, he explains “A lot of kids these days like to play games, but now, they want to make them”.  He also presents the frustration kids face when they are looking for adult mentors - especially in an age where kids seem to know much more than the adults. “It’s difficult because a lot of kids don’t know where to go to make a program”.  He explains; “If you want to learn to play soccer, you could go to a soccer team; if you want to learn how to play the violin, you could go to a violinist; but where do you go when you want to create an app?”

Thank goodness for Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple, who put the building blocks in place to help launch this kid's dream.  For a fee of $99/year, the IOS Software Development Kit, allows kids (and adults) to create and sell computer applications directly through Apple's App Store.

Lucky for Thomas, his parents decided to back him and paid the fee so he could become an official app developer.  While I don't know how much revenue this Young Entrepreneur is actually raking in, during his talk he does mention what he's done with the profits, so he's obviously earning something.  Just like so many other entrepreneurs, Suarez is already mentoring others.  At school he created an "App Club" that meets at lunch.

 

After learning about Thomas Suarez, I thought about my eldest son and realized how fortunate he is to already be taking online classes that focus on both Technology & Entrepeneurship.  These are truly 21st century skills.

Several years ago I read a powerful book on homeschooling called - And the Skylark Sings With Me.  In this book, the author, David Albert, makes a great case for the role of "community based learning" in your homeschooling  journey.  After reading that book, I knew that try as I might, **I** could not teach my children everything.  In order for my kids to truly succeed, I would need to find them "mentors" in the subject areas they are passionate about. Which is exactly why I decided to enroll my children with Hi-Tech High.  Through that program, my children have been exposed to an incredible array of educational resources and mentors.

When we follow the path of home-based learning, I believe we raise our children to be independent thinkers - which is a key characteristic of entrepreneurs.  I have always believed that the homeschooled children we're teach today - will become the business leaders of  tomorrow.  Faced with a our current economy, where so many people are unemployed, I think we have to admit that the old model of "when you grow up - you'll get a good job with a big corporation" no longer works.  Therefore, if kids at the age of... 16, 14, 12, or even 10, can incorporate an entrepreneurial mindset now, they're already gathering the tools they'll need to succeed in the future.

Young Entrepreneurs Part #1 - Homeschooling & the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Eric Ferguson, Medhi Farsi, & Reza Farsi, of State Bicycle.

I recently read an article in USA Today, "Millennial Entrepreneurs Bypass the Unemployment Line" by Ellen Lee  12-03-11.  The story featured three Young Entrepreneurs in Tempe, AZ, (my old stomping grounds) that have achieved great success.

Upon graduation from Arizona State University, instead of sending out resumes for a corporate job, they went into business for themselves.  "It's bleak for a lot of people out there. Jobs are hard to come by," said Mehdi Farsi, 27. But "there is another way to make it right now. You take matters into your own hands."

The three entrepreneurs turned a shared hobby of cycling into a business and began making gear-free bicycles.  In the course of two years, they now have three retails stores and employ 25 people.  Living proof that an entrepreneur makes a job - instead of takes a job.  Young people have been especially hurt by our poor economy.  According to 2010 figures from the Economic Policy Institute, unemployment rates for workers ages -16 to-24 years old is at 18.4% , which is twice that of all workers.

As I read this article I began to think about how important it is for homeschooling families to teach their children about Entrepreneurship.  By the time our children are out of our homes and into the workforce, we have no idea whether the economy will be better or worse.

I also began to think about how the educational values we hold so dear in homeschooling are a direct match with what it takes to be a great entrepreneur.  The traits for each is almost a mirror image.

• While schooled children are taught to focus on problems - homeschoolers are encouraged to focus on solutions and think outside the box. 
• While schooled children are required to follow orders and not question their teachers - homeschoolers are encouraged to ask questions and take risks. 
• While schooled children may be considered cheaters if they collaborate with others without permission - homeschoolers are urged to work co-operatively with others.  (Where there are no assigned grades or tests - there can be no cheating.)
• While schooled children have no idea if  their answers are "correct" until they receive a grade from the teacher - homeschoolers are encouraged to "do their best" without any fear of failing.
• While schooled children must adhere to a schedule designed for the masses - homeschoolers have the freedom to work at their own pace.

Two months ago, one of the greatest Entrepreneurs of the century passed away.  To me, Steve Jobs was the embodiment of  Mark Twain's famous quote - "'I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

Steve Jobs was a college drop-out and yet he was also the mastermind behind Apple's:  iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes.  Jobs' passion and energy were the source of countless technological innovations that have enriched and improved our lives.

I urge all homeschoolers to take a look at their own family and evaluate whether you might be educating a Young Entrepreneur today... who will the business leader of tomorrow.  Is the next "Steve Jobs" sitting at your kitchen table?

Simon Sinek, the author of  Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Act (Penguin Group, 2009), says that for any entrepreneur who dreams of leading like Steve Jobs, they need to have the following characteristics:

1. Clarity of why you do what you do. To have this, you need a purpose, cause or belief that exists above and beyond the products or services you sell.
    
2. Discipline of how you do it. You must hold yourself and your people accountable to a defined set of guiding principles or values.
    
3. Consistency of what you do. Everything you say and do must prove what you believe. Every product that Apple made, all their marketing always communicated the same message: Think Different.

In the spirit of  entrepreneurship, I am dedicating several blog posts this week to this timely and important topic of Young Entrepreneurs.  So, with that, I encourage you to watch this short 2 minute video from the folks at Grasshopper.com - it's a great example of encouraging our kids (and ourselves) on the imporatance of pursuing the entrepreneurial dream.

Entrepreneurs can change the world

 

Homeschoolers with Print Disabilities

Do you know a child that struggles with reading?  Then pay attention, because I just learned about a fantastic program that is helping 150,000 children with disabilites to read digital books.

Bookshare is a non-profit program that provides access to approximately 125,000 digital books. Inspired by Napster, the music-sharing service, the folks at Bookshare have modified books into a format that can be read aloud by computers and/or magnified, which allows students with vision problems or learning disabilities to read them.

Thanks to an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Bookshare is free program for all U.S. students with qualifying disablities.  Of special note, the program is available to home-schooled students.  Hurray!

The disabilities required for qualification include:

• Visual Impairment (blind or low vision)
• Physical Disability (which affects one’s ability to read print, such as inability to hold a book or turn pages)
• Learning Disability
• Reading Disability

Books available through Bookshare can be read with a number of reading technologies, which include: computer software, assistive technology devices, and a variety of mobile devices.  Most recently, there is now an "app for that".

Read2Go is an app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, specifically designed for Bookshare.  Read2Go allows users to: listen to books being read aloud; see and hear words as they are highlighted; customize reading speed, font size, and colors; or read in Braille.

Photo Editing is Easy With Picnik

Today is December 1st and even though it's not the official first day of winter, it sure feels like it where I live.  So, surely this is not the right time of year for some picnic time  But, maybe you should look into some "picnik" time instead?

If you haven't heard about picnik, you are in for a treat.  Picnik is an online image editing program, that allows you to transform your photos. This free web application offers dozens of tools to improve the look of your graphics. 

Unlike the more complex graphics programs like GIMP or Photoshop, picnik is incredibly easy to use.  So both homeschoolers (of all ages) and their parents will enjoy it.  Just upload a photo and within minutes you will have a graphic masterpiece.

BEFORE

AFTER

If nothing else, Picnik is a valuable resource for just resizing photographs on the fly.  I know that I like to use it whenever I want to change the dimensions of a graphic before post the image on my blog or sending as an email attachment.

Picnik is free and no registration is required.  So, you can just upload a photo and get to work.  If you decide to upgrade to a picnik "premium account" ($24.95 a year), you will have access to additional features.  For the most part, I think that the free version is meet most people's needs.  Picnik is a great photo editing tool that both homeschooling students and their parents will enjoy using.  Spending time with picnik is fun in any season, and luckily, no ants are included!

Homeschool Tech Mom
Picnik Demo

Need a Little Nudge?

The word "nudge" is such a sweet verb meaning: "to push against gently, especially in order to gain attention or give a signal." While from time to time we all could use a little nudge in our lives, how about with your email?  Absolutely.

Think about how many times you have received an important email that you know needed to stay in the forefront of your mind.  Up until now, our only way to keep it from getting lost in some email folder (or even worse, deleted) was to have it clutter up our in-box. So, what if there was a way for you to receive that same email at a time/date that better suites your needs?  There is way to do this and it's called NudgeMail.

Here is how NudgeMail works.  You receive an email. You then forward that email to Nudgemail and setup the time/date you want to receive the email. Pretty slick huh?  Wouldn't this be great just for airline reservations?  I know that whenever I am flying anywhere, a day before I am supposed to leave (usually at the time I am needing to "Check-in" online, I am scrambling around trying to find my airline ticket confirmation.

Another thing NudgeMail can be used for is sending yourself a reminder and then having it delivered back to you on the day/time you specify.

To use NudgeMail you do not have to register, sign-up, or download any special software. The program works with most computer devices - Windows, Mac, Blackberry, Android, iPhone, iPad, etc. Currently the service does not support email attachments, so you should avoid sending nudgemails with any attachments (documents, graphics, audios, etc.). 

And yes... it's absolutely free.  It should be noted that NudgeMail is currently in BETA.  When it's ready to rollout out, there will be premium subscription for additional features.  However, the developers pledge that they will always offer a free service as well.

Homeschool Tech Mom
NudgeMail Demo

You Could Learn Alot From a Cat

If I told you that Garfield and friends make good teachers, you would probably think I was crazy.  However, you kids really could learn alot from a cartoon cat.  I recently came across an educational website by the makers of Garfield and found that it had a lot to offer. 

Professor Garfield is a learning portal chock-full of fun and interactive educational resources geared for elementary students. The website is a collaboration between Paws, Inc. (world headquarters of Garfield the Cat) and Ball State University. 

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, is the brain-child behind Professor Garfield.  The vision for the learning portal came to him over the years, as he received tons of mail from parents telling him how the Garfield cartoons helped their child to read.  Recognizing that cartoons could serve as educational tools, the idea for Professor Garfield was hatched. 

Professor Garfield is primarily targeted for kids between the ages of 5-12. However, even I had fun checking out all the goodies the website has to offer.  My favorite area was the Music Bot, which provides some really fun songs for learning.  I just loved Red Grammer's "Music of the World" song.  I think it has to be one the catchiest geography songs I've ever heard.

Here is just some of the educational content that Professor Garfield has to offer:

• Music Bot - Kids have fun with music
• Art Bot - Learn to draw cartoons the Garfield way
• Brain Busters - Word games to challenge  your brain
• Toon Book Reader - Cartoon books read outloud (in 5 different languages)
• Comics Lab - Create your own comic strips
• Transport to Reading - Fun with sounds and letters
• The Reading Ring - Reading comprehension games
• G-Cubed - Multi-player trivia game

You can really tell that Jim Davis cares about kids, because of the add-on link to the related website of Learning Lab, which provides educational cartoon videos.  On that site are two animated videos that I think every homeschooling family with younger kids (grades K-8) should watch.  These videos, which are starring Garfield and friends, cover the basics of internet safety.

Professor Garfield on Online Safety
Garfield and Friends share information about Online Safety - Who is the mysterious message-board poster trying to get his paws on Nermal’s special comic book?

Professor Garfield on Cyberbullying
Garfield and Friends share information about Cyberbullying - Who is anonymously posting bad reviews about “Animal Idol” contestant Nermal?

I think that Professor Garfield is a really good resource for homeschooling families with younger children.  Since the price is right - FREE - it is well worth a good look.  Professor Garfield is the 2010 winner of the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) as a "Landmark Website - For Teaching and Learning".

Shmoop - Digital Curriculum

When I first heard about an educational resource called Shmoop, I just had to check it out.  Afterall, with a name like that... you've got to be curious.  What I found with Shmoop was a really cool website that provides middle/high school students with a modern look at history and literature.

Shmoop is a homeschool parent's dream.  It presents literary works, historic information, and other educational resources in a way that is very engaging.  The digital curriculum gives hungry minds information that is both educational and entertaining.  At Shmoop, the developers believe that learning doesn't have to be a dull and boring chore, but instead, can be fun and relevant.  I agree.

Many subjects are covered on the Shmoop website - Literature, Poetry, Shakespeare, Mythology, Bestsellers, US History, Civics, Economics, Music, Pre-Algebra, and Biology.  The site offers a wide variety of resources, ranging from learning guides to multimedia.  Best of all, the majority of content on the website is free.  From what I could tell, the only "premium paid subscription" was for teachers who were interested in creating exams for their classrooms.

I was very impressed to see all the modern content on Shmoop.  For instance, under music, they include such songs as Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" (homeschooling's national anthem?), Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA".  There is even a feature to listen to the song and Shoop commentary online, however I wasn't able to get this to work on my laptop.  It is a listed as a "beta feature", so perhaps they are still trying to work out all the bugs. 

I also like that the "Bestseller" category referred to books, which includes such popular books as:  Hunger Games, The Help, and Little Bee.  Each of the bestseller entries includes a: summary, theme, quotes, summary questions, characters, analysis, facts, and related websites.  Access to information like this is excellent for any homeschool parents who facilitate book groups or want to be be more aware of what books their kids are reading.

History lovers will be happy to know that Shmoop covers both the old and the new.  You can read about Spanish Colonization (back in 1492), or more modern topics like the History of Rock & Roll.  Being that I am a big history fan, I was very happy to discover that each topic includes a section entitled "Why Should I Care?".   I have always thought that the real lesson is learning history is not about memorizing names and dates, but instead really understanding the significance of what happened.



As a bonus, they even include related movies for each history topic.  My family has always enjoyed watching movies as a complement to our history studies.  After we learn about historical events... we like to see if Hollywood got it right or wrong.

Lastly, Shmoop offers lots of resources for the college bound.  There are test prep courses for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP Exams.  There is even a College 101 section that includes articles about:  College Applications, Entrance Exams, Financial Aid, Scholarships, etc. 

So if you are looking for great resource that offers digital curriculum and test preparation, I suggest you check out Shmoop. 

Book Review - Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative

Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
Ken Robinson
Capstone Publisher / 2nd Edition (March 8, 2011)

I first learned of Sir Ken Robinson, when I read his best selling book, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything".  By the way, it was a fabulous read and if you can get hold of it on CD (which he narrates himself), you'll just love it.  The book is all about how schools kill creativity and the whole time you read it ... it will validate WHY you chose to homeschool your children.

In his latest book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, Robinson examines the role of creativity in both education and business.  He relates that organizations everywhere are having to deal with people who have come through the educational system and have no clue what their own creative abilities are.  And as such,we need to make changes with the way we are teaching the children of today. 

"It is often said that education and training are the keys to the future. They are, but a key can be turned in two directions. Turn it one way and you lock resources away, even from those they belong to. Turn it the other way and you release resources and give people back to themselves. To realize  our true creative potential—in our organizations, in our schools and in our communities—we need to think differently about ourselves and to act differently towards each other. We must learn to be creative." - Ken Robinson 

For those of you, already familiar with Ken Robinson, I'm sure that you wouldn't be surprised to learn that  he is a big fan of homeschooling.  He likes the model of home-based learning because: it allows for personalized learning, flexibility of time, and encourages methods of teaching that are sensitive to the different learning styles of each student.  However, since homeschoolers make up only a small percent of the population, Ken Robinson has elected to dedicate his efforts to a revolution of the current Public Education model.  So even though his insights may be seen as "preaching to the choir", I think that homeschoolers can still glean some knowledge from his thoughts on creativity and education.

This RSA Animate video is a wonderful illustration of Sir Ken Robinson's theory of why the current model of Public Education is failing kids so miserably.  I encourage everyone to view this short film... and then run to their nearest library or bookstore to check out his books.

RSA Animate - Ken Robinson
Changing Education Paradigms