Handling Social Media with Our Kids

I know some parents aren’t very computer or internet savvy, and they are a bit mystified as to how to keep their kids safe and yet allow them to use the resources available on the internet. There a list of tips for parents outlined here.

Set Appropriate Boundaries and Provide Intentional Oversight for Social Media.

Discussion

Free Internet Content Filtering From OpenDNS

I just started using this service:

http://www.opendns.com/

They offer among other things a web content filtering service at no expense to the household user. I like it because of 1.) the cost (free), and 2.) because you can filter at the router level, which is becoming more and more important with the influx of wireless devices that can come into a home. You are able to adjust the content filtering at several levels:

Discussion

Q&A with a Single Parent Homeschooler

Kysha is a recently divorced mom who is now tackling the task of being a single-parent homeschooler. She answers some common questions about how she manages it on her blog, Love’s School.

Discussion

Valley of Vision question

Question about the introductory prayer from Valley of Vision

This phrase:

... in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine …

Does anyone have a thought about whether the statement is true?

Thanks

Discussion

Failure

I would appreciate input about failure. Did you ever feel God leading you into something that ended up in failure? How did that affect your faith? Did that failure lead to success in time or did you just have to deal with it? What have you learned from failure?

Discussion

Christoper Klicka of the HSLDA fought a good fight

“A longtime champion of homeschooling rights around the globe, Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel and Director of State and International Relations Christopher J. Klicka was called home by his Lord on October 12, 2009, at age 48, following a 15-year battle with multiple sclerosis. An attorney, spokesman, lobbyist, and homeschooling husband and father, Chris is survived by his wife, Tracy, their seven children (ages 11–21), and his parents, Ardath and George Klicka.”

Read the rest here.

Discussion

The Viability of Standarized Testing

This isn’t just a topic for homeschoolers, but because many homeschoolers oppose mandatory standardized testing for their children, I’m putting it here.

Bro. Charlie says, “…Through the process of teaching standardized test prep courses, I have gone from believing that they are nearly arbitrary assessments to realizing that they are indeed the a phenomenal resource for assessing learning, second only to a personal interview with a tutor.”

Discussion

Jay Mathews on Homeschool Regulations

Jay Mathews, Education Columnist for the Washington Post, recently wrote an article based loosely on the book Write These Laws On Your Children: Inside the World of Conservative Christian Homeschooling by Robert Kunzman. Mr. Kunzman is “an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Education and a former high school teacher, coach and administrator.

Discussion