Technology and Homeschooling?
Two weeks before we found out my wife was pregnant with Josh, I had gotten a new job. I'd been working as an Optician for the same company for over 14 years, and although I loved (and still do) the technical aspects of optics and the job of an Optician, working with the public in a retail capacity had taken its toll on me. At this point in my career, I was theoretically a training resource for the company, but in reality I was more of a glorified store floater. On any given day I could be anywhere from Delaware to New York to work in one of our stores. The worst part was, I never had a set schedule and I hated it.
I did travel a little to other states to conduct training for company employees, but these trips were far and few between.
This was in the mid to late 90's when technology wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today. The Optical Company I'd been working for had just started using computers to track sales and store metrics. This was a new concept at the time and the program we used consisted of a Microsoft Access database with forms built in for data input. I took an interest in computers at this point and when there were issues with the program we used, I would often troubleshoot with someone in the corporate office. I also somehow became the go to person when someone had computer issues in a store, although my primary advice to fix the issue was to "reboot".
Additionally, when I started writing the training program here, I was provided with a "computer". It was an early Radio Shack computer that ran off of floppy disks. I had to have the disk in to start the computer and to use it's word processing and "drawing" programs. I learned a lot on my own there. What I didn't realize at the time is that I was gaining valuable experience with both computers and teaching that would help me in homeschooling and with a new career.
Through a great interview, a botched presentation, a second chance, and a little luck, I landed a job with a company that conducted instructor led software training for adults. I had to go through a week long intensive training session in Atlanta to secure my position. They taught me some great techniques on teaching, particularly for adults, and I loved the job immediately. My first teaching gig with the new company was a half day Windows 95 training. Yup, you read that right, we were teaching Windows 95. My manager met me at the facility to help set up laptops for a mobile classroom. I asked him what he wanted me to do after the class ended at noon. His answer, go home and "prep for more classes". Translation, go home and chill out, you can also do some prepping. This was something I wasn't used to. Even though I was a salaried employee at the Optical company, I still had to account for every hour I worked, drove, or was otherwise on company time. I had so much more independence with this new role and I was learning so much!
Fast forward about 5 years. I'd been recruited a few times to work at different companies, working with training curricula and teaching software. I was now working for my boss from the original training company, but I was testing software for a technology company that developed software for the mortgage banking industry. Again, it was interesting and I was still learning. It actually amazed me how much I enjoyed the learning part given my past experience in schools, but it was challenging and I was enjoying the challenges and the experiences being presented to me.
As if we didn't have enough challenges in our lives, it was at this point we made the decision to homeschool. If you haven't read other posts in my blog, you should go back and read some of the originals, particularly "Homeschooling?! What were we thinking?!" to see what that decision entailed. With my wife running a business out of the house, it wasn't unusual for us to have at least one computer. Ultimately, we ended up with a server and a couple of desktops and eventually purchased a couple of laptops. This was advantageous to us as homeschooling parents because we chose an online curriculum. It also allowed the boys to learn about technology at a very young age, at a time when most kids did not have that advantage.
Of course most of their early experience with computers entailed a lot of clicking and not so much typing. We did buy educational types of computer games for them that taught them to type, but not using full keyboards. I always seemed to think that the boys could actually type before they could write. Most of the time it was either my wife or I running the computer when we were conducting classes, but the kids did get their computer time and eventually had their own computers, particularly once we gave up my wife's business.
It took a few years, but the boys ultimately became self sufficient in their homeschooling as they were able to go through and complete their lessons with less and less supervision. Of course, they didn't always do what they were supposed to do and we'd have to get back to the old school homeschool (is that even a thing?) to get them on track to finish their school year. Even when they got to high school and homeschooling became virtual schooling with teachers and coaches, we still had to intervene from time to time. There were a lot of internet distractions, but most of the time they were actually exploring things that interested them.
As cell phones became more main stream, we didn't feel the need to get them for the boys, at least not right away. Most of the time they were either in the neighborhood or with us, so there wasn't really a reason to have them. We got walkie talkies at first that could be used within about a mile radius. These kind of worked, but had their issues and always had to be recharged. One year for the holidays, we decided to get them Track phones with pre-paid minutes. If they ran out of minutes, which didn't happen too often, they'd have to buy some on their own. Eventually, we graduated to regular phones on a family plan and in their mid teens, we relented, and got smart phones.
We waited as long as we could for the phones because we didn't feel they had any benefit, particularly in a homeschooling capacity. Computers were different. I've been able to teach them how to use the software on their computers based on my teaching experiences. They're presentations and documents have been top notch as they've learned some tips and tricks that most people don't know about. They've also become pretty good writers. . . go figure.
These days, technology and homeschooling go hand in hand. However, my advice to parents currently schooling or considering a homeschooling path is to go old school first. Use the technology from a teaching standpoint, but have the kids write, read books, do math manually, and not use Google to solve their problems. Have them learn critical thinking and problem solving without computers. They'll be better off in the long run. Introduce technology when you feel they're ready, not necessarily because you're ready to hand over the schooling to them. It won't be long be before they're telling you how to use the newer technology. Also, once you do make the choice to introduce technology and give them some freedom, don't forget to monitor what you're kids are doing on the Internet. Give them time limits for screen time and ensure what they're looking at is age appropriate. The Internet is a massive network of computers and you never know where it could lead. Additionally, there are a lot of strange and dangerous people out there that lure kids into things that kids should not be lured into. Talk to them about this and make sure they understand appropriate behavior expected of others as well as themselves.
Josh and Seth now use technology all the time. Whether it's for work, working out, school, books, music, or anything else for that matter! You name it, there's an app for it! They still come to me to help with things every now and then, but also can teach me things, particularly when it comes to social media (that's fodder for another post). Bottom line, making them proficient at technology as early as we did made them comfortable with it. Although most of their generation grew up with technology, because of my background as well as my wife's in this area, they learned things that most kids probably still don't know today. I believe what and how we taught them provided some definite advantages.