The discussion of online games within the classroom is nothing new and I covered it more than a decade ago as a freelance writer for Teaching Treasures Publications 2011/value-of-online-games. That article has since been taken down from the internet. It was aimed at teachers in the public and private school systems but now I would like to highlight the need for concern within the homeschool community as mobile phone usage has skyrocketed.
I would like to express a slightly different unsettling point of view here because I see and hear it more and more that homeschoolers literally spend hours and hours online while mum is on her mobile... probably on Facebook, Twitter or whatever!
Personally I believe that mobile phones should be switched off during official homeschool study hours but they are present and switched on nonetheless. A very disturbing and distracting piece of hardware being used in the wrong place at the wrong time. When I home educated my children we didn't have mobile phones like we do today so that distraction simply wasn't there. I really can sympathise with the challenges parents face these days. It must be very difficult for you from time to time. Our first PC was purchased way back in 1996. A chunky 386 Windows 3.1 so our children could start learning this wonderful technology which has come a long way since.
So how do we cope with this excessive bombardment of technology within our home and how do you deal with this issue? Should playing games on mobile phones or any other electronic gadget be allowed during your homeschool hours? Perhaps it's not the games that are the problem but rather Social Media Platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. How do you deal with restrictions or should there be no restrictions? It is a difficult issue for parents as some students, and parents too, can get rather aggressive and impossible to deal with should conflicts arise over playing games during school hours.
Should students be given a certain amount of time during school hours risking they take much longer, or is there a serious need for a total ban on any online device during school hours? Mums included!
Many parents believe that a certain amount of online games can be beneficial but only when these are of educational value and I tend to agree with that opinion however... I am more of a fan of written work and art. Instead of playing electronic games I prefer younger children to write stories, poetry, make an art piece or get creative outside making something out of natural materials like bush sticks for example.
Once children are in their teenage years they may like to delve into IT or computer gaming development and no doubt they'll be spending a lot more time in front of the screen... reading, learning, developing their skills. In the meantime, and for the health benefit of any young child I truly believe that the use of a mobile phone, iPad, or laptop should be limited. Don't use it as a babysitting tool! Tempting... but not recommended as it could create a problem and a burden for you in the near future.
How can I use the computer as a learning tool?
Apparently there are six key elements of learning any subject matter. If a learner is able to answer the 6 questions below then a demonstration of higher level thinking skills has been applied and the key teaching strategy in all this is to encourage higher level thinking skills so that learners are pushed beyond their limit as much as possible. It may seem frustrating for both learner and parent at times but it produces results worthwhile.
The 6 questions are:
- What did I learn?
- Which Learning Outcome did it address?
- Which activities enabled me to learn this?
- How will I use the learning?
- Why will the learning help in my development?
- What references support my claims to the questions above?
Now ask those above questions bearing in mind that your child has just played some online game.
It might be safe to state that most children or learners will not be able to answer the above questions. However, some learners will be able to answer the questions and aid you as their teacher in developing an appropriate curriculum for the future which includes the use of their favorite online games.
Over the years the content and nature of any homeschool curricula has changed and no doubt will continue to change due to factors such as advancements in technology and the electronic media like the Internet and interactive (electronic) whiteboards for example. As a home educator it is your professional ability to intelligibly communicate key aspects of these changes with regard to what currently constitutes ‘best practice’ in teaching and learning.
Therefore as you identify, analyse, synthesize and evaluate aspects of let’s say Technology, you need to document and justify your ideas about what constitutes the ‘best’ curriculum and teaching practices for helping your students learn this subject. Sitting the child in front of a computer playing games does not count in my opinion. It needs to be more than that!
Consequently it is up to you to keep up to date with technology, probe around places such as Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube in order to assess the possibility of either using these platforms or not. It requires forethought, discretion and wisdom to make sound judgement in order to make a safe decision for your children. Are these platforms really necessary for your children to learn or do they chew up valuable time, create more headaches and leave a trail of destruction behind for some.
Remember that education is the process by which all people learn no matter what background they are from. Instruction refers to the facilitating of learning, generally by a teacher or in your case the parent. Teaching encompasses the actions of imparting learning to the student and learning is to impart specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion by the learner. You are the teacher and how you define learning will reflect in your children.
Curriculum Development
When considering the development of any curriculum one must place emphasis on the fact that curriculum is more than a collection of activities. It is essential that the curriculum you are going to use is coherent, focused on importance, and well articulated across the learning levels for your child to succeed. For example a Technology curriculum should focus on Technology content and include all processes that are important and worth the time and attention of your learners.
Certain Technology topics are more important than others for various reasons. Putting more emphasis on certain topics may be necessary for preparing students for college, University, the workforce, or citizenship. It is quite logical and certainly should never become shrouded in mystery for any parent-teacher or learner for that matter.
When designing a new curriculum for your homeschool think about the following key elements.
- Does your curriculum meet the needs of your child?
- Does the learning theory and other cognitive psychology that you are implementing, reveal findings on how your child learns?
- How does your curriculum determine developmental readiness or developmental appropriateness?
- And most importantly; are your methods and purpose of assessment for your child's learning to build them up or to break them down.
In other words, does your teaching methodology encourage character building, confidence building, and stimulate your child to want to keep learning and achieve the highest possible level of learning? If your child is not stimulated nor encouraged by the curriculum you are using then you are not using the best teaching methodology and you may need to revise either your teaching strategies or your curriculum.
- My following statement may seem a contradiction but take time to understand what I'm conveying here...
Curriculum can be lousy but if you are vibrant, enthusiastic and capable of enthralling your children then no matter how poor your curriculum is... your children will learn.
Technology Anxiety
Technology anxiety is a learned fear of technology and some older people suffer from this condition due to the fact they either haven't kept up with technology, haven't had the opportunity or had no one willing to teach them.
Some children suffer from this too and curriculum tailored incorrectly will increase the problem. Did you know that tests and speed drills can add to technology anxiety? Also unrealistic expectations can add to technology anxiety as well as worrying about what others think about one's learning abilities. Not to mention emphasizing memorization above the meaning and understanding of technological issues increases this anxiety.
So how do you reduce this type of anxiety? What could be a key teaching strategy to solve this problem?
Try to model problem solving strategies rather than giving worked solutions which may lead students to think about how they think rather than copying other people’s methods. Also encouraging students to express how they feel about the technology they are experiencing may reduce technology anxiety.
Students who monitor how they use technology often search for understanding and not just the answer, this reduces anxiety to ‘get it right’. Encourage positive thinking backed up by positive and encouraging comments. Positively thinking about how you think and what you already know reduces technology anxiety. I encourage you to enjoy teaching your children and do the best you can with the knowledge you have and the resources available to you.
©️ ingridontheroad
You made me smile with the photos (^_^)
Glad I made you smile. Some photos I take are a bit strange and funny but hey.... it's needed to add some color to my posts. Hopefully the post in some way was helpful to you.
It is very helpful to me indeed, I believe a smile and laughter are the best medicine, they also brighten our day.
Agreed my friend.
The topic of online games is very broad, as parents we have the responsibility and the challenge of watching over our children in front of the constant bombardment they receive through advertising, it is a great challenge we have as parents.
Peace and good!
You're not wrong! The advertising industry has us all sucked in. Constantly reminding us of how much happier we, or our children would be if only we had this or that. Their favorite slogan is "You Need This in Order to be Happy" The biggest lie yet! Yes some things make life easier but other things cause immense grief 😔
Keep watching over your children and protecting yourselves from an overload of violence and mental abuse that filters through online games, television, movies, social media, billboard advertising and more.
My daughters didn't get phones until their teens and most of our work was done in physical form, with just occasional learning online, like some Khan Academy or when we did a maths course for a bit. I was actually rather concerned hearing from parents of their high school friends just how much the schools make them work and rely on laptops now. To such an extent that they barely handwrite anything and if their internet goes out at home they can't complete homework and get in trouble for that at school. The private schools seem to be the worst for this as well and even primary school expects them all to work with laptops.
I fear that handwriting is going to become a lost art if the current use of technology continues in the classrooms. My niece in the Netherlands used only laptops for all of her final 2 years at College. Nothing else, no hand written work at all. Frightening! The Private schools obviously would be worse as mainly wealthier parents send their children there who can afford the latest laptops. I want to encourage all homeschool families to continue using their writing skills. It's a very important asset for future life.
A big thank you to all of you who voted on this post. I really appreciate your support and encouragement. Being a newbie here it's a lot of hard work to get my head around how it all works. I'm slowly getting there. I love writing and if it's helpful to others I am thrilled. Living on the road is tricky as internet service is not always up and running. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again on my next post.