# Computer based learning



## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

Are there any good computer based curricula out there for grade school? I can't seem to find any. Not being the queen of organization and record keeping, I'm looking for something that does it automatically.

It seems the only programs I'm finding are only available through the public school system, and ours doesn't subscribe.

I've looked at K12.com, but theirs is a lot of worksheets just like PS. One of our big obstacles is writing. My son is very bright, but the writing is really hard for him and slows down his learning, as it's all based on getting it down on paper.

He's learning key boarding now with Mavis Beacon (excellent, btw) but it will be some time yet before he's proficient.

I've checked out Kidspiration, but there is almost no supportive information that comes with it (admittedly, I haven't looked into their supporting texts yet), and it's difficult to use and seems more like a patch work of lessons as opposed to an organized system to make learning easy and interesting.

Animation is king here. Any thoughts?


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## BusyBees2 (Dec 10, 2004)

My 7yo has enjoyed this program for the last year...She also doesn't care for writing, but is strong in math. THis program allows you to choose specific grade levels for each subject (LA/Math) There are supporting worksheets for some parts if you feel they need more work, otherwise it's all online. There are reporting tools as well for record keeping.

www.time4learning.com


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

We've used that one before as a trial run. Do you find it to be a full enough program? Or do you find you need some supplemental supplies?


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

Computer-based lessons always need to be backed up with real-world experience. Manipulation of something on a computer does not give you a full picture of a concept. It is like having your child ask for a pet and you responding by giving him a picture of a dog to carry in his pocket. Even a video would be far short of a real dog.

There is something about doing arithmetic first with objects and then with pencil and paper that gets the concepts firmly into a child's head. It is the same later with math. 

With reading, a computer book is not a real book, to be carried and read whenever they choose. Letters that are hand written, no matter how slowly, get the concepts of the letter, its sound and the spelling of words into the head much more firmly than pressing keys on a keyboard. It just isn't the same. 

I say this as a teacher turned software designer, with 2 degrees in human-computer interaction. It would be far better if children did not even touch a computer until they are at least high school age. They need to learn reality first, to manipulate the world with all their senses, to learn with all the muscles of their body. Then they will have the experience to enter the unreal world of computers.


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## BusyBees2 (Dec 10, 2004)

Peppa~I found that my daughter came a long way in her learning to read with this program. She has been a late reader and the catchy tunes and games in the Language Arts portion has made a huge difference to her. She's more advanced in math, and she moved through that well. 

In the Level 1 LA and Level 2 Math she moved randomly through the chapters. (I've found in the level 3 Math we won't be able to do that). The Language Arts Extensions were helpful, though they required her to do more reading on her own which she didn't like at all. The one thing I didn't like about this is if she was supposed to read a story 4 times, it didn't consider her 'done' if she only read it 3...I had to modify how we did some things.

To answer your questions though, I generally added to this program some. I continued to do worksheets & such that drilled math facts. I would find or create pages that supported new math ideas like area/perimeter/fractions. Not much, but some. And the Science & Soc. Studies sections weren't huge, so we always talked/read/ added more here.

I think this was a great basis for a program. And I think the additional computer skills & practice for her and her 4 yo brother are helpful in the long run. Little brother picked up a lot of information just by watching her.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

My son is a very good reader. He just doesn't like to do it. He did like the Time4Learning when I had him out of school for a month last winter. Right now, he's so turned off to school he doesn't want to do anything resembling school work. It's pretty bad. He had a difficult time with his teacher this spring and it spiraled out of control faster than you can say 'boo'.

He has a new teacher this year who sounds like she might work out better. They've also shuffled some of the kids in the classrooms, so it's looking like a better mix for now. 

To be sure you have a full curriculum, what process do you go through to make sure it's complete?

I agree with the writing thing though. Personally, I've found that I don't remember things unless I write them down. And once that happens it sticks. Otherwise it slips in and it slips out just as fast. I worry for him because it's really slowing down his progress. He's intellectually capable of so much more, but he can't move ahead until he demonstrates in writing that he's absorbed their teachings. It's very frustrating for him. And he gets so bored doing this with things he already knows.


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## BusyBees2 (Dec 10, 2004)

Not all children learn by writing things down. That's the way I learned best, but my daughter & son aren't like that. My daughter, particularly, learns much better by listening (& verbally). Because we homeschool, I can modify how we do things and not require written proof of learning. She proves her comprehension orally, much of the time. Now that's not to say we are totally avoiding written work....she does do some, but I don't stress her out demanding it all of the time.

As for knowing that a curriculum is compete, or adding to one to make it so... I have a hard time with this concept. So far I've chosen not to use curriculums. I find lists of subject matter that a typical 2nd grader learns, or look at state SOLs, and find exercises that teach these things. It's not the easiest way of homeschooling. Buying a pre-packaged curriculum is the easiest, and I would assume that one of these is probably well-rounded to cover everything. The difference is that it may not work with your child's learning style.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

He's a visual learning. Which is why I think he favors the computer-based learning experiences. As long as the computers and internet has been around, and as many laid off software and computer workers there are, you'd think many someones would have had a fully competitive market to public school floating in cyberspace by now.


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## ShaunaRB (Mar 2, 2009)

I am also looking into a computer homeschool program. www.aop.com was suggested to me from another homesteading forum. I've been looking into it and it seems pretty good to me, with positive reviews. Of course my two oldest daughters (who will be homeschooled) are in the 10th grade level, so I haven't really checked into elementary/middle grade...yet.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

If you're interested in online curriculum, have you checked out online *schools*? 

We just started this past year with Vista Virtual School, which is an Alberta Education approved school. We've been very happy with it - there are plusses and minuses of course, but it has worked well for us so far and I think next year will be even better.

Perhaps your googling will turn up more results if you look for 'online school'? Just an idea. And, as I'm completely clueless about the American regulations for home schooling, I'm not much help.  You can check out Vista Virtual though, if you like, to see what is offered - they do allow students from all over to register, one of the kids in my son's "class" is in Quatar, and another lives on an island in the South Seas somewhere!


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

Yes. I did google it. Mostly all that came up were colleges for elementary school education to teach it. There were a few. The best one is full for next year and they aren't accepting applications or answering the phones. The other is the one I was referring to, being just access to typical work sheet style curricula with the option of teacher help (grading, tracking assignments, some help with studies) or not, and whatever is available through you school districts - and none are through ours.

It was a disappointing search. 

I'm hoping to see this situation improve with the serious crunch most school districts are going to have with the coming economic slam and resulting loss of revenues. They're going to have to do something about the bloated budgets and administrative processes. It's all just too big to support anymore. Cut backs are needed, badly, like five years ago. It would be nice to see it modernized and fragmented into much smaller pieces, with fewer chiefs.


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## gwhilikerz (Aug 7, 2006)

I highly recommend Alpha Omega and their Switched-On-Schoolhouse computer based curriculum. We have been alternating between that and their workbook based LifePac.
This will be our 8th year with AOP (started with 3rd grade). The records keeping part of SOS is very easy and thorough.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

Check out the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, at vlacs.org.

It is a fully accredited New Hampshire charter school. There is a tuition fee for non-New Hampshire students.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

TurnerHill said:


> Check out the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, at vlacs.org.
> 
> It is a fully accredited New Hampshire charter school. There is a tuition fee for non-New Hampshire students.



Thank you. It looks wonderful, but no elementary school program. My son is 8 and going into the third grade.


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## jc12551 (Feb 10, 2008)

I have a friend that uses Switched-on-SchoolHouse for her three kids. I think there were in 3, 6, and 9th grade last year. All Alpha Omega items are 12% off until 7/2/09 with code NTSUMMERSALE


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

pickapeppa said:


> Thank you. It looks wonderful, but no elementary school program. My son is 8 and going into the third grade.


Whoops, sorry. You did say grade school.

"Middle School" at VLACS can start in 5th grade.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Not trying to say it's the best way to go ... just one that might not occur to our friends south of the border! 

I just checked Vista Virtual's website to see ... and yes, non-Alberta students can register, for a fee:

Adult and out of Province Students
Elementary, Grades 1-3 thematic: $460
Elementary, Grades 1-6 all other courses: $230
Junior High, Core, per course: $270 
Senior High, per credit: $73

Note that courses are offered both online and paper correspondence. You can mix & match.

The question to follow that would then be whether or not the curriculum requirements from Alberta matched your state requirements. You can get outlines of the Alberta curriculum content grade-by-grade here: http://www.education.alberta.ca/parents/resources.aspx

We have a pretty strong virtual schooling set up here in Canada, perhaps because of our widespread geography and reasonably good tech infrastructure.


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