Homeschool Your Teenager

Where did the internet come from? Here is an 8 min., concise video of the origins of the internet we use today. It all began in 1957, 52 years ago.

I remember the days of card readers (man, were those boxes of cards heavy to carry around) and mainframe computers, and learning languages like FORTRAN and COBOL. Now we use HTML, PHP and CSS.

Actually, we don’t have to use programming languages. Developers use them to create applications with graphical user interfaces and intuitive logic so we the users can pull up a “write” window on a WordPress blog and start typing. When we’re done, we press “publish” and we have a new blog post with pictures, sound, and video if we choose, and everything is managed for us.

We don’t have to understand the programming language to operate a simple blog. Most of us learn enough about them to add extra functionality to our blogs, but it isn’t required. As time has gone on, the need to know how to edit the programming templates is less frequent as developers write WordPress plugins instead of making us cut and paste code.

What are your thoughts on the origins of the internet? Where do you think it will be in the next 50 years? As dependent on the internet as I am today, I can only imagine it getting smarter and more integrated into our daily lives. Perhaps one day it will be a part of our physical bodies.

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written by joubess \\ tags: internet in the future, internet origin

What educational TV channels would a teen possibly like from which they might learn something? I have a list that my son watches and discusses. I also list some other channels we don’t normally watch but that your teen may like.

If you don’t have cable or satellite TV, it’s time to get it because all the Discovery Network of channels are on cable or satellite. History and its network of channels are also only on cable or satellite.

Science Channel

• Sci Q Sundays – with Dr. Michio Kaku
• Brink
• Ecopolis
• How It’s Made
• How Do They Do It?
• Survivorman
• Colossal Construction
• Deconstructed
• Weird Connections
• Beyond Tomorrow

History Channel

There are several channels associated with The History Channel: A&E, Military History, History Education, History International, and Biography

• Modern Marvels – show on engineering and technology of the past and present
• Cities of the Underworld
• Armageddon Week
• Seven Deadly Sins
• The Universe
• Extreme Trains
• UFO Hunters
• Ancient Discoveries
• Shows about particular periods in the past
• Shows about the wars of the world from ancient times to Iraq and Afghanistan
• Shows about history of the Bible and other religions

Discovery Channel

• MythBusters
• How Stuff Works
• Survivorman (if you don’t get The Science Channel)
• Dirty Jobs
• How It’s Made (if you don’t get The Science Channel)
• Man Vs. Wild
• Destroyed in Seconds

Military Channel

• Future Weapons
• Weaponology
• Puzzles

Other Discovery Network Channels

• Turbo
• TLC
• ID: Investigation Discovery
• Discovery Health
• Animal Planet
• Planet Green
• HD Theater

MSNBC

• The Rachel Maddow Show

Rachel speaks our teens’ language and delivers the news with dry wit and lots of humor while making wicked smart arguments and observations, and asking the deeper questions about the world and current events with a decidedly liberal tilt, but no spin.

Rachel isn’t a typical newscaster or anchor. She’s young, only 35, and has a Ph.D. in political science from Oxford University in England. She was a Rhodes Scholar and received the John Gardener Fellowship upon receiving her undergraduate degree in public policy from Stanford University.

She has impeccable integrity and always corrects any mistakes she makes, no matter how minor, apologizes when she is wrong, and makes sure there is complete and total disclosure about any conflicts of interest involving a guest on the show, and of her own. She occasionally talks about Clear Channel radio, and makes sure to disclose that her show on Air America Radio is broadcast on some Clear Channel stations before she gives any opinions about Clear Channel, for example.

She insists upon civil debate and does not tolerate argument melt-downs, impolite behavior or name calling of any kind. She’s an excellent role model on how to have a heated, yet very civil debate or discussion.

My son started watching this show on his own. I watch and one day he started getting off the computer and watching this show for an hour.

Your teen may prefer other networks, other shows, and other anchors. But have them find something that they don’t like to miss so they learn to keep up with current events and can discuss and debate issues effectively and civilly. No Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or Bill O’Reilly as role models. They don’t debate anything. They preach their opinions and there is no room for discussion or disagreement with them. They are also extremely rude to their guests and audience participants. To make a more civil and just world, we need to learn to debate without rudeness and disdain for our opponents. The debate needs to be heated, but the people themselves need to get along and stick to the subject without personal attacks or condescension.

Don’t forget to check your local library for DVDs of shows on specific topics to check out and watch. Also, many news shows are available via podcast free of charge through the show’s website or on iTunes.

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written by joubess \\ tags: Educational TV, Educational TV Channel Suggestions, News show suggestions, Show list

I haven’t seen this movie yet, but I plan to get a copy of it and watch it. This is a demonstration of why I homeschool my son and allow him to determine how he learns and what he learns most of the time. This is how school is, and it is tearing our kids apart:

This is how school should be:

It’s okay to learn by playing when we’re little, but not when we get older? Bull-pucky! One-third of our teens drop out of high school today. The kids aren’t broken, the schools are. If we plan to fix education in this country, we’ve got to do some radical rethinking of what schools should be, make changes and implement those changes.

One change that would make the biggest difference in kids lives right now is to split academics from vocational/technical interests starting in 9th grade. Kids know enough about reading, writing and math to stop studying it in school if their interests are aligned with a vocational or technical career that they would learn by being an apprentice. In other words, learning by doing.

Leave the academic high school stuff to the those who want be immersed in academic life. There should be multiple ladders of academics as well: one for math and science types, another for business, another for social and political sciences and the like, and another for liberal arts.

Stop forcing kids to learn physics when they want to teach kindergarten! Allow non-science kids to take science appreciation for what they need to know to get along in the modern world and leave it at that. Don’t make them learn how to work free body diagram kinematics problems or balance chemical equations! They need to know those subjects exist and are useful, but they shouldn’t have to become proficient in them.

I would prefer they were proficient at reading, comprehending and keeping up with their personal finances and staying out of debt. Advanced math does not teach anyone how to balance a checkbook, a far more useful skill than matrices and synthetic division. Unless you need advanced math skills for your career, you shouldn’t have to take advanced math.

Everyone should have to take a life skills class (or classes) where they learn how to manage a household, live within their means, understand credit and know who to ask for help when considering borrowing money, and how to manage intimate relationships (especially listening skills and that movies are the exact opposite of real life; love and peaceful co-existence require compassion, communication, compromise and hard work to maintain). Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and lawn care would also be good lessons.

What would you suggest to improve our schools? What do you think is wrong with them? Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

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written by joubess \\ tags: homeschool your teenager, schooled the movie, what's wrong with schools today