According to MacRumors.com, the iPad is going to be released in New Zealand on July 23rd 2010.

Yippee!!!

All I need now is some ca$h.

The times, they are a changin’ (thanks for that line Bob!). Yes, resources that home educators can use are getting easier and easier to access every day.

They state: “Curriculum Concepts (http://www.curriculumconcepts.co.nz) is a provider of educational resources across all New Zealand curriculum areas for preschool to Year 9 (Age 13) students plus special needs, adult students in literacy and numeracy and English speakers of other languages.”

Curriculum Concepts offer a couple of free catalogues on this page, as well as a huge number of books that you can buy online. Looks like they also offer eBooks (electronic books that is). And if you get on their mailing list, you get offered specials and free stuff!!!

Educational teaching resources – teachers, parents – primary secondary adult – Curriculum Concepts, RIC Publications, Ready-Ed Publications

Enjoy.

Here is your assignment for today.

1. Dig out all your home’s power bills for the last 2-3 years.
2. Put all of your power bills in chronological order.
3. Open your spreadsheet program (Windows = Excel; Mac = Numbers; Free on both = OpenOffice).
4. Enter the month for each bill in the first spreadsheet column
5. Enter the amount of the bill in the second column.
6. Plot a scatter graph of the data.

Months should be along the abscissa. That is the bottom or “X” axis of the graph.
Amounts should be along the ordinate axis. That is the vertical or “Y” axis.

Now you have your data in visual form, you can easily see both seasonal and annual trends !!!

HINT: When using the spreadsheet, you may get confused if you have not used one before. What you should always do is start small and simple. Begin by figuring out how to enter (say) 4 consecutive months and just use some mock values. Then figure out how to plot that data. It is actually pretty easy once you have done it a few times !

A PhD thesis with the above title was written by Leo Roache at Massey University. Issue date: 2009.

The full thesis is available online here: http://muir.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/1227

Here is the abstract:

This thesis reports an investigation into eight New Zealand homeschooling families. It also offers an opportunity, to these parents, to share and discuss the reasons why they chose to educate their children at home and how they went about doing so. The families interviewed were all volunteers and, with the exception of two families, all interviews took place in the family homes. The families, urban and rural, were distributed from Wellington to Northland. All families had an opportunity to review and revise their narratives and my reviews of the narratives which related to them. No attempt was made to verify the stories of why families chose homeschooling but there was good accord between their stated reasons for homeschooling, and the practices they adopted. The reasons advanced for choosing to homeschool were found to be complex. They ranged from parental experiences and philosophical beliefs to concern about teacher behaviour and sustaining their culture. The variations in teaching/learning practices and curricula, which were largely parent designed in consultation with their children, were equally complex. The testimony and experiences of these families bear out the notion of “communities of learning practice”, with all families repeatedly emphasising the centrality of the family. It was evident that the families changed over time, in the reasons for their choice and their practices. One significant feature was that all families elected to teach their children the basic skills of language and mathematics, with the intention of facilitating independent learning. Homeschooling was seen by the families studied as a way of gaining some control over the education of their children, and thereby strengthening the family unit, whilst providing opportunities to cater for individual needs and preferred approaches to learning. Comparisons with overseas studies thus demonstrated some commonalities and some significant differences regarding the New Zealand sample. The study suggested that further research is needed to provide an accurate picture of homeschooling in New Zealand.

This has to be one of the most amazing websites I have come across in a while, and an amazing resource for homeschoolers.

The Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/

This guy has put together an enormous quantity (1000+) of short teaching videos on chemistry, biology, history, algebra, trigonometry, economics, banking and money, statistics, finance, geometry, and more… and they are all free to watch on his website. His videos are watched about 70,000 times per day, thus he may be the human teacher with the biggest class on the planet.

Enjoy!

From this website:

The Swedish Government is trying to pull the rug from underneath the home-educated children in Sweden, in their proposal for a new School Law.

Those behind the website are requesting signatures from people outside of Sweden who would oppose the proposed law changes.

I will offer a thought about this sort of proposed legislation: I am a home schooler, and value the freedom to have my children learn in such an excellent environment, But, being a part of society means that post-education, we all contribute in some way to the function of our society. Being a contributor to a modern 21st century society means that our contribution will often require having some sort of good basic education. It greatly concerns me therefore when I hear of homeschool families putting minimal effort into educating their children well. Likewise, I am grieved when I hear of homeschool children who are badly behaved and disobedient to their parents. To be quite honest, I think some of these children may be better off in school than being schooled at home.

Of course, discussions such as this are far more nuanced than my offering of the above few sentences. Still, consider how excellent it would be if homeschool children were excelling well beyond their public-educated peers. If this were achieved, society would have no gripes against us, Swedish politicians may desire home-schooled children, and people may instead look at us positively due to our fantastic education system.

I wonder then — are the Swedes making a case against home schooling on the basis of academic performance, or is there some other (perhaps philosophical) reason for the pursuit of such a law change?

You can sign the petition here.

Gotta love this one:

Young children should not watch any television because it sets them up for obesity and poor academic performance at school, say experts commenting on a new study.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10642599

I have long advocated the ditching of the personal Idiot Box; now it seems the experts want to undergird the obvious with scientific research.

As Bob Dylan wrote: “The times they are a changing…“. Indeed Bob! The internet has made online learning a real possibility, and online learning is something we are pretty certain to see popping up in our porridge more often as the times indeed change.

From here:

“A unique Christian school launching this fall offers an alternative for parents who want to pull their children out of public school but don’t have local access to private education or the capacity to homeschool.

WND reported last summer Liberty Christian School Online’s plan for a full-time accredited program that enables students to interact with their teachers and classmates through the Web.”

Yet another article, this time from the Times of the New York variety, asking: “What are (the) boys up to?”

I reckon there will be plenty of opinions this topic, so I will throw in my 20 cents worth.

I have two daughters and one wife (and one female cat, and until recently two female sheep) and from years of observation I have concluded that we just don’t think the same — the different genders that is. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you: “THAT’S A SWEEPING GENERALIZATION”, and of course it is, but that does not mean there is not a large dose of truth in it.

So here is my theory. I reckon that girls are, by nature, generally much more compliant, and generally much less philosophical, than boys. I have seen this in the school classroom, and in philosophy in general. So if my theorizing has any worth to it, then let’s apply it to the modern secular worldview that is forced upon us from every direction, and to the life of (post)modern boys…

CHILDREN ENTER CLASSROOM… AND TEACHER BEGINS…

Good morning boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about how life came from non-life by an unguided process of Darwinian evolution. That’s right. You are the product of time + chance + the struggle to survive against all odds over eons of time. Before that, did you know that the universe that you live in came from nothing … by nothing … and for no reason. That’s right — it just popped into existence, totally meaninglessly. Indeed, a very big cosmic accident! Wow, isn’t that great?!

As you sit there, children, consider that point of it all. Everything. The universe. Life. Love. Dreams. All this came from a cosmic accident followed by a bloody survival game where the fittest made it and the rest were erased. That’s us children. We made it!!!

And how many of you children like icing on your cake? Well, the news is good. One day in the future, the universe will become uninhabitable. All the stars will be burnt out and the universe will experience a heat death. Yes, that is the icing on the universal cake — a slow cold death. Totally pointless and without meaning. But at least it is icing!

Oh, that’s the bell children. End of lesson. Now, off to psychology class where you can learn about self esteem and about how to feel good about yourselves.

When I was growing up, this is the worldview that I shared. By 17, I had decided to make my first million by 30, then live for pleasure until my body broke down. At that point I was going to terminate my life. Sad eh! But this thinking, as far as I can tell, is entirely consistent with the secular worldview, and makes very good sense of the data. If life is ultimately meaningless, then why live for anything other than pleasure?

Indeed, most boys may not think through the logic of this until they reach their mid to late teens, but the seeds are there, ready to be watered. I suspect deep down many boys may believe this, so they are sitting there saying: “what’s the point of all this schooling stuff? Why should I care about it. It’s a waste of time…” I certainly did.

What do you think? Where are your boys heading regarding their schooling?

There is no doubt that methods for learning have changed in recent years. Just go into a school classroom and you are likely to see computers running Mathletics or Wikipedia or Comic Life (Mac & Windows).

And that is not to mention that many parents now use TV as a baby sucker (a.k.a. a dummy) and churches use DVDs to teach (or entertain?) children on Sunday mornings.

In addition there are podcasts (some of us live on them), daily Bible readings that cane be sent directly to your inbox, and now the Apple iPad.

Oh yes, I would love one of these. I have an iPod Touch, and was amazed at how good it is for daily Bible study and email, because the touch screen technology and user interface design is sooooooo outstanding.

So, here is my question … what is the Apple iPad going to do to homeschool teaching? Would you buy one at $500 USD (about $800 NZD) and use it to help teach your children if they had really good application available to buy at low prices like $10 USD?

And another question … how many homeschool kids are going to be writing applications for these devices? Just consider: you can work from home, to your own hours, use few resources other than your own intellect, and stand to make a small fortune in the process!!!

Research published yesterday by the American Psychological Association, analysing 130 studies worldwide, has proved conclusively that exposure to violent computer games affects youth behaviour:

See: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/mar/vvgeffects

The meta-analysis by psychology professor Dr Craig Anderson of Iowa State University was published in the 1 March 2010 edition of the Psychological Bulletin, a journal of the American Psychological Association.

Read the remainder of the short article here.

Editor’s note: I was chatting with a friend today and we both agreed that television (in general) is like a poisonous gas that hovers throughout the viewer’s house. Slowly the individuals molecules accumulate in the household bodies, the curtains, the couches, and the viewers.

Reading this piece from The Witherspoon Institute reminded me again that parenting is like walking a tight-rope, irrespective of which side of the rope you tend to fall. It is a good discussion on the underlying philosophies (a.k.a. presuppositions) driving education theory.

The writer is Christopher O. Tollefsen, Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and a senior fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. He sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.

Wassup with da men? Well, simply put, too many of us are losers. But why?

Check this article out. It is written by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Seminary, and he clearly spells out the case.

Is this huge gender imbalance a problem? Ubetcha it is. What are home schoolers doing about their boys and girls? Are we also raising a generation of male losers? Mark Driscoll has a few things to say to men about this. Check it out here.

Albert Mohler write:

Whatever happened to being seen but not heard? Diana West asks that question in a recent essay, noting that there has been a massive shift in Western culture away from adult authority and toward the “wise child.” All around us are signs that authority and wisdom are now to be recognized in the young, rather than the old. This is nothing less than a reversal of what previous generations had believed and assumed.

Read the rest here: http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/22/newsnote-seen-but-not-heard/

One of the questions parents ask when considering homeschooling is academic outcome. Will our kids be able to foot it against their school-trained peers when it comes to entry into university for example.

NZ homeschool parent Dr. Glenn Peoples at Beretta has recently written about academic standards and makes the bold claim that the jury is not out.  The case is settled.  Home schoolers on average are ahead of the group academically.  He cites a few sources; here is one of them:

www.washingtontimes.com…home-schooling-outstanding-results-national-tests

This article is certainly well worth a read.  It concludes:

In a sentence, home-schooling is a recipe for academic success.

I recently stumbled across a quote, apparently due to Aristotle, that got me thinking.  I thought this was a very profound quote, capturing so much in so few words.

Speaking personally, whenever I read something new, listen to a sermon, or partake in a discussion, I am constantly running the content of the message through a worldview filter.  This is not an overtly conscious act any more because I have trained myself to do this.

Well, to be honest, I think a lot of the filtering is as a result of my Christian conversion many years ago, whereupon I began weighing everything against Biblical teaching.  This “renewing of your mind” along with many years of academic discipline allows me to almost naturally submit my thinking to Scripture and logic.  It’s a bit like driving an automatic rather than a manual vehicle.

So what has all this to do with Aristotle?  Let’s look at the quote and see:

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”  –  Aristotle

Wow, so according to Aristotle, we should be able, if our minds are educated, to delve into ideas, philosophies, books, poetry, and many others things “of the world” without buying wholesale into the ideas themselves.

What may surprise you even more is that we have a high-caliber example of such engagement in the Bible. Can you guess who and what he wrote?  Do a study of Acts 17:22-34 and tell me how the person in the middle managed to quote, not from the Bible, from from the literature of that culture, back at the culture-makers themselves!

Check this page on the ERO website.

ERO reviews of the education of students exempt from attending a regular school

In the past the Education Review Office has reviewed the education of homeschooled students according to a schedule set annually. From 1 July 2009 ERO will carry out reviews only when requested by the Secretary for Education, or in other particular circumstances.

For further information about this change, please contact Rob Williamson, Senior Review Officer Homeschooling, or phone 0-4-499 2489.

Commentary on this can be found here.

See the conference website for more details:  http://www.aheconference.org.nz/

Advocates of home and Christian education are pointing to an article by one of the top executives of the Southern Baptist Convention as evidence that the nation’s largest Protestant denomination is growing increasingly fed up with the godlessness taught in America’s public schools.

The article printed in The Baptist Messenger by Dr. Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, criticizes the public school system for increasing secularism and moral erosion and proposes that Southern Baptists “bolster (their) investment in Christian elementary and secondary schools.”

Dr. Bruce Shortt, author of “The Harsh Truth about Public Schools” and a board member of Exodus Mandate, a ministry that encourages and equips families to give their children a Christian education, is among those celebrating a change in tone at the denomination’s highest level.

“Historically the Southern Baptist Convention has been joined at the hip with the public school system,” Shortt told WND, “but this article indicates recognition of what the public schools have become and will take the Convention in a new direction.”

Continued here…

See also:

Dr. Dobson Tells Christians to Get Kids Out Of California Public Schools

On March 28, 2002, Focus on the Family founder, James C. Dobson, PhD, stated on his daily radio broadcast: “In the state of California, if I had a child there, I wouldn’t put the youngster in a public school…. I think it’s time to get our kids out. And I’m going to get hit for [saying] that.”

A 10-year-old homeschool girl described as “well liked, social and interactive with her peers, academically promising and intellectually at or superior to grade level” has been told by a New Hampshire court official to attend a government school because she was too “vigorous” in defense of her Christian faith.

The decision from Marital Master Michael Garner reasoned that the girl’s “vigorous defense of her religious beliefs to [her] counselor suggests strongly that she has not had the opportunity to seriously consider any other point of view.”

The recommendation was approved by Judge Lucinda V. Sadler, but it is being challenged by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, who said it was “a step too far” for any court.

The ADF confirmed today it has filed motions with the court seeking reconsideration of the order and a stay of the decision sending the 10-year-old student in government-run schools in Meredith, N.H.

Continued here…

Nine-year-old children are being targeted for more detailed sex education in schools. In Christchurch today, Family Planning is launching a new resource for teachers of late-primary and intermediate-age children.

The launch has upset the conservative lobby group Family First, which is urging Family Planning to "butt out" and leave sex education to parents. …Year 5 and 6 (nine and 10-year-old) pupils look at pubertal change, friendships, gender, families, menstruation, fertility, conception and personal support. Year 7 and 8 pupils focus more on changing feelings and emotions and their effects on relationships, sexual attraction, decision-making around sexual attraction, conception and birth, contraception and support agencies.

Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said children should be taught sex education by their parents when they were ready. "The simple message to Family Planning is `butt out and leave it to parents’," McCoskrie said. "Parents know their kids the best. They know their emotional and moral development best and have their own values. Family Planning should not be interacting with kids of that age."

McCoskrie said schools had become "one-stop shops" for dealing with social problems in the community. Some parents felt overawed by "the sex talk" with their children, so resources should be put in to helping them better understand what was required, McCoskrie said. "It needs to be values-based and we think parents are the ones who determine the values."

READ MORE

Family First Media Release - Sex Education Begins at Home Not School READ MORE