Back to School - Part 2 -

So with School starting around here tomorrow.. its time to get these Back to School posts done! If you didn't see part 1, check here!! Its a big post with lots of great tips!

This part 2, is mainly going to be more about
  technology and homework!

I was watching the news when friendly



Clark Howard popped on to talk about what you should and shouldn't be paying for computers for the kids.

His advice was to spend no more than $250 per computer for the kids. He thinks that the models in this price range are perfect for kids who don't need a lot of the bells and whistles..

My personal opinion, is you should have 1 family computer that sits right up against a wall in the living room. That way, you can see everything they are doing.. HOWEVER, in our house.. the kids have laptops. I would totally change that if I thought it would work for our family. Our kids travel back and forth to their fathers house and they take their computers back and forth with them. But really, it goes against everything I believe is right. Because this is the case in our house, I keep a very open eyes to what the kids are doing online. I have complete control over every account and I have no problems taking away the computers if I need to. I think the parents can still have private laptops but keeping a computer in your busiest area is a much better idea.

Another great tip is.. don't worry about buying fancy software.. ( if you do find it necessary be sure to check for student discounts )

Open Office is very similar to Word and is totally free. 

You can find it here.. Click the download button at the top and you are set. I downloaded it a few days ago and like it a lot. Its very similar to Word and easy to use.



Smart phones have really changed many of our lives.. my especially. My daughter even carries a new blackberry torch.. ( I spy on that all the time too!! ) More and More kids and parents are using these little computer phones to make everything easy.

Here are my top favorites for Back to School..

Super Why ABC Adventures

This is a great app to have on your phone if you have little preschoolers and kindergarteners running around.  

Are you ready to go on an around the world, ABC adventure? With the “SUPER WHY ABC Adventures: Alphabet” app for iPad, your child can do just that while playing a comprehensive collection of five interactive literacy games that help build strategies and skills to master the alphabet! With each game hosted by a different Super Reader, your child will be introduced to uppercase and lowercase letters, the order of the alphabet, common letter sounds and writing letters in fun and exciting ways!

ALPHA PIG’S LICKETY LETTER SAFARI

Go on a lickety letter safari with Alpha Pig by identifying letters in the jungle and taking pictures of safari wildlife from A to Z!

PRINCESS PRESTO’S UNDER THE SEA SOUNDS

Swim under the sea with Princess Presto while matching all twenty-six letters to their sounds to form words! 

SUPER WHY’S Z MARKS THE SPOT

Help Super Why follow the alphabet trail in ancient Egypt from A to Z, by connecting the dotted letters on an interactive map to reveal special treasures!

WONDER RED’S LET’S LETTER FLY

Fly around the world with Wonder Red in her Why Flyer collecting treasures in her Wonder Words Basket, while practicing with common letter sounds and objects that begin with them! 

WOOFSTER’S GOLDEN LETTER BONES

Collect all of the golden letter bones with Woofster in the Wild West by writing all twenty-six letters of the alphabet in uppercase and lowercase! 

MAP OF THE WORLD STICKER ACTIVITY

Earn over 400 themed souvenir stickers that you can use to decorate 8 themed backgrounds around the world! You can also save your pictures to share with family and friends. 

ABC SING-ALONG-VIDEOS

Watch and sing-along with four alphabet themed music videos that expose your child to all twenty-six letters!

CHILD PROGRESS TRACKER

Track your child’s progress in identifying letter names and letter sounds in Alpha Pig and Princess Presto’s games.

ABOUT SUPER WHY

SUPER WHY, the breakthrough preschool TV series on PBS KIDS, is designed to help kids ages 3 to 6 with the critical skills that they need to learn (and love) to read! For more exciting SUPER WHY online games, music and activities visit pbskids.org/superwhy. 

ABOUT OUT OF THE BLUE DIGITAL 

Out of the Blue Digital is a division of Out of the Blue Enterprises, a leader in children's educational 

entertainment.

For middle school I think the Khan App is amazing. 

It’s largely based around videos which Khan initially uploaded to YouTube while trying to teach his cousin, Nadia, maths from the other side of the country. The videos became so popular that he quickly left his job as a hedge fund analyst and began working on the site full time.With access to more than 3,000 video lessons that you can either stream from the site or download and watch any time you don’t have a connection. You won’t find every subject represented just yet. There is heavy bias toward the sciences - including a particularly good maths section - but the humanities category seems to be growing and the finance and economy one is an extensive eye-opener.

Khan’s teaching style and personality aren’t going to be to everybody’s taste but the lessons are undeniably good. They run from the absolute basics, such as simple addition, all the way up to heavy calculus and beyond, and the whole app is really as interesting for those just looking to broaden their horizons as it is for students seeking an alternative way of understanding something that’s been troubling them in class. Great App!!

App

(not an official Khan Academy app)

Do you enjoy learning from the Khan Academy? 

Now you can do that on your iPhone or Android phone.

• Browse the entire Khan Academy curriculum.
• Videos organized by subjects, sorted in curriculum order.
• Bookmark lessons for quick access.
• Feedback welcome at admin@khanapp.com

To install, open http://khanapp.com from your phone.

Requirements:

Compatible with iPhone, Android and iPad.

For high school students I think the My Homework App is a great way to keep organized. 

The key would be making sure they actually used it which in my house means.. setting it all up for them. With this handy app reminders will be flying in so there will be no excuses for late or missing assignments. 

iPhone & Android

• Quick Access

  Quickly access assignments and classes with a simple touch.
  
  

• Calendar

  Easily know what's coming up.

• Reminders

  Receive due date reminders on your devices.

• Sync to myHomeworkApp.com

  Access your homework and classes on your computer online. 

Designate and clear a place to do homework.

Older children should have the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Younger children usually need an area set aside in the family room or kitchen to facilitate adult monitoring, supervision, and encouragement.

Make sure to schedule enough time to get all the homework done.

A lot of times, kids wait till wait too late to get things done... making it much more stressful rushing to get it finished. 

TV should stay off during homework time.

My kids would love to have the tv on while doing their homework but in my house no tv during that time. Its too hard to focus on something you really like on tv and focus on dreaded homework. TV would win every time around here! So.. until homework is done.. tvs are off.

Be available to help.

Kids should not just have to sit down at a table and do homework alone. You should be there to supervise, answer questions, offer assistance but never do the homework for them. They have to learn it.

Take Breaks..

Kids eyes get tired a lot quicker than adults. It may be helpful to close the books for a few minutes, stretch, and take breaks.

Take Charge

Stay in touch with the teacher. For me, emails work best. Keep communication open about how your child is doing and what they need to improve. If your child is struggling with a particular subject, a tutor could be the answer. Talk it over with your childs teacher and they should help give you some suggestions.

I find that homework is where I strive at. I learned some really good study skills in college that work well for kids of all ages. I will be sharing them with you as the dog days of school start back up! 




Have a great School Year!

K Jaggers
♥