We have moved back the start date of Session One to May 19, 2014. This allows the first session break to line up with their first week at Connections Academy. I have started to make up Session One Week One for the children. They are daunted by the amount of text on the screen from looking over my shoulder. When I explained to Victoria at dinner the other night that the only reason the text is so long is that I have put specific instructions on how to send an email, how to log into accounts, etc. and that the instructions will not always be there. Eventually the To-Do item will simply state, "Log your start time." rather than the current "Open your binder to the first tab. You will find a Study Time Log. In the first column, write the date. In the second column write the time from the corner of the monitor." You get the drift.
With the use of Gaggle at their current schools, they kind of get the gist of using an email service. Now I am trying to fine tune their knowledge base and give them plenty of practice. They will be able to email their teachers at any time through Connections and I want them to have practice ahead of time.
Victoria was also quite dismayed at being required to do "Home School" during the summer. She seemed very relieved when I told her that the first Session is just like my first College course at Phoenix. The whole point of the class is to learn where things are, how to use them, and how to correctly complete or turn in assignments. I told her I don't want her to sit down for her first day at Connections and not be able to find anything. I asked her if she remembered walking around her Middle School weeks before her actual first day at the school. She sort of understood then why we are doing this.
She also does not like that we will be continuing the Home Study Program after school starts back up again. I tried to explain to her that since I will have access the actual lessons she will be doing for her teachers, the Home Study will be adding to it, WebQuests doing fun things with the knowledge she learns through Connections. I gave her this example:
You did a report on Ireland for your Social Studies class. I printed out some maps and flag coloring pages for you to get acquainted with the country and have some fun coloring them while you were at it. That was ok, right?She gave me the so-so hand gesture with her cute, 'I don't want to say it was fun' smirk. So I grinned and said, "Narrow Path Home Study is going to be like that all the time."
"Oh."
~Mom on a Narrow Path
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