Homeschool High School - is Online Learning Leading Your Homeschool student Astray?

Author: ronaldo451 | Posted: 27.03.2012

Distance learning suggests time on the computer - and kids LIKE computers! But what do you do when they love being online too much?

One friend of mine has a 16 year old son who is taking distance learning with an online Gifted and Talented organization. He is online a lot. They use a net nanny program but there are still plenty of sites that keep her busy doing any school work. I feel this mom is likely not alone. But what can a parent do to keep their children focused on what they are supposed to be doing?

In our home, we called that behavior "falling into the abyss. " It's SO easy to get distracted when you're online! So many great things to do and see! Especially with very bright young people, who may be bored with school.

When you are not using an online program, the solutions are a little more straight forward. You can eliminate all computer time until after school work is done, and you can set a timer for those times when they are allowed to be online, so their computer time is limited. It's more difficult to do that when school *is* the computer.

If your child is gifted, they might be distracted because they are bored. Having kids in a gifted program isn't good enough. You need to make sure they are at the RIGHT LEVEL for each class. Try to discover if your student is bored. Spend some time conversing with your student as an adult. Describe your struggles with limiting your own computer time, and ask their advice about how they handle their computer time. Sometimes when a teenager speaks it themselves, they are more likely to do it. In other words, if you can make them SAY what you want them to do, then they are more likely to do it than if you say it to them directly.

You may want to ask your student if the on-line curriculum is a good. Ask them if they would prefer studying away from the computer. Although we sometimes *think* we have found the perfect choice, sometimes our kids will discover it's not a good before we do. Maybe your student really doesn't like learning that way.

You can try having your student do the work on a separate computer, or with paper and pencil, and then getting online only when each assignment is complete. I'm not sure how it would work with an online program, but sometimes you can do the work offline, and then cut and paste (or scan and attach) work that is completed when you aren't on the internet.

Ultimately, the online format may be too great of a temptation. Like a chocoholic in a candy store, it may just be too tempting to be efficient. Nobody can answer that question but you and your student.

This may simply be the downside of any online program. Like many things about parenting, I don't think you will find "THE solution. " Hopefully, these tips will give you some ideas.

So look at the overall experience, and see if it's a good fit for your family. Fortunately, there are many learning options for homeschoolers in case distance learning isn't the right choice for you.

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