Cohousing-L Mailing List: Homeschooling, TV's, and Computers

[Your friend at: (cjf01]

Dear Friends, 

        I was surprised that someone was speaking in favor of television
for homeschooling and even criticizing computer.  I perceive much of the
children's stuff even wonderful sesame street as somehow questionable.  I
know there are little schooling programs that can be run even on outdated
computers that would allow a child to answer math and english questions on
their own instead of allowing the tv to do all of the work.  I am not
totally against that tv.  Sometimes the free educational programs are
really nice and certainly a relief from some of the hard stuff on the
other stations.  I do believe that video still allows parents to be more
selective about what is playing on the tv.  Again factually it would be
better if the parents were also supplementing with their own educational
videos in the mean time. 

        As I mentioned previously, the next technological break through to
look to in homeschooling is in webtv.  Yes, work needs to be done to learn
what it takes to make the internet kid guards to work.  Besides social
interaction it also something kids need to learn how to handle
appropriately.  If we don't train them how to use the internet themselves
then on their own they are at risk.  The internet would allow them to
associate with people their own age all over the world and all over their
community.  

Sincerely yours, 

Citraketu das

<a href="http://www.gnofn.org/~oxoasis";>OX</a>  


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       "When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, 
              you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard
                            and all that is to be heard."
                                 (Bhagavad Gita 2.51)