Science Labs

Another source that might work for middle/highschool homeschool science labs:
http://www.esciencelabs.com/

The middleschool one looks interesting -- or should we just wait for now and do it all from the highschool perspective????

Separation of blogs

OK -- time to split out all the technical stuff I've been running across for me. This will remain odds and ends, a lot of homeschooling resources, organizational stuff, and just interesting things. My new blog will have all the technical links I come across as I continue to immerse myself in web/graphic design things...

The new site is:
http://webdesignbylw.blogspot.com/

Basic Shop Skills

One thing that's very difficult for suburban homeschooled students is to get basic shop skills. I wonder how one would go about finding a resource?

Here are a few links but it's definitely only the tip...
Qualification card for basic shop skills (great overview of what could be required):
http://www.eng.mu.edu/~dlc/Qualification%20Card%20for%20Basic%20Shop.pdf

This website has quite a bit of info (of course, nothing hands on!):
http://www.practicalstudent.com/index.html

And here's a review of a woodworking book:
http://eclectichomeschool.org/reviews/reviewsub.asp?subcatid=197

Here’s a wood working book with plans to follow through:
Boy Joiner and Model Maker, The
Publisher: Hope Chest Legacy
Author: E.A. Davidson
List Price: $18.00
Ages: 15-18 Years
Reviewed By: Deborah Deggs Cariker

Originally published in 1874, E.A. Davidson's "how-to" book for boys The Boy Joiner and Model Maker is an excellent choice for the boys in your life, the ones who are always putting things together (or taking them apart), and the ones who are drawing out creations to build from their imaginations. Hope Chest Legacy reprinted the treasure as a 246-page hardcover book with nearly 200 illustrations, directing your son to work with his hands, as instructed in I Thessalonians 4:11-12: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

Davidson begins the 32 chapters with one on tools and how to use them. He follows with instructions on how to make several, increasingly harder, projects including bookshelves, box, dog kennel, tool chest, and writing desk. His chapter on model making is followed by directions on making intricate creations like a model railway and even a working model mill. Used as a school text for woodshop or as a guide for extra-curricular activities, this will be an exciting and challenging book for junior high and high school boys.

Sentence Diagramming

I wonder if some sentence diagramming would help with understanding grammar? Here's a great step-by-step online resource:

http://www.geocities.com/gene_moutoux/basicdiagrams.htm

The Stock Market Game

Opens February 9 -- this year or next year is the question!!!! Maybe this year has a better window? I'd need to get started!

Here are some workshops coming up:
http://www.nccee.org/workshops

The Stock Market game described:
http://www.stockmarketgame.org/teachers.shtml

Tools for Offering Online Classes

Something to look at for offering online classes -- especially at the homeschool level.

Started with ed2go, the company offering the Alice and XHTML courses.
Then...
Blackboard is what the schools use (but $9500 price tag and you do the work)

Then...
Drupal is, I think, the open source platform for online class options: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drupal

Moodle is a free open source program for offering online classes -- might be an interesting way to explore http://moodle.org/

MoodleRooms takes that one step further and for a monthly/class fee, they will handle the student sign up, etc. part of the class (plus moodle tutorials): http://community.moodlerooms.com/

Sloodle takes Moodle to the 3-D level -- hmmmm.... not for me!
http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/

A more expensive version than MoodleRooms but that is infinitely more accessible than Blackbord and less expensive than ed2go is DigitalChalk: http://digitalchalk.com/

All of which includes cloud computing (which I don't really get except the cloud is a metaphor for the Internet!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

More Web Design stuff

A very cool list of web design trends for 2009 -- worth looking at and getting some good ideas!
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/21/current-web-design-trends-for-2009/

For some reason I had this webdesigner marked -- but it may only be obtained through hosting sites -- not sure:
http://www.dotnetnuke.com/

A site with a lot of good HTML tutorials -- also includes JAVAscript and how to include it in your menus, etc. -- definitely something to look at!!!!
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/lessons.html

TeachScheme -- for teaching java without the problems of syntax errors -- overall, the understanding of how programming works seems to be better than if C++, for example, is focused on and the students get mired in syntax errors.
http://www.teach-scheme.org/Overview/
http://plt-scheme.org/