Problems with Slow Networks

Some of our users with satellite networks or slow networks in remote locations were experiencing strange problems with HomeSchoolAdvantage. These problems were caused because your network providers were not actually displaying to you the web pages we were sending you. We have made a few changes to trick your network providers into actually displaying to you the web pages we have been sending you. The net result, those of you with satellite or otherwise slow networks should now have a better experience operating HomeSchoolAdvantage.

Please let us know whenever you have problems with HomeSchoolAdvantage. It was two users working closely with us that allowed us to figure out that some of your internet service providers were not actually displaying the web pages we were sending you. :-( Those who had this problem with us, likely experience bad behavior on many other websites as well.

Two New User Features

We have released two new features in HomeSchool Advantage today. These are important changes that homeschool parents have specifically requested.

Parents now have two new settings for each student:

Setting #1: Worksheet Size Limit
Setting #2: Allow Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

Worksheet Size Limit

Up until today, we allowed a student's daily worksheets to grow to an unlimited size. This can be a problem if the student has been on vacation or only uses the system occasionally. You may now set a maximum size for the daily worksheet to be as small as 25 questions. This limits the size of the worksheet for each subject.

If you set the limit to 25 questions, the Spelling Worksheet could be up to 25 questions, the History Worksheet could be up to 25 questions, the Vocabulary Worksheet could be up to 25 questions, and so forth. No worksheet could be, say, 30 questions.

Consider limiting worksheet sizes for younger students and for students who have issues focusing for longer periods of time.

Allow Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

This option turns on fill-in-the-blank questions. If this option is not turned on, then we will not display a fill-in-the-blank question as long as there is an alternative available (True/False or Multiple Choice).

Spelling and some Math Drill courses will always use fill-in-the-blank questions because True/False or Multiple Choice display options are not available on these courses.

Turn on this option for students who can type and spell well, and who thus can quickly answer fill-in-the-blank questions.

Your Children's Settings

These new features have a default value which we automatically selected based on your students' ages. We suggest that you log in using your parent username and look at your students' settings to ensure they are what you desire. Click on "Edit" by each student to see and change these settings.

Making Memories Stronger

Dear HomeSchoolAdvantage,

My son John has a lot of trouble with retention of facts. He is doing very well with HomeSchoolAdvantage so far, however, history seems to be a real problem for him.

Concerned Parent

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Dear Concerned,

Here are a few practical tips to help John create stronger memories when he studies history. Imagine that we show him the history fact “The Second President of the United States is John Adams.”

Tip#1: Have him write the fact down on paper.

Keep a notebook or journal by the computer. As we introduce a new history fact have him write it into the journal. While he is writing the fact down he should repeat it out loud three times.Writing the fact down and repeating it out loud helps make the memory stronger.

Tip #2: Have him research the fact.

After he writes the fact down, John should try to find out a little bit more about President John Adams. He could read a short one page biography of President John Adams in an age appropriate encyclopedia or even from the whitehouse.gov website. For the presidents you may wish to purchase a poster listing all of the presidents and have him find John Adams on the poster. Another fun way to research is to enter the phrase “President John Adams” in GoogleNews and read a current article that mentions the president.

Tip #3: Have him create his own questions about President John Adams.

Ask John to think of two or three additional questions about a new fact he is learning. What other questions does the fact inspire him to ask? Have him write his questions down in the journal too.

For example, questions I might ask aboout President John Adams include:

“Who what his vice president?”

“Where was he born?”

“What did he do after he was president?“

“Did he have any children?”

John's questions will be different, but they will be his questions. Sometime over the next few days John should try to find the answers to a few of his questions. He should write any answers he finds in his journal.

Make Memories Stronger

All three of these memory strengthening tips can be applied to everything John learns in HomeSchoolAdvantage. He can use these techniques all of the time, or just on subjects he finds especially interesting or difficult. If John starts doing all three of these techniques for a few weeks I think you will both be very happy with the results.

-Tom

A Question about Adding Courses

Here is a question some of you may have as well.

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Hi There,

I am a mother of one of the HomeSchool Advantage students. I've been trying to add Dividing, as well as Muliplication to my son's Addition Math Course but it isn't adding it. Can you look into it for me?

-A HomeSchool Mom

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Thank you for your question.

For courses in the same subject (the same row in the assignments table) only one course will we presented to the student at a time. Once a student completes a course, they will progress to the next course in that subject.

For math courses, the lowest numbered assigned course will be presented to the student first. Then, when all of the facts in that course have been presented to the student once, the system will progress on to the next highest numbered course.

In any given subject, like Math, new facts are only presented to the student from one course at a time - the lowest numbered course. You may watch this video for a description: http://www.vimeo.com/14885600

Older students who are simply reviewing material they already may know can use the "Rate a Fact" feature to rate how well they know a more simple fact, like 2+8=10.

"Rate a Fact" is described in this video: http://www.vimeo.com/14880346

If they rate this fact highly, because they already know it quite well, then they can rapidly progress onto new course like subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Older student who are simply reviewing math facts they already know are encouraged to use the "Add More Facts" feature to quickly review and rate the facts (for example facts they may already know in addition), so the system can rapidly move forward to subtraction, and then to multiplication, and then to division.

New Course! Common Latin Phrases

We have added a new course on common Latin phrases.

Subject: Vocabulary Building

Course: 450 - Latin Phrases

Do you know what the following Latin phrases mean? ante bellum, carpe diem, caveat emptor, cum laude, ex post facto, habeas corpus

In our new course students will learn thirty-nine Latin phrases that are still in common usage. Even adults will be surprised by what some of these phrases actually mean.

This new course is Free to Members.

Time to Play?

I am continually reminded by the researchers about how our brains develop and change: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827844.700-children-really-do-see-things-differently.html

One of our biggest concerns about the pressure to push younger and younger children into more and more formal academic activities is that perhaps we don't leave enough time for play.

Children need to spend hours and hours observing and interacting with the physical environment.

Playing outside and seeing the light reflect off of the trees, houses, ground and water. Playing with blocks and seeing shapes from different angles, seeing how the shapes stack, seeing how they interact. Playing with water and watching how it flows, how it carries a stick, and how it erodes the sand.

These are important activities for a young mind. I think we are only beginning to understand just how important they may be.