Surfin' with Saylor School

Back in the day I had it going on ...
People were knocking on my door.
My phone was ringing off the hook.
I was IN with the IN crowd.

You might think that this was due to the size of my super-sprayed-stylized bangs, my Madonna-like fashion sense or my superior taste in glam-rock and pop bands.

But no ... you would be sadly mistaken.

Although I had the bangs and a little style, my popularity was based on one thing and one thing alone - the fact that I owned the Brother AX-28 Electronic typewriter.

Can we say HIGH -TECH?

This baby stored ONE line of typing before it was committed to paper AND it checked your spelling. Think about the hours of work, the gallons of white-out, and the reams of paper I saved. Everyone wanted a moment with my Brother.

That being said, I also remember the day my college dorm got a computer lab - it was all downhill from that day. Wordperfect 5.0 usurped the Brother.

Well my friends, we've come a LONG way since the day of mile-high bangs and Brother typewriters. Today I teach my kids computer typing at the same I teach them to print. When my six year old has a question I can't answer he says, "Can we just google it?". My daughters have blogs and know more about cutting and pasting than the average adult. The information of the world is at our finger tips - and I am OVERwhelmed.

Seriously overwhelmed - google "George Washington" and you get almost 25 million results. Where do we even start? And don't get me started on all the junk, inappropriate images and advertising that flood our senses when you click on one of those 25 million options. What should we do? Do we lock down the computer, invest in Encyclopedia Britanica, raise a bunch of luddites?

I'm sure you've guessed my answer to that question ... no, a resounding NO. The computer has a wealth of knowledge - it just needs to be funnelled and filtered. Click HERE ... search HERE ... read THIS ... play THIS game ... watch THIS.

And on that note I introduce to you .... SAYLOR SCHOOL.com (well, actually saylorschool.blogspot.com). All the info AND all the fun - just filtered, funnelled and specific to what we are learning about. Not 25 million options - just one or two.

When the kids want computer time they head straight to Saylor School.

When I have an assignment that can be done on the computer rather than paper I send them straight to Saylor School.

When there's a song I want them to listen to I'll add it to the playlist.

It's all there. Spelling - math - an article to read - a video to watch - a game I want them to play - etc.

No more breathing down their necks nervously while they search the net.

No more standing next to them prompting them to "click the next one down" or "try typing ___ in the search bar".

A little work on my part the night before and there you have it ...

Why didn't I think of this a few years ago?

The days of one line typing are but a distant memory.

Welcome to the world wide web kids - saylor-style.

If you want to copy it feel free.

If you have suggestions for other links I should add PLEASE let me know.

If you find a link that doesn't work or seems questionable contact me asap.