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Homeschooling: Adding a Computer and the Internet to Your Classroom

A computer with Internet access is essential to a homeschool for a number of reasons, including the following:

• You can access most of the reference information you will ever need, both for your students as part of the learning process, and for you to plan and conduct your homeschool.

• Enable your children to learn valuable computer skills that they will need throughout their life.

• Your students will be able to use word processing and other software to do their work.

• Use educational software, such as typing programs, electronic encyclopedias, reading games, and so on.

• Take part in online courses.

• Keep in touch with friends and family all over the world.

Choosing a Computer
There are two basic types of computers from which you can choose; those that run the Windows operating system and those that run the Macintosh operating system. Either type will provide everything you need for your homeschool.

It is likely that the most important consideration when choosing a computer for your homeschool is cost. When it comes to buying a computer, there are two basic schools of thought regarding how much you should spend. One is to spend as much as you can afford so you get a computer that will be able to run the newest software for as long as possible. The other is to spend as little as possible and just pay for the minimum capabilities you need today, recognizing that you might have to replace the computer before too long.

Either approach will work. Most new computers will provide all the processing power you need and will be capable of running any software that you want to use in your homeschool.

A good Windows computer system can be purchased for $1,000 or less. You can get an Apple eMac for as little as $799 or an iMac for as little as $1,299.

Be aware that most computer suppliers offer educational discounts. While these are typically offered through traditional schools, some companies, such as Apple, recognize homeschools and will provide an educational discount to you as long as you provide some limited proof that you actually homeschool.

Connecting Your Classroom to the Internet
The Internet provides access to more information and other resources than you can imagine. (If you have read any of this book, you likely have noticed several references to valuable Internet resources. These are just the start.) In addition to resources you can use while teaching your children (for example, online museums, reference resources, online courses, and more), there are lots of Web sites that will help you plan and run your homeschool. Plus, the Internet enables you to communicate with other homeschoolers via email.

For these reasons and more, it is extremely helpful to include Internet access on the computer in your schoolroom. There are three basic ways you can connect your computer to the Internet:

• Cable. If you have access to cable television service in your home, the odds are that you can also take advantage of cable Internet access. This is among the fastest ways to connect, which is useful when you are accessing information rich Web sites (for example, those that include online video and interactive information) and downloading files. Plus, your Internet connection is always active so you never have to wait for your computer to connect. Check with your cable provider to see if it offers Internet service.

• DSL. DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line (in case you were wondering), offers excellent performance over standard phone lines. While not quite as fast as cable access, it is fast enough to enable you to make full use of all Internet resources. DSL availability depends on your home's relative location to the phone infrastructure. Check with your local phone company or Internet service provider to see if DSL is available in your area.

• Dial-up. This method enables your computer to communicate over standard phone lines. It is available from just about every home (because just about every home has telephone service) and it is also relatively inexpensive. However, this connection method is quite slow, which means it will take a long time to download files and some of the Net's more interesting sites won't work well at all.

If you can afford the service and it is available to you, try to get cable or DSL Internet access. The payoff in usability will be well worth the cost of the service.

Stocking Your Computer with Software
There is software available that can do just about anything you can imagine. Fortunately, your software needs for a homeschool computer are relatively mild:

• A Web browser, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Apple's Safari

• An email client, such as Microsoft's Outlook Express or Apple's Mail

• A word processor, such as Microsoft Word

• A drawing program, such as KidPix

• A typing program, such as Typing Tutor

• Educational games (there are too many to list)

• Reference software, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias

Caution. You should also protect your computer from viruses and hackers by installing an anti-virus program and putting your computer behind a firewall (which is a device that keeps people on the Internet from accessing your computer without your consent).