1. Sharing is good.
Your connection to the Internet deserves to be shared with everyone in your home school program. One or two computers wired to your Internet access can be turned into four or more in their own rooms. Even better you can create a small computer lab where no one will be standing in line to use the connection for homework or research. Even if you have one computer for everyone in your home school program with another computer sharing a wireless broadband connection the access is doubled without string another cable or phone line. Let me share a quick story about a homeshcooling mom who had one computer in her bedroom and she was homeschooling two teenagers who were getting more email than their mom (computers are replacing cell phones when it comes to chatting if no one has noticed - can we say Instant Messaging). After buying another computer (under $300) and setting up a wireless network she now has her computer back and only has to listen to "Mom, Tony won't let me use the computer" - instead of "Mom when are you going to get off your computer."
2. Dialup is too busy
Some broadband users enjoying the speed of dsl would probably argue that this should be number one and it did take some arguing not to make it number 1. Dsl users never get a busy signal when trying to access the Internet and the connection is on all the time without being dictated by a busy signal, downed phone line, long distance charges or constantly updated dialup numbers. A homeschool resource is hard enough to get to without waiting for someone to get off the phone and in a home with several very talkative individuals that can be a long time. If you are a homeschool mom you can have your phone and Internet connection at the same time - who said you can have your cake and eat it too...
3. Wireless broadband is getting faster and faster.
While this one is still tied to the one above it - remember that a 56k dialup is like the topspeed of a Model T car when it was first invented. The speed of dsl is getting faster and is being pushed to over 70mbps. Let me also mention that wireless hotspots are popping up all over the place in coffee shops, health food stores and even your favorite burger place. Handheld computers or PDA's are advancing also into wireless to where you'll soon be able to watch video on them also just like a regular computer - why the emphasis on video you may ask, because it is an incredible learning tool.
4. Broadband wireless content is getting more info to your desktop that you need.
With the huge push to wireless broadband more and more information providers are creating content that is more targeted to high speed delivery. Streaming videos of info from Discovery channels website, watching the launch of the space shuttle (from NASA's own website) or the landing just in case you missed it on television are one of the few examples available to be accessed with a wireless broadband connection that is fast (see Numer 3 above) and you don't even have to check out a video from the library (see Number 5, not to mention how long it will take for the library to even get a video of a shuttle launch).
5. No more trips to an already crowded library.
A home schooling family of any size has a full schedule as it is and squeezing a trip to the library can be more than a challenge. If you have ever tried to get to the library and then stay for more than an hour looking for a book on homeschooling curriculum only to find out it already has been checked out then you feel my pain. Now you can even check to see if the book you want is available thru the local library's website and some of them let you reserve it until you can drop by, pick it and leave in just under 10 minutes. Looking good now, that broadband connection has paid for itself in time saved already.
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Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer
Helps african American and minority homeschools bridge the digital
divide by becoming computer homeschools. Free article
on "Computer Homeschooling" and other related articles
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