My husband riding along a stream during one of his "mountain man" weekends.
While I long for days of walking along a stream in the quiet of a countryside unadulterated by telephone poles and electric wires, I realize God has placed me here…smack dab in the middle of the technological age. I am a 21st century mama, and in many ways I am grateful for that! I enjoy having a dishwasher, washing machine, air conditioner and other such “helpers.” I do not feel guilty for having these things because I am where the Lord has placed me.
But, as with any “good thing,” there are downfalls as well. It is our job as believers to avoid the evil that comes with this day and age and turn toward the good, claiming it for Christ. For some, that means walking away from technology altogether. For others, it is a system of checks and balances, constantly evaluating where you stand in light of Scripture. We have chosen a mix of both.
We have no television, yet we have internet. We do not own an iPod, but my husband has a smartphone. We do not own any video games, yet my children are allowed internet time in small doses. And yes, we do watch TV and play video games at other people’s houses on occasion. You may think some of this seems hypocritical, but really it comes down to an understanding of what we, as a family unit, are able to control and what we know would easily get out of hand. If it would easily get out of hand, it can’t live here. I refuse to spend all my time policing “stuff.”
I’m getting ready to embark on a series here on Raising Arrows about Homeschooling and the Internet. The internet has created many unique and wonderful opportunities for homeschoolers. However, part of me cringes at the thought of doing such a series because it’s so….modern. (Remember me? The gal who wants to walk along a stream?) But the internet truly is a “good thing” that can bring enrichment to our lives as long as we are diligently monitoring what we allow the internet to feed us. Yes, I do long for simplicity, but I also recognize the Lord has given me the opportunity to homeschool in a day and age when information is readily available and easily accessible. As long as I am glorifying Him in my online time, I have the freedom to use this tool. I pray that if I ever abuse this privilege, God will shut down this part of my life lickety-split.
I also see where the internet and other such technologies can actually bring more to do into our lives. It isn’t difficult to end up on bunny-trails all over the internet, wasting massive amounts of time. This too, must be kept in check. And once again, for some families, that means simply avoiding the internet altogether. For us, it means having set guidelines and time constraints to work within.
So, as I start this series, I want to express my true feelings on the matter. The internet is not a necessary component of homeschooling; however, it can be a blessing to the homeschool. Use it wisely. Guard it diligently.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming series!
Homeschooling & the Internet Series:
Internet Linked Books
Online Videos
Blogs
Free Sites
Clara says
Looking forward to it, Amy! 🙂 It’s too easy to get caught on those “bunny-trails” on the internet – it’s an area I have to guard in my life too! 🙂
Gary Taylor says
Even tuffer for a grandfather blogging about the fathering-grandfathering essentials. In my case I am holding a year-old from five technical generations away. I have two at the tail end of the Millennial Generation, homeschooled, who’s mom has your added level of stress, USING the Internet, as if God, not Al, invented it, and not letting it USE THEM. And it means that “Letters to Taylor” in his year of passage go through Mom’s account, become part of his Language Arts…all without a stamp, my hand scrawl, or White Out over IBM typewriter errors. And it means Webcam Moments.
It also means, “Popi, why are you ALWAYS on your laptop?!” (emphasis hers…way over-dramatized by the exasperated 7 year-old, of course). But I did ask myself, prompted by Nani who witnessed my stammering denial, “Really, what would the children see me doing with my time if it were not for the Internet?”(in my book and blog writing, mostly). I weighed it against my other question, “How could I NOT be using God’s Internet to fulfill God’s call.” My answer: Using it (and all the other electro stuff), “God’s Stuff,” God’s way.
Elizabeth says
Those “bunny-trails” get me a lot! We have been working on not having the tv on as much and it goes well most of the time. With 7 kids and 1 on the way, it became so easy to let the tv babysit them when I was in bed many days with morning sickness. We are now focusing on reading, story telling, playing games, going outside when it’s nice, ect. The kids have taken to not having the tv better then I thought!
We still have a lot to work on when it comes to not letting technology take over us though. Thanks for the reminder!
Frances says
I’m looking forward to your series. We also have no television. Because we are on such a strict budget and live in such a small home, I wouldn’t be able to homeschool my 4 children without the Internet. I love my Freebies. 🙂
We just have to remember that our time is God’s time.
Gayle says
Amen, Amy! I’m looking forward to your series… 🙂
Lisa~ says
I am looking forward to your series. We have not allowed our children to have any access to the internet, even the 20 year old! We do have a TV, but only in Mom and Dad’s bedroom. It’s off limits to the kids. I’m curious to see how other people do it. Lisa~
Valerie says
you….took…..the….words…out…of….my…….mouth! Crazy how similar that is to how I feel. Our house is a mix of checks and balances, along with throwing things out all together. I was JUST discussing this at church last night. I keep telling God I belong in the country, on land, where it’s pretty, and calm, and hard work. But yet, He moved me to “not so calm” Southern California (population 3,010,759). The conversations I have with God sometimes sound like “Ummmm I am sorry, but I think my prayer was mixed up through some sort of Holy Spirit Translation…. I said I wanted land.” AS much as I like to joke about it, THIS is where God has me. I want to balance everything, yet enjoy where God has placed me. So we draw some hard lines on certain things in this crazy world, but we are also not becoming Amish (completely at least) anytime soon, so we are working to make a balance of what we allow in, and how much of it do we use. Whew….glad we are not the only ones navigating the craziness of modern America.
Lily says
I like the access to information on the internet, whether it’s recipes, how to organize a closet or clean an oven with baking soda – as well as how to homeschool. Whatever I want to learn, the information is there. If our daughter has a question, we can look it up, finding answers and pictures. I can be in touch with people miles and miles away, I can feel fellowship and I can learn from their experience.
Looking forward to your series!