HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
It is September, and I have this peculiar form of dyslexia. I constantly transpose September for January. This has always been the beginning of a new year for me, far more so than January ever is. I guess it began with the start of a new school year, and once I graduated, most businesses look at the fall as their most important quarter, so somehow it seems like a new year.
Mostly, though, it is the beginning of a new school year.
Anyone who has heard me speak knows I have a particular interest and passion for our education system. It is a system in transition as the leaders of that community struggle to come to terms with the impact technology is having on how kids learn, and how teachers teach.
Now, here in B.C., we layer that groundwork of change, and place an economic struggle over top (teachers' union, no contract, and work to rule). Now the challenge becomes that much more severe.
In a community where we place such high expectation and responsibility on our education system, one would think we would find a way to support it financially, but that is another post for another time.
The burden of educating our kids has to be shared - by parents and schools - yet with so many dual-income families, supporting our kids in their academic pursuits is beyond many of our means.
There is one resource that stands out in this province. It is LearnNowBC.ca. This is an education portal designed specifically to support not just teachers and students, but also parents in B.C.
When we look at all the cutbacks currently underway in our schools, LearnNow is a breath of fresh air. If is free for all, and chock full of resources we can all use to help our kids.
There are resources for preschoolers, with early learning software free to help transition your toddlers to kindergarteners, course outlines, study guides, practice tests, and much more.
Two resources I think we all should be aware of are the online courses and tutoring that are supported through LearnNowBC. If your child is looking for a course not available in your school, or they can't take it locally for some reason, there are more than 2,500 online courses available through the site. All free! Not just for kids, these courses are available for adults as well.
And , my favourite resource of all, online tutoring. During homework hours (afternoon and evenings) real tutors are available online to help kids with their homework.
This is especially valuable in subjects like math and algebra, where many parents (like me!) are not equipped to help. And they have added French immersion this year, another area in which it is very difficult for some parents to assist their offspring.
LearnNowBC is a superb resource, one free to all in our province.
In a month where most of the education news you will hear revolves around what your kids will not be getting in school this year, it is good to learn about some things that they do get.
Happy new year!
Steve Dotto is host of Dotto Tech, Wednesdays at 6: 00pm on AM650. E-mail your questions and comments to questions@ dottotech.com. Visit him online at www.dottotech.com or at www.facebook.com/dottotech.
