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12th
Oct 2010

The Role of Educational Video in Homeschooling

A Thorn in the Side…or a Jewel in the Crown

I received an email a couple of days ago from a friend. She asked me to comment on the following statement “…..you know, in the US, there is quite a bit of controversy over K-12 among homeschoolers …..many see it as taking away the parents teaching of the children and relegating it to videos”.

In this article I want to address the issue and role of using online educational video in homeschooling.

I find it a little hard to believe that if we sit down and think about it for a moment that anyone could reasonably suggest that “using video is taking away the parents teaching of their children” any more using a textbook might.

Using video to teach your child as a homeschooler is certainly no different to using a textbook in that it is simply a format in which to deliver the core information, or the facts!

However video is a format that has distinctive silver lining.

Firstly the textbook only offers the child one solitary option. It must be read. And if you then have a child that does not like reading, and on top of that they do not find the topic particularly interesting, then it can be a recipe for disaster.

Video however provides the child with 2 choices. And if you use subtitled video, as we do, then it provides the child with 3 choices. They can watch, listen or read. Every child absorbs and processes information in the manner that best suits them, and their abilities. So it is important to provide the child with the choices so that when we hope or expect them to absorb and process certain information, we give them the benefit of a flying start.

At the same time though video offers a much more dynamic means to deliver information, and as a result it rapidly captures the child’s attention and maintains their interest for a longer period of time. And guess what? It also introduces an element of fun at the same time. You make learning fun and watch the child’s motivation increase. That’s precisely why the most effective form of learning comes about when the child enjoys and is interested in the topic. I suspect this is exactly why few of us adults retire to bed early in the evening with a dictionary to relax! Hard work or what? (more…)


20th
Jul 2010

From Homeschool & Homeschooling Roots

You’ve heard the expression ” I liked it so much, that I bought the company”? Well this one such story. But it is our own, and so it is fairly understandable that it is one we here at Zane Education are reasonably proud of.

In 1999 we were finally enjoying some of the fruits of a business we’d started some years before, distributing budget priced software. At the time we had been one of the first people to see the opportunity to specialize in the budget software market, and the business had taken off.

By 1999 we represented, and were distributing CD-ROM’s for  a number of well established software publishers, and were very interested in the educational software market. One of those software publishers was a company by the name of Zane Publishing Inc. Zane had become very successfull educational software company publishing approximately 250 CD-ROM titles to support the K12 curriculum, and had sold literally millions of their CD-ROM’s into schools and homeschools across the country. When in 2000 we had the opportunity to buy Zane, we jumped at the opportunity.

We purchased Zane because we could see a time coming when software on CD-ROM would gradually die, and we could also see a time coming when being able to provide so much purpose developed K12 curriculum material online over the Internet, would provide some wonderful opportunities.

Well it’s taken nearly four years to complete this work however the end result is over 1,000 online videos teaching Art, Music, Literature, History, Science, Biology, Social Sciences, Geography, Library Skills, Health , Mathematics and Religious Studies covering 250 topics. In addition, for each topic we have built interactive quizzes to allow a student to test themselves on what they have learnt about that topic as they have watched the video. (more…)


22nd
Jun 2010

K12 Curriculum – Online Mathematics Videos

It’s been a big week this week in the world of K12 online educational video.

Not only have we finally launched our new online subscription system, we have also launched a completely new and more user-friendly front-end to the website (yes, we have been listening to the feedback you have been kind enough to provide).

And to celebrate all of that we have launched our K12 online Maths videos. With over 450 Mathematics video titles that include Arithmetic, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Linear Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Differential Equations, Statistics and Probability, it would be fair to suggest we have every age group and grade covered from Elementary school through to College.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR MEMBERS!

Finally, for those of you that have been using the site over the last several months that have registered as Members, you should have received an email from us in the last couple of days advising you of our Special VIP Offer to celebrate the launch of the online subscription system. (more…)


27th
May 2009

It’s Been Worth Waiting For!

After two and a half years work by a dedicated team, the Zane Education website has become a reality.

What was originally the contents of 230 K-12 CD-ROM’s published by one of the leading and most established educational software publishers (Zane Publishing Inc), has now been converted into a format which enables it to be delivered and used online.

For those of us involved in the work, it has been a long process that at times has tested our resolve, but the end result is that we are now able to provide students, schools and homeschoolers with arguably the largest catalogue of online educational videos specifically developed for the K-12 education market.

(more…)