Michelle Conaway

Any child who can spend an hour or two a day, or more if he wants, with adults that he likes, who are interested in the world and like to talk about it, will on most days learn far more from their talk than he would learn in a week of school.” ~ John Holt

If you’ve read my post titled  Life is a School you know that I started my homeschooling adventure entrenched in the traditional school ways.

Afterall, I myself, had gone through public school. My husband had survived it.  So had my twenty-four year old daughter. But I had decided to homeschool my two boys for various reasons and I really believed that they needed to study in every subject – every day.

We set out on the path with spelling, math, literature, science and  history books in hand. I quickly realized that the boys were very willing and able to buck the system.  And buck they did, leaving me perplexed about how I was going to survive one year, let alone an entire education with each of them.

Thus began my inquisition into how people learn and how best to teach two young boys. MY two boys to be exact.

If you’ve Googled Homeschooling, you already know how much information is out there. I was overwhelmed to say the least.  And not only that, we had already spent a small fortune on age appropriate material for each of the boys. I really wanted to utilize those materials if possible.

While searching, I came across a few articles about unschooling. I was intrigued. The articles talked about letting your kids follow their own interest. They talked about just spending time with your kids and talking. They talked about staying present with your kids and really trusting them to learn what they needed to learn and encouraging them in the ways they wanted to go.

I absolutely loved this idea. I wanted to implement it immediately.

I did. . .

But, I got scared. I saw the school kids in our neighborhood learning multiplication facts and doing difficult science projects.  They had hours of homework, after having been in school for seven hours. My kids were playing with blocks and Legos all day long.

I pulled out the old school books and quick.

I was surprised that they could do the “grade level” worksheets I put in front of them, even though we hadn’t had any formal lessons on the subject. They would dutifully appease my fear by sitting at the table, pencil to paper, heads hung low and miserable, gazing longingly at their Legos, wondering when I would let up.

After several of these episodes, I realized that in order for unschooling to work for our family, I was going to have to unschool myself. I was going to have to let go of being attached to HOW my kids learned and TRUST them to learn by being who they are. I was going to have to listen to them and ask them what they WANTED to learn.

After years of teetering back and forth between unschooling and die-hard school work I’ve learned to let go of expectations and realize that my kids have many interests and that when they are pursuing their interest they are learning – math, spelling, grammer, history, science and art. When they are following something they are interested in, they are much more motivated to learn what they need to learn in order to pursue it.

So, we play video and computer games, we draw, we read books, we take walks, we cook, we clean, we garden, we take care of grandparents, we play games, we live, learn and love life – together, without grades, without agendas, without trying to get anywhere other than where we are right now. And it is wonderful!

It is really preposterous to believe that a child will not learn from the world around him. It’s really the only way that anyone learns. We have been brainwashed to believe that the only way to learn is in school.

It was slow moving and very difficult for me to let go of my upbringing and have the courage to do something different. But the rewards have been great.

My kids are very well rounded and happy. They are excited to get up every day and are living a life far beyond what I ever imagined was possible.

My husband and I are raising thinkers.

And questioners.

And implementors.

They will always think for themselves and never be afraid of asking the big questions.They will trust themselves to pursue what is in their heart and ask what they need to ask to get there.

There are no F’s in our house. . .or A’s, B’s, C’s or D’s.

As Thomas Edison said after several tries at inventing the light bulb:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

That’s the attitude I want my kids to have.  And you can’t get THAT on a graded paper at school.

This is such an awesome technology.  I am by no means a “techie” but luckily my husband is and found Dropbox.

It is a “cloud” service where you can upload files to the cloud and it serves as a backup. You can also share files with friends and family.  Happy Day! No more emailing files back and forth. All you do is save your files to a Dropbox folder and you can share it with anyone you invite to that shared folder.

The service is free. There is an upgrade you can purchase but I have found that what they give away is sufficient for my needs.  My husband has purchased the upgrade. You can earn more free space by inviting friends to Dropbox. My husband talks more about Dropbox from a “techie” perspective at his Blog.

As far as schooling goes, this has been great.  I purchased a Unit study from Currclick, but wanted to use it with both of my kids.  They each have their own laptop and since the Unit Study is so internet intensive, I wanted them to be able to have a copy of their own.  Dropbox to the rescue!

I just saved the Unit Study to the Dropbox folder, invited my boys to Dropbox, (got more space for myself), and voilà!  They both had their own copy of our Unit Study right on their own computers.

I have also shared files with friends.  Everything from podcasts to writings I’ve done, to music.  As long as you save it in your shared Dropbox folder whoever you invite has access to it.

I am such a sissy when it comes to new technology, but honestly this is so easy and so worth it!  I highly recommend it to anyone that ever purchases downloadable material for their kids.  It makes it easier, quicker and allows everyone to be on the same page. Literally!

Here are some quotes I love about learning.

Click on the author’s name to learn more about that author.

There is no need to educate. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.
Albert Einstein

Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching.
Oscar Wilde

It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.
Henry David Thoreau

While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.
Leonardo da Vinci

The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
Harry S. Truman

Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.
Rabindranath Tagore

It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.
Leo Buscaglia

The least of the work of learning is done in the classroom.
Thomas Merton

Learning is finding out what you already know.
Richard Bach

Wisdom has never made a bigot, but learning has.
Josh Billings

I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.
Natalie Portman

I love the internet. It’s really changed our world and allowed us to communicate, create and share in ways that I never thought possible.

Zimmertwins is one of those unique websites that provide an awesome learning experience for our kids, and the fantastic thing is that our kids don’t even know they are learning while they are creating.

Zimmertwins started for my family as a fun website for my oldest son.  He loves animation and loves creating cartoons. He uses good old fashion computer paper and crayons, Toon Boom programs, and just about anything he can get his hands on if it involves drawing or animating.

We initially bought him a one month subscription to Zimmertwins hoping it would provide him with another avenue to express his creativity. And boy did it!  But what I didn’t know was that he was going to get motivated to write and spell beautifully.  Zimmertwins provides an easy to use, self motivating arena for kids to develop writing, spelling, vocabulary and artistic skills while having fun.

Zimmertwins won the Parents Choice Silver Honor award for kids websites in 2009.

The website features Eva, Edgar and their cat 13. These characters have some pretty spectacular powers and there are oodles of backgrounds and props that can be changed frame by frame. The charachters talk via conversation bubbles that the child creates but sound effects and music can be added to the movies with a simple click of the mouse. The characters move through the scenes that the child creates first in his mind and then on the screen.

When the movie is finished it is given a title and description by the child and then posted on the Zimmertwin website. The Zimmertwins community (which is made up of the kids with accounts on Zimmertwins) rate each others movies, comment on them and can save movies they like to their favorites. They can earn a “Crowd Pleaser” if at least three users rate their movies with five paws.

More rare are the coveted “Must Sees” which are awarded by the Zimmertwins staff. When a child receives a “crowd pleaser” or a “Must See” he is rewarded with front page status on the Gallery page and a cool symbol placed on his award winning movie.

The site is well monitored by the Zimmertwin staff.  A flag system is in place for the community to self monitor as well. My older son had a movie pulled off for something that seemed minor to me but it was reassuring that the site is highly monitored.  I feel confident that the staff is diligent in keeping Zimmertwins a kid friendly environment.

My son used to hate writing and spelling. When other kids started commenting on spelling errors, he was motivated to get a dictionary and start learning to spell better.  He also started using the thesaurus and building his vocabulary.  His went from sporadic random stories, with no real structure to stories with a beginning, middle and end.  They started getting funny and interesting. Not only that, his new skills started spilling over into his work outside of Zimmertwins. Peer review certainly played a big part in his desire to become a better writer.

When he started earning crowd pleasers and then his first must see, he was hooked on writing, spelling and reading.  He now loves to write stories and reports and his spelling and vocabulary have greatly improved. It has also opened up our conversation to matters of grammar, punctuation, contractions, verbs, adjectives and nouns. He is much less resistant to these ideas since he started working on Zimmertwins.

I don’t think it’s coincidental that the world of reading has opened up for him as well since he began working on this site.  I assume this is because he can spell better, understand words better and therefore understand what he is reading better.

My youngest son saw his older brother receiving a lot of attention on Zimmertwins and decided he wanted to give it a try as well.  I have seen major improvement in his writing and reading skills in the two months he has been experimenting with Zimmertwins. It’s been one of the  most effective tools in getting my kids to write and spell that I have ever used and believe me I have tried lots of things.

Here is the basic information:

Costs

Free Account

There is a free account.  The child can make movies on the free account but they don’t have access to as many features and they cannot rate movies nor can their own movies be rated.  Also they cannot receive comments on their movies, which I believe is the motivating force for getting their writing skills better. Since their movies can’t be rated they are not eligible for the “Crowd Pleaser” or “Must See” awards.

VIP Membership

Monthly membership is currently $3.95 per month.  A six month membership is $19.95 which is like getting one month free. Payment is made through Paypal.

The VIP membership includes all available tools and backgrounds, sounds and music on the site.  Kids are able to comment, rate and review other VIP member movies. They can earn “Crowd Pleasers” and “Must Sees” with the VIP membership.  Zimmertwins also provides starters to movies if your child is having a hard time getting an idea going.

There is no contract.  You can pay month to month. There are no automatic charges. If your paid subscription is up the kids account is downgraded to the free account with everything being saved.  The parent is sent an email advising of the expiration of the VIP status. The parent just clicks the link in the email to reinstate his childs account.  Nothing is lost or removed. The moment payment is made the child is back at VIP status.

Getting An Account

Parents must give permissions and an email address before the child can obtain an account.  The child picks a nickname to use on the site and a password is generated by the system.  This information is emailed to the parent and then the parent can help the child change the password if desired.

I have emailed the Zimmertwins staff several times and they have always been prompt with a reply.

Zimmertwins at School – Free Trial Until November 30

Zimmertwins at School is a new website created by the makers of Zimmertwins, with educators in mind.  The site is a set up a lot like described above but is maintained and managed by a teacher or homeschool mom.  You can set up to 40 students in a “classroom” on the site and give assignments on what types of movies you would like your students to make.  This could be used to animate History, Science, Math, Music or just about any subject that you want the children to work in. Watch a seven minute demo here.

The only difference I see between this and the Zimmertwin site is that the movies that the children make on Zimmertwins at School are retained inside of your classroom and can be rated and reviewed only by their peers inside of that particular classroom.  The movies are not put out for the general public to view.  Since my family consist of only two homeschoolers I am going to try it and add some of their homeschooling and non-homeschooling friends and see how successful they are and how much participation I get. After I have reviewed it for the free trial period, I will write a new post giving an update.

An ideal scenerio would be to get kids from your homeschooling group or coop, if you belong to one, and take advantage of setting up a full classroom. You can give “assignments” and the kids can work on them from their own homes with the login that you give them. I love that the Zimmertwin team is trying to get into the education system since I’m all about having fun and learning while we’re doing it.  I love things that bring the learning part in through the back door and the Zimmertwins do just that!  After the free trial the cost is only $89 per year!  That is a real bargain when you’re talking about motivating kids to learn spelling, writing, reading and every other subject imaginable.

I hope this review has inspired you to give Zimmertwins a try. I do not receive any free services or compensation from Zimmertwins.  This is truly a program I believe in solely because I have seen such improvement and motivation from my own kids. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

P.S.  I did an interview with Zimmertwins after writing this post.  Here’s the link to that:  http://www.michelleconaway.net/2012/04/the-zimmertwins-an-interview/ 

 

I was recently honored with a request to be interviewed by Zimmertwinsatschool.com. My kids have used the regular Zimmertwins.com website for a couple of years now and I have seen major improvements in their spelling,writing skills and creativity.  For more information on Zimmertwins.com, read my post here.

We recently began using the Zimmer Twins at School website, in addition to the regular Zimmer Twins site.  What a great product for homeschooling families or homeschool co-ops!  I will be reviewing it soon on this website but in the meantime, I wanted to share a link to the interview I did for them.  You can find it here.

Thanks to the folks at Zimmer Twins for creating tools that make homeschooling so much easier for me and fun for the kids!  Who says learning has to be hard?  Here is the full interview from their page:

ZIMMERTWINS an Interview:

Michelle Conaway is a home-school parent. She has been using The Zimmer Twins to help her kids learn a wide variety of topics. When we launched the educational site I wanted to learn how the Zimmer Twins at School helps homeschool families, and talking to Michelle was at the top of my list.

Just as I expected her thoughtful answers make a fascinating read for parents and educators.

You are a homeschool teacher. When did that start and why?

I like to think of myself as a learning facilitator rather than a homeschool teacher. I certainly don’t “know” everything there is to know, but I do have a love for life and everything in it. My family approaches life with a sense of wonder about the world.

I started homeschooling in 2008 for many reasons, the first being that I love being with my kids. We have fun together and I truly feel that we learn best when we are having fun and following our interests. There is much to learn about our world and there is no way we will ever learn it all.

When we follow the things that excite us, those things stay with us. We learn to problem solve and become critical thinkers. Rote learning has it’s place, however, our desire to keep our creative inquisition alive and well is what really matters.

Our interest in life itself is what provides the motivation to learn what we need to learn to get where we want to go. This is what I desire not only for my children but for everyone. Homeschooling allows me the freedom to let my kids learn in a way that best suits their learning style.

How long have you been using technology as part of your teaching? Why did you start using technology?

My husband is a technology director for a major corporation. There is no way we could NOT use technology with him in the family. My kids have been using computers since they were old enough to sit up by themselves. We started with programs for toddlers and progressed from there. We continued using it because they enjoyed it and when someone enjoys something it usually becomes a way of life and a great tool for learning many things.

Technology is the way of the world these days. I do not limit the use of technology with my kids. If they are enjoying something on the computer, they have free reign to explore it to their hearts content. The likelihood of my children needing to be thoroughly entrenched in technology is a very good possibility, as they become adults. They will need to keep up with the latest and greatest technologies in order to be employable. To limit their usage of it would be putting unnecessary obstacles in their way.

How do you think your use of the Zimmer Twins differs from a classroom teachers?

Well, for one thing, a classrooms setting must be very structured. At home, if my kids are in the creative flow of making a movie, I don’t have to stop them because it’s time for math or something else. They can stay in the creative flow as long as they want to.

Another thing is that I have the freedom to use Zimmer Twins however I wish. A classroom teacher, I assume, is confined to the objectives in his/her curriculum. I usually just allow my kids to be creative and make movies about what they are interested in at the moment. They’ve made movies about religions, the universe, a bad day they’ve experienced, holidays, math facts, art and a myriad of other subjects. Sharing their movies with family and peers builds confidence.

I have also found that when I watch their movies with them, a dialogue opens up on all the subjects they are making movies about. I have the freedom to converse with them about those subjects and ask questions. This seems to fuel their curiosity more and gets them delving deeper into the subject matter. A classroom teacher does not have the time or the freedom to allow kids to incorporate so much in the short time allotted in computer labs.

In our home, Zimmer Twins serves as a learning tool in many areas such as journaling, outputting information, spelling practice, writing practice and the creative process itself. My kids have surprised me, through their movie making, with what they already know. Zimmer Twins helps me build on what they already know.

What kinds of challenges do you face as a homeschool teacher? How has technology like The Zimmer Twins helped you address those challenges?

There are many challenges as a homeschooler. The biggest challenge for me has been to learn HOW my kids learn best.

My oldest son learns best by doing and exploring on his own. Rote learning is not his thing. For example, before Zimmer Twins, he was a horrible speller and was in tears when I would have him sit and write spelling words over and over. He also disliked writing stories. I got him on Zimmer Twins only because he was interested in animation. I had no idea there were other great learning tools available through this medium.

After a while, he started asking me how to spell words. His peers on Zimmer Twins were letting him know when his spelling was incorrect and out of that immerged the motivation to learn to spell well. Now he has an online dictionary/thesaurus and has built not only spelling skills but vocabulary skills as well. He is a very enthusiastic speller and writer now. His spelling and writing skills have spilled out into everything he works on.

By allowing him to explore animation through the Zimmer Twins, he has gained skills that I had difficulty teaching him. I love that technology can be used in this way. I have come to trust that technology is a beautiful medium for kids who might otherwise have been labeled learning challenged. Technology has allowed me to let my child learn in the way that he learns best.

What recommendations would you make to other parents interested in integrating technology and homeschooling their children?

I would recommend that all parents have an open mind and trust your children to learn in the way that best suits them. All children want to learn. It is our job as parents to find the avenue that works best for each child.

I often hear parents say that they limit the amount of time their child is allowed on the computer. I think this is such a big mistake. Technology is the way of the future.

In all likelihood, our children will be working on a computer for most of their lives. Limiting the use of technology only makes them want to use it more. I don’t limit computer usage in our house and my boys still go outside and play a lot. They both love to read. They don’t spend ALL of their time on the computer, but they do know that it is available any time they choose to utilize it.

Allow your kids to explore what interest them. My kids love things like Zimmer Twins. If I had not allowed my son to spend time on Zimmer Twins, he would not be the speller and writer that he is now. If I had cast animation off as a frivolous pastime, I would have missed so many opportunities to have great conversations about the world with my kids. I would have stunted their curiosity, trying to move on to more “important” things like writing spelling words over and over.

Start with what your kids are interested in. Ask them questions about what they think. Get their minds stimulated and you will have a lifetime lover of learning on your hands. The love of learning will carry them to all the places they want to go.

If you’d like to be featured as an educator interview please send an email to info (@) zimmertwins.com, include your username and a brief description of the lesson you would like to discuss.