Do you have children itching to join the online world of social networking? Maybe a good first step would be to consider who they’re networking with. Today on Home School Heartbeat, host Mike Farris and his guest discuss providing safe venues for your student in the online world.
Mike Farris:
My guest today is Jeremiah Lorrig. Jeremiah works for HSLDA’s Federal Relations Department in Washington, D.C., and he loves teaching homeschool students about government through the Generation Joshua program. Jeremiah, welcome to the program!
Jeremiah Lorrig:
Thanks for having me today!
Mike:
This week, we’ve talked about how students can stay safe online, and that’s of first importance. But there are a lot of great uses for social networking, as well. Would you talk about how a safe venue can be a good place for students to learn to express their convictions and ideas?
Jeremiah:
Well, part of my job involves interacting through our web discussion forums with 13- through 19-year-old homeschool students who are part of HSLDA’s Generation Joshua. These forums, carefully monitored by Generation Joshua staff, are a place for children to learn to think through why they believe what they believe, and how to articulate it clearly.
When many kids first join our forums, they are still in the stage where they make blanket statements without backing up their ideas with reasons or facts. What is amazing to me is that older students come along and mentor them, iron sharpening iron, until newer students begin to reason through and persuasively communicate their values and ideas.
Mike:
Jeremiah, thanks so much. That’s a great example of how to use the internet for a positive purpose. I’m Mike Farris.
