Kids Love to Learn with Mom and the Net

I remember Ms. Fahlman, my daughter's former Senior Kinder teacher in Canadian International School . She said that online or educational computer games are effective for drills, practice or integration. But the key is to first teach them the concepts in class. Otherwise the CD program's learning aspect is lost on the child. So since then, I would lead my kids to do these edugames usually after they review their subject facts.

I'm writing this with my 6- and 7-year old daughters by my side. It's amazing how interested they are in doing their assignments when they know I'll be giving them Internet review games for their exams. My youngest stumbled upon the teacher tools on Learning Planet. And my eldest created her own crossword puzzle for her long test in Religion, with the click of the mouse!

Learning Planet's Spacey Math for Grade 1 and 2 was fun! The space fighter game builds mastery as they get to practice random multiplication math facts 'til table of 12. Mrs. McGowan's website has a drag-and-drop compound word drill that's under time pressure. Try Kidport's multiple choice test for other language arts skills.

Try out these other sites: Science by Edugreen; a gold mine of teaching resources at Internet for Classrooms; and Kids on the Net for creative writing. Even ordinary sites like Weather.com can be used for fun learning! The resources are endless. So what great sites would you like to share?

Mom the Minipreneur

I checked out my fave PinoyTech Blog. I came across Miguel Paraz's article on Minipreneurs. The article shows how we get both freedom and control when we make a business out of doing what we love. Rapidly turn your hobby into a profit-making global venture, thanks to the free and accessible info technologies. The Net may seem to be common. But in the Philippines, using SMS to forward sales pitches has been a common practice to sell wares too.

How many of us have said we want to do something with our creative talents? The banana chip seller, the neighbor selling those Hong Kong bags, jewelry sideliners, and even those offering unique giftwrapping services like my friend Pia P. are potentially Generation C material once they take advantage of the market reach of selling over the Internet.

I'm no E-bay trader (yet), but I am definitely the quintessential bricks-and-mortar trader w/ some tech knowledge up my hem. I know the satisfaction of buying online--I've bought books, seminars, movie tickets and online courses through the Internet. I've saved time and money--for who ever said that when one shops for the item, you don't end up paying for other things like your meals or impulse purchase items you see on the way to the main shop?!? On the other end, when I lived in Singapore for almost four years I would sell export-quality Christmas linens, Filipino paintings, and items I personally picked out during my vacations to Manila. My marketing tool? A nicely designed e-newsletter and my database of friends and acquaintances. At that time I did it just for extra lunch money with the girls. But now. . .

If you have the desire to do what you love, a belief that you have a unique product or service to offer to the world, and some daring-do to experiment with the vast number of common collaboration and communication tools such as e-mail or SMS, you may be on your way to becoming a minipreneur. Moms are natural entrepreneurs--providing for the kids million-and-one needs as well as saving for a rainy day have always been prime motivators to earn a little cash.

Spotlight the Pinoy stay-at-home Moms (SAHM). Wherever she is in the world, you find her in some little business. Think of their tiny 'sideline' businesses of dried fish, generic powdered soap, yummy choco cakes, web designing, CD trading, Christmas gift items--the list is endless! With a little help from the Internet and some experimentation with her PC, the Mompreneur can expand her sales to markets beyond the referral network of her immediate neighbors. Trendwatching.com spots the explosive growth of Minipreneurs . And they've got the stats to prove it's on it's way to making you--and me--earn a tidy sum out of our little PCs.

Is it time to get a dose of the Tablet PC?

I've been a diehard user of the Palm for the past eight years. I've had 4 Palms, from the IIIc to my current Tungsten T2. It was great for research, even nicer now for storing JPEG photos coming from my handphone.

However, it has been a challenge to keep my patience when my Graffiti writing system can't tell a 't' stroke from the 'h' stroke after 4 tries--and no, it isn't the protective film barrier messing up the system. I've resorted to writing in longhand on the Writing Pad apps, just to speed things up. Very embarrasing when someone says you can copy their longhand notes from their trusty paper pad, while you struggle to complete the spelling of a single word on the silver screen.

With this irritation, I've been using Palmy (as I call my Tungsten) less for notes and more for taking down my schedule. But with the demands of realty work, I've started thinking of alternative gadgets. Like the Tablet PC. Agazzeri's Blog gives 10 sharp reasons why:

1. Use Microsoft's most advance Operating System (Windows XP Tablet PC)
2. Extend the way you work with your PC
3. Work from anywhere with the most Mobile PC ever.
4. Take your notes electronically
5. Collaborate easily and effectively (but this is true of any mobile gadget equipped with Wi-fi, I'd say)
6. Personalize your experience.
7. Extend your applications with digital ink handwriting.
8. Deploy and manage easily.
9. Provide a global business solution.
10. Get high levels of protection for critical data.

I guess this is an over-specification if you just need to file the recipe cards, grocery list, or the kid's practice sheets. But it becomes a rapid way to organize profit-generating data when you can convert your scribbles ASAP into the system, and electronically organize the different data into an integrated information system.

Of course, the set-back is the price: Php 90,000 to 120,000 for such a device makes me think I have to sell millions to justify this purchase! Other than that, the Tablet PC isn't such a bitter pill to swallow, is it?

What do you use to organize your home and business information systems?

Learning Fun

Last week the kids had their 3rd quarter exams. And with the load of assignments and quizzes, it was no wonder that they found reviewing such a pain.

Between typing out the client proposals and answering e-mail, I zipped through the Magic Net to give me a wealth of free learning aids. A search with Yahooligans led me to an interactive crossword puzzle on homographs on Quia.com. The kids had a ball differentiating it from homophones. And the lesson stuck--much better than just using the plain reviewer.

On the computer-aided instruction (CAI) end, the kids used their Number Works interactive CD for math games. My eldest daughter loves Math, my youngest finds it a bore. At the Number Works tutorial center in Alabang, kids get both tutor and computer interventions. The tutor explains concepts, asks the kids to practice first with the paper drill, and makes the kids do problem-solving quizzes in the form of engaging games for integration of their learning. My daughters have been taking the Number Works tutorials once a week for the past 4 months. It's not cheap (Php 6,000/ child/ 12 lessons). But seeing their much better grades and overcoming the fear of Math are priceless and wortwhile returns on this investment!

Check out these other sites next time you need to make learning fun: Kids on the Net for a a drag-and-drop game on learning similes; Learning Planet for groovy cartoon-type games for Grades 1-3. The Mr. E's Matching Game helps improve concentration. They have free games as well as paid subscriptions for more variety of materials, similar to Quia's site. The Primary Resources pages offer a rich source of language learning materials.

Do you have a site to share? What are your kids' favourite learning websites? They must be great alternatives to these increasingly violent network gaming portals!

Domestic Diva Lessons

Wow, has it ONLY been about 5 weeks without a maid?!? Felt like 2 months. In that time I have graduated from senorita to Domestic Diva.

But now I am saved from increasingly dehydrated skin, bad nails and a front yard badly in need of sweeping when my hoped-for maid finally arrived. A dark, 38-year old mother from Butuan City . She is a dream of a helper, and came fresh off the boat. A few hours with her, and I found out that she is conservative, very subservient, cleans your whole house in less than 4 hours, cooks well, serve buffet or sit-down style for parties, and is a promising governess to my 2 daughters. She looks at you straight in the eye when talking.

I now have time to blog again. I missed reading and writing here. But here are some lessons from being a Domestic Diva:

1. Be patient and discuss your expectations with them kindly, but firmly.
2. Think that if they can do the job better, they wouldn't be maids and might have your job.
3. Understand that if they fail to close the doors at all times, it maybe because they didn't have a door to close at their home in the barrio.
4. Give them a schedule. But demonstrate the task, don't just tell them how it's done.
5. Make time for yourself, the kids, and your marriage . You tend to forget this when you're focused on keeping your house in order.
6. Trust them to do the work, but don't put temptation in their way.

Maidless in Manila

Taking a breather. I've been without a maid for the past 10 days.

The irony of it is that you let them go because they were inefficient or really lazy.

Then you realize 15 lbs, 4 eyebags and 7 wrinkles later that better to have another pair of hands than to make a go of it on your own.

I've wondered if it's unusual to be maidless in Manila, where it's a status symbol to have a cordon of maids in white following your every move, carrying your every trinket.

I've sort of gotten used to NOT having them around. Not even in school to carry the kids' bags. I feel they don't move fast enough.

NOw, is that pride talking.

But due to my tiredness I've hardly the energy to access my e-mail, even via my wifi laptop. Takes too long. Haven't even paid attention to my old pal, Tungsten T2.

So nature took it's course for my gadget: he died on me from lack of energy and attention as well. And since I didn't charge it for just 3 days, it suddenly became amnesiac when I ressurected it--all my data was gone. Didn't sync it for the past 2 months--yes, that long. Guilty as charged.

Lesson: make sure you sync all the time. But I digress. . .

If there's any good thing that about having no maids, it's that your kids appreciate you more because they feel you pay more attention to what they need. In every aspect.

Yup, the bright side of being maidless. . . I'm rationalizing, right? I still see the dark circles round my eyes, and my frame is thinner, though not necessarily sexier. However, at least I can get into that slim evening gown that I've had for the past 2 years but never wore.

Mother's Pride and Joy

Attended the Woodrose School PQF (Parent's Quarterly Forum) for my grade 2 daughter. Our class, 2-c, had the largest number of attendees. Interesting that we had to move to the function room and do our class profile briefing behind closed doors, while the two other sections conducted theirs in the auditorium. Just found out that our class was the most 'active'--can't seem to keep them seated or quiet. The other is that the teachers agreed among themselves that our class also was the most intelligent!

I could see the moms and dads puffing their chests with pride. Including me. Ms. F, our Grade 2-C homeroom teacher, said that the girls were quick to get the lessons. Of course, I'd like to use the tests and quizzes as the standard barometer, cause perception was arguable. Figures were more reliable.

At least, I can say that since my girl has been getting perfect scores in a number of her exams. And while doing so, she maintains a growing set of friends. I love the way she balances the life of the mind with the real world.

I think my daughter will definitely make it out there.

An Angel on my Palm

I'm a Catholic Mom. I remember keeping track of the daily Mass readings for my journal reflections by subscribing to Mobile Gabriel from AvantGo .

It's named after the Archangel Gabriel, who announced to Mary the birth of Christ, and is the Patron of Communications.

Mobile Gabriel works on both Pocket PC or Palm OS platforms. Great for those using the multimedia phones that are so handy nowadys. It's a convenient way for getting your daily dose of God's Word.

I realize we want to be always connected to our work and to other people, hence the advent of the multimedia phones. E-mail, spreadsheets, photos--they're all in one device. So thru this, why not allow Mobile Gabriel to remind us daily about the best source of Inspiration for our faith, family and work lives?

That's what guardian angels are for.

Thanks to ICTs, The MTT (MulTi-Tasking) Mom Becomes Ubiquitous

This is surreal: I'm finishing my first post in the hospital as I watch over my 7-year-old daughter. She has been confined in the Asian Hospital for dengue fever symptoms, which turned out to be pneumonitis.

While attending to her for the past 3 days, I've brought my little HP laptop to keep me from worrying about her platelet count results and her cough. I brought no yaya as I feel no maid can ably take care of any child of mine who's sick.

From the time I taught my kids their ABCs, I quickly learned how to use mobile ICTs ( information and communication technologies ) to be the MTT Mom I expect myself to be.

What gives me conviction to do 'Mom on Mobile' is to share the real fruits of using today's ubiquitous technologies: letting us manage our multiple roles and tasks, 24 x 7x 365, to give us more time to enjoy the best role a woman could have: to be a mother and be with our kids, face-to-face, spending quality time during the most important and critical phases of their lives.

I am a real estate broker. I resumed life in Manila since June this year, after a 3.5 year stint in Singapore as trailing spouse. I'm finishing my dissertation for my online Masters in E-learning at Sheffield University and am setting up my realty marketing and development corporation. My laptop is my business-in-a-box--my research and business files are all here.

While watching the nurses administer antibiotic in the IV line, I send out my e-mails using the hospital room's phone line and type out the e-newsletters for sending out when we get back home. When my baby says, 'Mommy', I close my notebook and leave it all behind. No office work should ever interfere with mothering.

Bless the gadgets you can carry in your bag or in your car. I take photos w/ my old Nokia phone, beam it to either my Tungsten T2 or my computer. Others take out their wallets when showing the family pics; I prefer to take out 'Palmy', as I affectionately call my handheld organizer.

When I need to transfer files from one computer to another, either I beam it via the IR port, or use a Flash drive shaped like a vitamin to store a cabinet's worth of printouts in the other PC. And yes--I beam virtual business cards via my Palm or my mobile phone. It saves me when i run out of social or business cards.

While my daughter recovers from her virus, I access the internet to look at Yahooligans.com for her science report. I record a voice greeting from her and send the .wav file via e-mail to her best friend, Carren, who is in Singapore. Then as she wakes up, I play the DVD of "Sharkboy and Lava Girl", then out with the PC games. Then, when she's asleep, I fax out property proposals, download my realty updates and files from Ayala Land's broker's portal, then chat wth my friend in Singapore--all while I wait til my daughter needs me again.

When I lose my dial-up connection, I just go to a cafe with WIFI, then presto: instant broadband. I could have had a Voice over IP (VoIP) call w/ my Pinoy friend in Switzerland on the computer while sipping my favourite latte. But, hey, the power to work anytime, anywhere has to be balanced with the knowing your priorities when you gain access to the Net.

And for now, I can say. . .it's not excessive to be typing out your recipes, organizing your market list, or doing your home inventory on your computer, Palm or mobile phone. Then share how to do it on a blog with Moms and Dads around the world. Technology allows us to share what we know, and transform someone else's life with a nugget of shared experience.

My daughter's waking up now. She's ready to do her homework on 'HP', as she fondly calls my laptop.