Friday, February 22, 2013

What is that mommy?

Gone with old and on with the new, some things my children will never use.
A rotary phone... on a cord?!  Records, a boombox? A typewriter and white-out? An encyclopedia?
Image from Wikipedia
Recently I read an article in Parents magazine and listened to a discussion on the radio about things/skills that our child(ren) will never have a use for.
Learning cursive.
I personally enjoyed practicing cursive in our workbooks back in elementary school.  I'm hoping my kids will still learn this skill. With emails and texts as ways to communicate, it's still nice to get a handwritten note.  I admire those who still write in cursive. Beautiful penmanship is like art.

How to tell time, analog vs digital.
I'm still teaching my kids to tell time with an analog clock. They get a better grasp of time by seeing the hands on the clock. They still use the clock I made for our road trip to Virginia.

Dewey decimal system.
Remember when you had to write a report you'd go to the library, flip through the card catalog and search for the books on the shelves. Now you just Google it, but of course you also have to check if the source online is reliable. However, the library is still a great place to go!

Reading maps.
In school we would have to learn how to read a map and write directions for how to get Jane to her grandmother's house. Now you just punch in the address and your GPS will tell you. Tho I must admit, I still look up the directions on a map and make sure the GPS is giving me the "right directions" before we go anywhere unfamiliar.

A new way to do math. 
Really? To me it seems like more work.
You be the judge... solve this 535-284.
New method: 535-200=335
335-80=255
255-4=251

It never ceases to amaze me how tech savvy kids are these days. Having my 4 year old teach me how to clear an Angry Bird stage or watching my 2 year old use the laptop with ease... swipe swipe, click. I sometimes wonder if I would have been able to use these tools with such ease at that age.

Last week I registered H for Kindergarten. Now I ask myself what will I need to learn just to be able to keep up and help her with her homework.
Do you have school age kids? What new things are they teaching in schools?

Eva

8 comments:

  1. I think I'll teach J how to read time on an analog clock too. All the best watches are analog ;).
    I don't think *I* know how to use the Dewey decimal system ;). Also, public libraries are huge these days, books all organized into genres like "teen" and "pre teen", it's hard for me to find anything. It's easier to just ask a librarian!
    As kids do more research online, I hope they are also taught how to cite them. Remember when bibliographies were big deals, and had to be formatted AMA style or whatever?
    That new math method is prolly good when no paper is around, but I'd prefer the "old school" method of "carrying" the 1.
    I'm surprised there are computers in 2yo classrooms. They don't spend more than a few minutes every few weeks on them, but it still amazes me. Can't wait to hear what *we* have to look forward to in Kindergarten with J! Will be interested in hearing it from you first.

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    1. I'm very familiar with the Dewey decimal system since I worked in the library in high school and college.
      Yes I remember those bibliographies and how it had to be in a specific format.
      I'll keep you posted once Kindergarten starts, tho I'm sure if they have "homework" it should be a piece of cake, hehe.

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  2. Besides the Dewey Decimal System, I still think kids should learn all of the above. It makes me so sad that they are no longer teaching cursive. What about when they sign their name on a check? People still use checks right? Ha ha! I know I do for certain things. What really surprises me is how different the school system is in each state. In Florida, you can send your child to preschool for free and Kindergarten is a full day (for free). We recently moved to Colorado and you have to pay to go to preschool and kindergarten. And you have a choice of full day or half day Kindergarten. This is all so weird to me, especially being a former teacher.

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    1. I know I was sad too when I heard about doing away with cursive. People would be able to forge signatures a lot easier. Hmmm maybe we'll be "writing" checks on our smart phones and use fingerprint scans as our signatures.
      Yes it surprised me too about the school systems. We have to pay for preschool but since H will be going to a public school Kindergarten is "free" but we only have half days in our county.

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  3. Really, that's the new way to do math? As a former math geek, I'm sort of in love! I mean, seriously, do you understand how many people hand me the bill and expect me to figure out a new total after tip? Knowing this little trick might mean I can actually do it in my head without having to pull out the calculator on my phone!

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    1. Haha I'm glad you like this :) It's definitely easier to do the math in your head.

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  4. Wait, there's a new way to do math? Why? That does seem like so much more work! And I personally enjoy cursive, it's so much faster when you have to take notes! :)

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

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  5. Yes I agree with you Yi-chia. :)
    This reform math is suppose to give kids a better understanding of the underlying concept.

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