G is for GMod

I'm currently participating in 

an ABC's for homeschooling challenge.  

Since it falls on Tuesdays, 

I am adding a technological slant to the challenge.  

I hope you stay tuned and enjoy my entries.

GMod on Steam

GMod is a game created by Garry Newman.  It falls under the Sandbox category.  That means that there is no firm objective to the game.  Rather, it is a game that gives virtual tools and toys that one can play with.  There is no right or wrong way to play GMod.  Steam is a website that sells GMod and other games like Team Fortress 2.

Steam website

In order to use GMod, you must have one source engine game such as 

Team Fortress 2.

There are several ways that GMod can be used:


1. Physics--using scientific manipulation of how items move; use of seesaws, catapults, pulleys, and cranes;

2. Videos--using stop motion style; akin to claymation; multiple pictures taken and combined to make cartoons;

3. Games--hosting a server to have a multi-player platform for playing a customized game; for example, a game in which someone can build a floating boat;

4. Comics--posing ragdolls, meaning manipulating images of characters and objects from the source engine games, which can also be found at the Steam website.

My son even made the banner for his comic.

Comics are what my teenage son creates with GMod.  Here is the website where you can find his comic:

Adventures of the Heavy

Comic # 151

My son, Gabriel, loves The Heavy from Team Fortress 2.  Gabriel's main character in his comic is The Heavy.  The Heavy loves sandwiches, like my son.  The Heavy talks to the sandwiches.  The Heavy also gives his weapons names and talks to them.  

The Heavy thinks of himself as 

The Man, 

and he considers the other characters as 

Teeny Tiny Men.

As his mother, I'm proud of my son.  Gabriel has run with this idea of making the comic.  The comic is hilarious.  I encourage you all to visit the website for The Adventures of The Heavy.  Gabriel has a good following, which is well-deserved.

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  I hope I have provided information on how GMod can be used.  GMod can be a cool virtual toy for teens.

How about you, my readers?  Would you buy GMod and/or any other Steam game?  Would you allow your children unlimited play in a virtual sandbox?  Are you willing to let your kids develop a love for technology?  I encourage you to consider allowing your children to play GMod with a Steam game.  Using GMod can count as coursework.

I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for the Technology Tuesdays series.

For more information, you can visit Garry's Mod at Wikipedia.

Homeschool Organization 5: CDs, Videos, & Wii

This is a before picture of container for Wii.

Since I have a tiny living room, I constantly have to move things around.  I had been feeling that this dark rolling cart was too big and overpowering for the room.  I decided to go for something white and transparent.  That's why, when I received a $25 Target gift card that I won, I bought the following rolling cart.  As you can see it fits snugly beside this large television.

This is an after picture of container for Wii.

This is a closeup picture of Wii Container.

The top drawer holds remotes for Wii.

Remotes for both the Wii and Gamecube gaming systems are held in this drawer.

The next drawer holds Wii games.

This drawer is also holding Gamecube games that work in the Wii.

Last drawer holds misc. items for Wii.

The brown rolling cart did not have as many drawers.  The plastic rolling cart has been working well for us.

Wii can be rolled around.

We move the Wii between the living room, where my kids use it, and my bedroom, where hubby and I see movies on Netflix.  At this time, we cannot afford a BluRay disc player (which would allow us to see movies on Netflix) for our room.  We opted to move the Wii back and forth.  That's why I needed something with wheels to hold the Wii gaming system.  Either way, I think the plastic rolling cart was a wise investment because I can always use it for something else, if we decide to leave the Wii in the living room permanently.

Educational computer software also needs organizing.

We use two CD holders for computer software.

The above picture features how I solved the CD problem.  The holders condense the space taken up by the CDs.  The CDs often ended up in the wrong jewel case.  Many of you will sympathize with that.  Now, I wish the kids would put the CDs in the sleeves; then, I would be happy.

CD games are inside the brown holder.

My teen owns a fair amount of computer games.  Those are separate from the educational software that is pictured below.  

Educational software is in the black holder.

My youngest can take this holder to her computer.  The software for her age is at the beginning of the "pages."

File cabinet drawer holds CD cases.

Currently, the cumbersome jewel cases for the CDs are held in a drawer of a filing cabinet.  I have kept the jewel cases with instruction manuals.  I might sell the software in the future.  The software sells better if it is complete with the jewel case and manuals.  I can always use the money to buy new software.

Blue holder has Educational audio CDs.

This smaller CD holder is for us to take educational DVDs and audio CDs with us in the car.  Again, the holder reduces the space taken up.  You know that when going on a trip, you are often pressed for space.  This way, you can tuck the collection in a bag, without worrying that the CDs and DVDs will end up all over the place, possibly breaking.

Blue CD holder has some of our educational DVDs.

Well, I have shown here some ideas on how to organize different collections of educational video games, DVDs, and computer software within the homeschool environment.  Yes, the collections are in different sizes, colors, and shapes of containers.  Since I am on a limited budget, I have had to shop in my own home for the best containers. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry.

How about you, my readers?  How do you organize your video games?  How about your computer software?  Do you own music CDs?  I encourage you to evaluate if you have the right containers to hold your music and video collections.  The collections might need to be moved into different containers.

I pray that God bless you all, my dear readers, with His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays. 

E is for Educational Videos and DVDs

I'm currently participating in 

an ABC's for homeschooling challenge.  

Since it falls on Tuesdays, 

I am adding a technological slant to the challenge.  

I hope you stay tuned and enjoy my entries.

We placed educational all VHS and DVDs on this rack.

First shelf-I recently bought these videos from a friend.

Since my children are creeping into the high school years, 

I thought it would be a good idea to buy these math videos.  

These videos cover fractions, Algebra, and angles.

Second and third shelves

Closeup of 1st half of 2nd shelf-contains some phonics videos.

This shelf contains some videos for the younger ages.  

I have some Magic School Bus and Sesame Street.

Closeup of 2nd half of 2nd shelf contains Civil War videos.

You can see one video of an old show called Zoboomafoo.  

Also, there are two from Schoolhouse Rock.

Closeup of 1st half of 3rd shelf-contains videos of literature.

Here are some classic stories like Dumbo and Bambi, 

which are based on real books.

Closeup of 2nd half of 3rd shelf-contains videos of literature.

Here I have videos of Oliver Twist, Little Women, 

and Sherlock Holmes.

Closeup of 1st half of 4th shelf-contains Biblical videos.

The Ten Commandments teach about the Bible very clearly.

Closeup of 2nd half of 4th shelf-contains VeggieTales videos.

VeggieTales and LarryBoy videos teach about biblical values.

Bottom shelf contains Leap Frog and Barney videos.

Some people cannot stomach Barney, but I found out that my youngest daughter liked him.  That's why I was glad that she could learn from Barney.  Even my oldest, who is now 15 years-old learned from Barney.  On the same shelf, there are Leap Frog videos.  I especially love the one that teaches how to bring words together.

 

Well, thanks for reading this entry.  I hope I have provided some advice on how to use technology to teach various topics, like math and phonics in your homeschool.  Even if you don't homeschool, all children can benefit from viewing these types of learning tools.

How about you, my readers?  Do you teach with educational videos and DVDs?  Do you fear your children will get hooked on television-viewing?  I encourage you to consider using the videos.  My children have learned from them and yours can, too.  Also, my children are not hooked on television.

I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.

This has been an entry for the Technology Tuesdays series. 

Word World Website to Teach Reading

Word World Website teaches Reading.

A dear friend of mine in the homeschooling community told me about a wonderful website that I wanted to share with you.  You can find it at:  

http://wordworld.com/index.php

Word World is an educational website that teaches reading.  I especially like the vibrant colors and picturesque view of the world of words.  I enjoy watching the stories as the characters, which have their names written on their bodies, interact with each other.  This certainly is a great website for kindergarten age children.  It is based on a cartoon series that has appeared on Public Broadcast Station.

The following are sections within the website:

Ebooks- A child can view books like The Big Race, Totally Terrific Duck, Duck's First Sleepover, Snug as a Bug, and A Smile for Crocodile.  Each story has a synopsis, with the educational target areas in the fields of phonics, comprehension and vocabulary.

My daughter enjoyed reading The Big Race on Word World.

(My daughter viewed the Ebook, The Big Race.  It read the story, highlighting each word as it was said; she had a little bit of time to create the word.  That portion went a little too fast; however, the story was fun to watch.  This is akin to the website http://www.starfall.com/.)

Videos- A child can watch an episode or have a sneak peek; again comprehension, phonics, and vocabulary are explained on the right hand side.

Duck's Alphabet- This is a game that a child can play to learn letters and their sounds.

For Kids- This area includes the following:

--Activities Sheets-coloring sheets, activities, games

--Episode-Related Activities- list of episodes with a particular game

--Birthday Supplies- invitations, banners, thank you notes, and certificates

Parents & Teachers- This area includes the following:

--Introduction- There is a welcome page to teachers and parents.

--Educational Philosophy- There is an explanation of the use of phonics and words to teach reading based on research, with an emphasis on using the print awareness and letter recognition to aid comprehension; also emphasizes social side of the stories.

--Department of Education Funded Study- According to Education Week, about the selected children viewing the cartoon on PBS during school time-- "the gains the program viewers had made in expanding their oral vocabulary skills and in reading and recognizing words significantly outstripped those of their counterparts in regular classes [who did not watch the show during school time]."

--Parent Viewing Tips- Listed are activities parents can do while and after watching the show.

--Teacher Viewing Tips- Listed are activities teachers can do before, during, and after the show.

--Episode Descriptions- Listed are episodes with a short description of the plot for each one.

Workbook on Word World ties in with The Big Race.

Finally, I was fortunate enough to have a workbook featuring the cartoon Word World.  I found this page that ties in perfectly with the Ebook The Big Race.  

I believe the PBS cartoon, website, and workbook related to Word World are wonderful ways to show a child how to read.  The more a child is exposed to a theme that he/she enjoys, the more likely they are to learn from it.  In our case, I knew that my daughter had been watching the show.  I had bought her the workbook because of that.  Finding the website was a bonus, thanks to a fellow homeschooling mom.

Thanks for reading about our reading fun!

How about you, my readers?  How do you encourage the children in your life to read?  Do you have oodles of books in your home?  Do you let your children read from educational websites?  I encourage you to give this website, Word World, and others like it, a try.

God bless you all with His peace, my beloveds.

This has been an entry for Technology Tuesdays.  I hope you enjoyed it.