Friday, March 26, 2010

ECOT-Electric Classroom Of Tomorrow



I mentioned earlier that my boys and I do homeschool through ECOT and I have had many people ask me what that is.I live in Ohio and ECOT is a computer based home school.I have had my boys in ECOT since they started school and would not have changed it for the world.

ECOT runs similar to a public or private school as far as education.The boys have to take the same acheivement or standardized tests that any other school requires.The school  provides the students a computer and printer w headset and all normal accessories to use to access the school.They also pay the internet service which in my area is through Time Warner.

The students have a teacher and homeroom with regular classes.Each day they have an online class-similar to a focus group with a whiteboard .The teacher holds class both visually on the screen and vocally through the headphones.The students answer and ask questions,raise their hands etc. just like in "regular" school.They also get to interact with the other students and can chose to list their contact info to find students who live in their area .They even have Prom, field trips and Parent Teacher conferences in Columbus Ohio.You can chose to attend these or not,they are optional.

The students have to print assignments and scan the completed work to submit it using Microsoft Word.I love that the kids learn to use a computer(unless they are like mine and started at about age 3) and programs like Word and Power Point.

I love that they provide the basic stuff and I can add in other things I want them to know about.I also find the standards to be high as far as work required.I have 2 step children in public school and their work is not even comparable to ECOT.Example- my 2nd grade son is doing the same math work as my 4th grade step daughter.My son attended 4 weeks of first grade before I realized it was too easy for him.I contacted the school who had him tested and we decided to move him to 2nd grade instead.When he accelerated he was still the highest scoring reader even  in the 2nd grade! They said the average 2nd grade student (who is usually between 7 and 8) reads at about 46 words a minute.My son at 6 was reading at 119 words a minute average followed by his classmate.My 3rd grader reads about 145 words a minute.These are scored by how many correct words they read using different selections and topics and then averaged.

If you have ever considered homeschooling but were unsure of all the work involved or what topics they should be covering -I highly suggest looking into ECOT.


I was not paid for this post.I am only sharing information for other parents.

1 comment:

Cakeblast said...

sounds excellent - we are pre-homeschooling, but nervous about subjects we are not experts in. ECOT may offer a few anwers.