Two of the most important non-teaching aspects of homeschooling are planning and record-keeping. A well-thought-out plan can make acquiring materials and teaching them much easier and more efficient. After completion, the years and studied subjects slip by much too rapidly and before a parent knows it – it is time for high school or college admissions and time to create the often-dreaded t-r-a-n-s-c-r-i-p-t, which is a pretty scary endeavor for the ill-prepared. The creators of Our Learning Folio have created a web-based software program to help parents plan their instructional journey and begin preparing for the Day of the Transcript from Day One.
Prior to creating Our Learning Folio (OLF), the team had developed two other software programs, Project Foundry and Senior Project Tracker. But homeschooling friends of theirs asked them to develop a similar tool, but more homeschool friendly. The design team met with many, many homeschooling parents from varied backgrounds and all over the U.S. to gain feedback about what these potential everyday users wanted in suc a tracking system. The program would not be one to direct what was taught, but would stay focused on helping families to manage, organize and present the child’s accomplishments and work in any homeschooling philosophy or practice, whether Charlotte Mason or unschoolers.
With Our Learning Folio, the family can create a showcase portfolio, weaving the child’s interests and accomplishments into an overview for admissions people to examine. This provides a clear and complete view of the prospective student as a person as well as a scholar. Most colleges and universities seek students who have depth of personality and life experience, as well as academic prowess and OLF allows parents to show their child in his/her best light. This makes OLF’s portfolio deeper than a mere transcript template.
OLF also offers parents a useful planning tool for field trips, activities, support group meetings, you name it. For example, a homeschooling group in the San Jose, California area that gets together to perform historical re-enactments could use OLF to create and maintain a shared group calendar to manage these activities. By using OLF in this way, the programs creators hope it will aid families in developing communities and networks to enhance their homeschooling lives.
Our Learning Folio also provides a Summary Report and the regular act of tracking helps to complete the Report. Therefore, five years in the future, the student can assemble a grand summary of his/her experiences. The creators state that a parent doesn’t have to use the tool every day, but as people use it and have children in the upper grades, the children will get involved in their own tracking and planning. The designers of OLF feel that education is preparing people to be self-directed, independent citizens and this hands-on application provides such independence. OLF is also very affordable and payments are flexible. Please visit the website, www.ourlearningfolio.com for complete information. MjL
