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Woodland Mist Academy

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Everything posted by Woodland Mist Academy

  1. It could be argued that texts and emails are not exempt from the conversation. Emails, for example, have been scanned (and probably still are) for various reasons, including ad personalization (although that supposedly stopped). http://fortune.com/2017/03/16/google-email-scanning/
  2. Fair enough, but did I miss her suggestions? You mention less usage, different usage, ad blockers, etc. Did she? Are those enough?
  3. And there's the rub, right? Where is the line? What truly matters and what truly makes a difference? What's just over-the-top paranoia? Although...just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you. ;)
  4. I think the reason the talk seemed to lack a takeaway for me was that I was already aware of the general concepts of social media emotional manipulation. No Facebook/Twitter here, but thinking about it further, the talk was a good reminder to cut back on everything but the essentials on homeschool sites. (Even if there are no ads.) I was hopeful of some concrete ideas I haven't heard of before (like how to stay connected and up-to-date without any social media --including sites like this one) until she mentioned being on Facebook et al herself. Either it's a serious problem, or it's not. I'm aware that for some people not being on social media affects their livelihood. That may well be the case for her. Still, she mentions keeping in touch with friends and family via Facebook. Apparently her concern is not enough to find other ways to stay in touch. I'll try to watch the video later. Thanks. Love the quote. Former Facebook exec: "I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. You are being programmed"
  5. Did I miss a crucial point, or was the talk's takeaway just that we need to do something? Did I miss realistic, concrete steps to take for change? Are whatever steps we think of ourselves just making us feel better, but not really changing anything? (In other words, is the information still being gathered? I've known situations where people jumped all sorts of hoops to protect privacy, but didn't know about one tiny little thing, so all their effort was entirely pointless.)
  6. I think some of the students that spent 15-20 hours per week on WTMA bio were on the younger side (middle school age). I don't remember how long my teen spent on it, but it was definitely not that long. It really depends on the student, though.
  7. It's especially frustrating when the scores should be available today. Maybe they release different states at different times? Thanks for your insights. My teen has the ACT score she needs and doesn't plan to take it again. I'm almost afraid to jinx things by having her take the SAT and possibly need to retake it if she has a bad test day for whatever reason. I truly will be happy either way with her PSAT scores. Thanks again, snowbeltmom!
  8. :grouphug: No scores yet, but this is sort of where we are too. The schools my teen is interested in don't offer any $$ for NMF, and I'm not sure how much it matters for admissions at those schools. As we wait for scores, I'm trying to frame it as a win-win scenario. If she makes the cut-off? Great! It might prove useful in some way. We'll proceed down that path... If she doesn't? Great! No need to worry about taking the SAT and doing whatever else is necessary to proceed. Time to focus on other scholarship opportunities and other ways to make sure the college applications are solid. Also, no need to wait months and months for the looong NMF process and results. It helps that there were friends that did and didn't make the cut-off last year. They all found suitable, affordable paths and are happy. RootAnn is right -- scores don't define our kids. Nor do scores have complete control over the future. Some influence, yes, but the future is still wide open with many, many wonderful paths.
  9. You're welcome! It sounds like it was a great class. Hopefully WTMA will offer something similar in the fall. (Although that won't help those panning to take it next semester. I hope everyone finds a suitable replacement!)
  10. From Steve Otto in the spring registration announcement email: Please note: We will no longer be offering Jocelyn Swanson's Socratic Discussion classes. Ms. Swanson is pursuing some exciting opportunities in the education world, and we wish her luck!
  11. Still in a holding pattern here. Waiting for summer to do the (hopefully) final E/E. It's a toss up whether she'll submit for silver (which she already has all the hours for, just waiting on E/E) or gold (not all the hours in all categories yet, but maybe by summer). The E/E will be long enough for gold, so she should be OK either way with that. Mirabillis, congrats to your ds on the bronze!
  12. Wonderful news! Congrats! Did notification take more than 6-8 weeks? For some reason that's the number I have in my mind, but I'm not sure why.
  13. Love the expansion! Although it further decreases my ability to find excuses not to do the mission... <_< ;)
  14. I think what might have happened is when I first tried to respond, I asked a question, but then realized it was included in the quote. I deleted everything but the question mark then got confused. Who knows... Anyway, apologies again. :)
  15. That explains my confusion. :) Don't know where the question mark came from. I must have accidentally put it there somehow. Sorry about that! I see now you were just making a statement. The winter solstice this year is Dec. 21st. The time leading up to it can be called the advent of the winter solstice or something else or nothing. ;) This might be helpful if anyone is interested and who has not heard advent used in any other context other than the days leading up to Christmas: Merriam-Webster's 3rd definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Advent 3. not capitalized : a coming into being or use the advent of spring the advent of pasteurization the advent of personal computers
  16. I'm not sure of your question. Yes, those are the dates for those events. Long before Christmas celebrations (which are relatively modern), people celebrated the winter solstice, which takes place just a few day earlier, thus the overlap of the celebrations.
  17. Another idea is a winter solstice spiral of lights using tea lights. One more is lit each day. The spiral represents many things -- including the coming hibernation of winter and looking to the quiet and stillness within. The candle lighting could be done in silent mediation or with a poem, verse, story, or song. Five minutes should allow enough time if you choose a poem, verse, or song. Longer if you choose a short story. You could also read a longer story over a period of several days or the whole season.
  18. Here is a Waldolf verse/song that can be used for candle lighting. The first light of Advent is the light of stones, The light that shines in seashells, in crystals, and in bones. The second light of Advent is the light of plants, Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance. The third light of Advent is the light of beasts, Light of hope that shines in the greatest and the least. The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind, The light of love, the light of thought, to give and understand.
  19. The changing of a holiday or tradition is nothing new. Many modern traditions are very different from their earliest occurrences. Sometimes their origins are even in a different religion or culture. For many, the purity or history of a tradition doesn't matter as much as what meaning we give to it now.
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