Please Don't Say Cheese - Online Photography Class {Review}

A few months back I was contacted by a blogger who was hosting a giveaway to an afternoon photography class.  Turns out the photographer offering the class decided to bless everyone who had entered and had invited us all to meet her along with our children at the beach in order to learn to take better photographs.  Boy was I excited! Until I realised that the class was in Sydney.  I anxiously scanned Web Jet for specials to Sydney I even had accommodation.  No flights ...

Sadly I contacted Robyn (the owner of Please Don't Say Cheese Photography) to let her know I was unable to join her for the class.  About two minutes later I had a letter from Robyn offering me a spot in her 8 lesson online photography workshop. To say I was excited was the understatement of the century. I had been feeling very frustrated with my photography skills and understanding of how to use my camera so this class was just what I needed.

What I received

• A 6 month membership in the 8 lesson online photography workshop.

How I used it

• I went to Please Don't Say Cheese and Signed Up.
• There is a specific members area which made finding my courses and signing in really easy to do.  This area is divided up into six specific areas.

• In the Share area you will find photographs that have been uploaded by others doing the course for you to look through and learn from.  
• Robyn's blog is full of tips and insights and challenges.
•  At present there are two video tutorials.  This area will be growing in the future as Robyn adds more video's for her students.
• In the contact Robyn area there is an online contact form.  I am impressed with how promptly all my emails and queries have answered by her.  Every time I have sent an email I have received a response in less than 24 hours.
• Under the My Courses Tab was a list of courses I was signed up for with a short description of each one.

Click to see image in full screen.

• When I click through to my specific class the top has the date that I began my course and below a beautiful image taken by Robyn there is a course status notification.  Mine is currently: In Progress (thank you Robyn) from here I can click through to my lessons.
• To the right below my name there is a quick link to My Profile, My Courses, FAQ and Log Out
• Below that a status bar showing my progress through the course
• Followed by the eight lessons.  These are locked when you begin the course.  A new class is unlocked for you one every seven days. However you only gain access to your course content upon completion of the modules preceding it.

Click to see image in full screen.

• Below this is a course content. This can be expanded or collapsed depending on your preference. 
• Each course starts with a 'Getting to Know you area' followed by the first lesson.
• Once you complete a lesson it is highlighted with a white tick in a green box.  You can see at a glance which lessons are completed.
• Each lesson is divided into topics. As you complete a module a green button appears next to the topic.
• Robyn's mantra is "Practice" A requirement of each of her classes is participation.  At the end of each module there is an assignment. Once you have submitted your photograph the next module is unlocked.

My course covered the following topics

1. Camera Basics (5 Modules)
2. Understanding Exposure (6 Modules)
3. Composition (6 Modules) 
4. Finding the Light (5 Modules)
5. Seeing Creatively (3 Modules)
6. Avoiding the Cheese (2 Modules)
7. Photo Editing (3 Modules)

One of the things I have appreciated the most about this course is that Robyn does not assume you know anything.  You are taken to the beginning and regardless of the type of camera you have (DSLR, Canon, Nikon, Instamatic) everything is explained to you in everyday terminology.  Robyn introduces you to the correct terminology explaining it to you in an easy conversational tone.

• At the end of the module there is a summary followed by a practical assignment for the work you have just learned.
• Once you have taken your camera and applied what you have just learned it's time to upload your results.
• After submitting your photograph to the online community it's time to look at what others are doing and share some comment love.
• Submitting your photographs also unlocks the next module in your lessons.
• An advantage of the online class submissions is that we can learn from one anothers photo taking and build friendships. 
• Robyn then comes along and gives you some tips on your submitted photograph.  I was a little afraid of uploading my photo's to start with. This I soon discovered was unwarranted because all feedback is always encouraging and positive. Robyn gives excellent practical advice to help me grow and improve in my skills as a photographer.

Here is a sample of a photograph I uploaded for lesson 1: topic 3: focus Activity 1

Robyn's feed back on my submission

Regardless of your photographic ability there is something for you in this course. I highly recommend signing up and participating. Whether you're wanting to improve your portraiture, travel or product photography this is an excellent class to participate in.

Cost** of the Workshops

• 8 module online photography workshop - (a total of 30 modules and 6 months membership) AU $167.00
• VIP membership to Please Don’t Say Cheese [Learn] - Lifetime Membership AU $392.00.
• (short course) Camera basics (for beginners) 
• (short course) Understanding exposure (for intermediate photographers) 
• (short course) Photo editing magic (beginners and intermediate) 

**All prices are correct at time of review.  It is your responsibility to check the price before purchasing any item.  Price changes are subject to change without notice.

Introductory special (3 days only) 50 % discount on Short Courses

• (short course) Camera basics (for beginners) AU $27
• (short course) Understanding exposure (for intermediate photographers) AU $27
• (short course) Photo editing magic (beginners and intermediate) AU $27

Get 10 FREE tips for taking stunning photos of your children

Connect with Robyn 



Robyn also does child and family portrait sessions.

Final thoughts
Before I started this 8 module online photography workshop I was feeling incredibly frustrated with my photography.  This class is helping me to expand both my general and practical knowledge of photography.  I have loved the classes I have completed and look forward to learning many more things.  

My favourite piece of wisdom from the course so far is from Robyn:

"Practice, Practice, Practice:
the three things 

that will make you 

a better photographer!"

Blessings
Chareen

Experience History Through Music {Review}

A few years ago I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Diana Waring and her amazing family over in New Zealand.  In fact the whole family blessed our home education community with a weekend long home education conference. Diana, Bill and their children shared insights to get Beyond Survival in our homeschooling experiences. It was the very first home school conference I ever attended.  Over the years I have been encouraged and inspired by Diana and Bill and was really excited to hear that Experiencing History Through Music was coming back into publication!

The Experiencing History Through Music series was the first curriculum series that Diana produced back in the early 90's.  The series was born out of her convention workshops in 1989. Sometime in the mid 90's this curriculum went out of publication due to a series of unfortunate events and seemed to have been lost for good.  Unbeknown to Diana the Lord had been working to bring about restoration and making a way for it to be restored. You can read the full story of how it all came together over at Diana's blog.

The time has now come and all THREE books have been updated been reprinted.  All three CD's have been digitally remastered and are now available for purchase!  I have had the privileged to be a part of a group of wonderful home school families that have been using the books and CD's over the last month. 

What we received

• Experience History Through Music contains 3 book/CD sets. As the name of this series implies, these book and CD sets allow you to Experience History Through Music. 
• Each title contains one book and one CD. The pages of the books hold dozens of historical pictures; bright and interesting stories connecting each of the songs to its moment in history, even sheet music and chord charts! 
• The CDs are rousing , professional recordings that draw in all listeners. The two combine for fond memories and a grand, knee-slapping good time.

How we used it

Recently Sir N and I have been thoroughly enjoying The Little House book series via audio book from our local library.  It's been so much fun to listen to the families adventures and learn about all the amazing skills that Pa and Ma had.  Wow they did some amazing things on their ten year pioneering move across the USA.  The particular audio books we are listening to have had someone play the fiddle at each part of the book that describes Pa playing his fiddle.

When our books arrived we decided to work our way through Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Oh my we have had such a wonderful time exploring.

Details 

• The book is a softcover.
• 56 pages
• Written and Edited by William Anderson
• Photographs by Leslie A. Kelly
• ISBN 978-1-930514-49-2
• Covers 13 songs (see a list here)
• Back ground stories to each song along with photograph
• Sheet music for each song

Contributors

• William Anderson
• Leslie A.Kelly
• Diana Waring
• Craig Russell
• John Standefer
• Tad Suckling

The CD comes in a plastic sleeve which is glued into the back of the cover of the book. This is a good thing so that the CD and book stay together and there is no risk of me misplacing them!  The beautiful music on the CD has been digitally remastered and is excellent quality.  You can here the words clearly on each song.  We took this CD in the car to listen to while running errands and listened to it at home while doing chores or just simply visiting with friends.  Sir N's favourite track is track number one: Wait for the Wagon. He has enjoyed the music so much he has asked me to add it to his iPod shuffle.

We took some time each week to look up the back story for each piece of music.  Here is a sample from Wait for the Wagon.  Each back story is approximately five minutes of reading and gives you some interesting information on the topic at hand.  The photographs enrich all the stories and take you on a journey to the time of Laura and her family.  There are photographs of paintings, historical buildings, homesteads, historical photographs and family photographs. It's been good to see the actual people from the books and samples of the things spoken about in the books.

All three books from the series follow the same format as Musical Memories of Laura Ingals Wilder.  One of the neat things about the back stories is being able to answer Sir N's questions about the songs.  Instead of saying I don't know I now say lets look it up!

Cost

• America  $18.99
• Westward Ho! $18.99
• Musical Memories of Laura Ingals Wilder $18.99

Deal alert!

Buy all three titles 
for $50!

Hurry…this deal ends July 31.

About the Author

Diana Waring is the author of Beyond Survival, Reaping the Harvest and Diana Waring’s History Revealed world history curriculum.

She discovered years ago that “the key to education is relationship.” Beginning in the early ’80s, Diana homeschooled her children through high-school—the real life opportunities to learn how kids learn. Mentored by educators whose focus was honoring Him who created all learners, and with an international background (born in Germany, university degree in French, lifelong student of world history),

Diana cares about how people learn as well as what they learn. Audiences on four continents have enthusiastically received her energetic speaking style.

For those of you who would like to know more about Diana you can read a full author interview over at Crystal Starr and Ben and Me. 

Connect with Diana



What we thought
We are thoroughly enjoying our Experience of History Through Music! We have grown a love for and appreciation for life in days gone by.  The books and songs have enriched our lives beyond measure.  I have been delightfully surprised at how many of the songs I know from singing them in my childhood.  I am delighting in watching Sir N enjoying learning the songs and  snuggling on the couch together reading about the stories behind the songs that we are now learning.


Blessings
Chareen


Thank you Diana for blessing our family with this wonderful resource and giving us an oportunity to review these products.

Veritas Press - Self Paced Hisory {Review}

I have had a love affair with history since high school.  As much as I enjoyed history in high school I really did not grasp the full scope of history as we learned it in a disjointed manner.  One of the things I have really loved about our home education journey has been discovering the joy of learning history chronologically.  Oh my did history come alive once we started learning history as it happened.  Recently Veritas Press blessed Sir N and I with a year long access to the Self-Paced History: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt. Every day he begs me to do Veritas history. It's become our all time favourite resource. Today he begged me to do a lesson before bed time!

Grab a cuppa and let us take you on a tour of this excellent resource for your homeschool.

What we received

• A one year subscription to Old Testament and Ancient Egypt Self Paced History. OTAE has a total of 160 lessons covering history from Creation to Egypt falling to Rome.
• One set of Old Testament & Ancient Egypt Flashcards

How we used it
Once we were signed up Veritas sent us a detailed welcome letter along with an excellent set up tutorial with step by step instructions. I have a teachers log in and Sir N has his own log in.

Teacher log in features

•  As the teacher I can log in and see a summary of what my students have been doing. The log in page shows the student, his course and over all grade for the year. Once I select a student it takes me to the above page.
• The top has a bar shows the overall progress my student has made on the course.  The green indicates the correct answers and the yellow indicates questions he has missed. 
• A completed lesson is indicated in blue highlight along with a tick. I can click on any completed lesson and view the complete lesson without it altering his progress.
• Upcoming lessons remain locked until the student completes the current class.
• The center column is a record of his assignments.  There are two types of assignments: worksheets and tests. 
  Once a concept has been taught in a lesson (s) there is a Worksheet which is a test of the subject matter.  Once the test has been submitted you can not go back and retake in order to change your grade.  The worksheet marks however do not alter your overall grade for the year.
  Every fifth lesson is a test.  This test is also a once off.  Once it is submitted your grade is recorded and contributes to the over all grade for the year as indicated by the progress bar at the top of the page.
• The third column contains four documents. (Supply list, Card samples, Level 1 and Level 2 recommended reading)

Student page
This page is almost identical to the parent page.  Once logged in the student can choose to resume their lesson or click into their course and choose wether to repeat a lesson, resume a partially completed lesson or start on their next lesson.  They can see when the next worksheet will be coming up as indicated in the center colum.  They can see their over all progress and current grade in the top bar.

Each days lesson launches in it's own window.  This week we are on lesson 32.  Lessons are presented in a slide format.
This window contains a number of features

• Top left - name of the course OTAE (Old Testament Ancient Egypt) and the lesson number.
• Top right - table of contents and any available downloads for that lesson are in the attachments.
• Bottom left - Slide number indicator.  Here you can see the total number of slides in the lesson and the progression numbers.
• Center bottom - here you can see the slide loading and the progress player.
• Bottom right - standard rewind, play or jump to next buttons.

There is a full tutorial on how to drive the program when the students first log in and they can not access their class work until that is completed.  The tutor fully explains each aspect of how the program is presented and what is required of the students in order to progress.  It is completely interactive and a lot of fun.

Lessons contain

• So far we have had three main teachers.  Hadassah, the Great Sphinx and Simeon.  
• Every day the students practice the memory song which helps them to remember the chronological order of things.
• Teaching is done interactively.  Sometimes the next slide auto loads and sometimes the student needs to do an activity to show that they have grasped the concept in order to unlock the next slide.  At other times they might need to click next in order to access the following slide.

• There are games each day with revision questions for the days lesson.
• Some of the games cover all the main time line information covered.
• No two games are the same.  The graphics are excellent.
• Some of the games are time sensitive and I had to help with reading the answers available and helping Sir N click on the ones he wanted in order to beat the clock.  A couple of times I had to retake the game a couple of times as I did not succeed.
• The purpose of every game is revision of what has been taught in order to bring about mastery.

Sometimes the answers in the multiple choice questions are really funny.  At other times they keep you on your toes and you need to carefully read them as they are so similarly worded you might get them wrong if you don't take your time.

Even today's colour and print slide had questions pop up in order to continue and colour in the next portion of the graphic.

• Once a topic is completed a medallion is placed on a map indicating completion of the topic. 
• There is a fully interactive time line containing the graphics identical to the memory cards on it.
• A time line card is added to the time line upon completion of that specific cards lesson.  

Testing

• Every fifth lesson is a test.  If you choose to do one lesson a day the test would be taken every Friday. 
• As a parent I was required to agree to supervising this as a closed book test.  No notes or time line cards are to be used in order to take this test. 
• All tests are done via multiple choice.
• Upon submission the test is immediately marked and the score is given.
• You are then given the option of looking over the test and printing it.
• Once you close a test it can not be retrieved in order to look over and is not available for the parent to look over in the teachers section. This is the only thing I would love to see changed in the program.  It would be really good to be able to go in on the parent log in and look over a test to see how my student  responded to each question and helpful to me as I would know what they needed to review for future lessons and tests.
• If a student answers a question incorrectly it is highlighted in red.
• The middle column shows the correct answers for each question and the right hand column shows you the student submitted answers. 

Exploring history with the flash cards.

Flashcards

• There are a total of 32 flashcards in the pack
• They are printed in colour on card stock and plastic coated.
• Each card measures 12.5 cm x 20 cm (5" x 8") 
• They are in chronological order. Each card has a number on the reverse so you know where in the deck the card goes as well as where in time order the event took place.
• Each card is marked with a line at the top in order for you to know which one is biblical history (purple) and which one is general history.  Each series is represented by a different colour.
• Each card is illustrated with a famous painting a picture relating to the specific time period in history. There is a reference note below each picture.
• On the front you will find the title of the event. When applicable a scriptural reference is also added. 
• On the reverse of the card you will find the name and reference refered to on the card and a summary of the event 
• The bottom square contains a list of resources to expand your students learning opportunity of the event. (Bible, Greenleaf Guide, Children's Illustrated bible, Child's story bible, Journey Through the bible, Streams of Civilization, Time Traveler and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia to name a few) 
• They are excellent for review.
• A good hands on time line tool.

Cost**

• Old Testament and Ancient Egypt Self Paced History $199.00 for the first student. This fee gives you one year of access to the program.
• Veritas Press is currently offering a sibling discount of $100.00
• Old Testament & Ancient Egypt Flashcards $19.95
• MP3 Old Testament & Ancient Egypt Memory Song $6.95 (view a sample)

** Prices are current at time of review and can change at any given time at discretion of the company.  Please double check the price before placing your purchase.

There are a total of 5 streams in the Self Paced History classes

1. Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
2. New Testament, Greece and Rome
3. Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation
4. Explorers to1815
5. 1815-Present 

 Hardware and Software Requirements

• Web browser (Mozilla, IE 10 Chrome or Safari)
• It runs on Windows Vista, XP, 7 or 8
• For a Mac you need the following OS 10.6 or 10.7.4 or  10.8
• Adobe Flash 10.3 or higher
• Good internet connection. 

Recommended Age Range

• Veritas recommend a minimum age of seven on the first day of class. The course has been designed with 2nd - 6th graders in mind.

Find out more

• There are five courses available in the Self Paced History stream.  You can view five sample lessons for each stream online.
• Why choose a classical Christian education?
• Veritas Our Story
• Veritas Blog
• FREE resources 
• Self Paced History FAQ

Connect with Veritas Press 

 

What we thought
I don't know who is enjoying history more this year Sir N or myself!  We are both learning so much together. Although this is my third time through history chronologically I have learned so much more with Veritas that I am looking forward to doing the next four years of Self Paced history classes with them.
Every now and then Sir N will say "Oh I didn't know that !"  

This program has superseded my every expectation and has been the highlight of our homeschool year!


Blessings
Chareen

Restoring Our Culture for Christ ... 

One young heart and mind at a time! 

- Veritas Press