Laptops, teamed with an Internet connection, are a mobile learning tool like none other. Research on any topic is just a few mouse clicks away. Many homeschool curricula are available online as well as supplemental materials such as drills and worksheets.
Laptops are mobile, making it easy for learning to take place on the road. An extended vacation or trip doesn't put the brakes on learning. Appointments will not cut into school time as the hours spent waiting can be used for learning in ways that were not possible before the advent of the laptop.
Many curriculum providers today offer online or CD-ROM versions of their texts and lessons, even those that do not usually have additional worksheets and drills available on their websites. One popular math curriculum, Math-U-See, makes use of DVD lessons that can be played on a laptop and also offers additional worksheets and drills on their website at no additional cost to help students master the concepts they are learning.
There are also online schools. Students login daily to turn in and receive their assignments as well as have access to a teacher via instant messaging, email and online chat capabilities. They can pace their own learning under the watchful eye of a certified educator. Some of these online schools also offer diplomas and transcript services to graduates.
Laptop learning goes beyond canned homeschool programs. Laptops, especially lighter Netbook-style versions, can be used for note taking while on visits to museums and other events, as well as for on-the-spot research of topics that grab the students' interest.
There are many free homeschool resources available online, from work sheets to project guides and inspiration. Notebooking is a homeschooling concept where students immerse themselves in a subject, putting together a scrapbook of sorts that has their research in easy to digest chunks. Pictures, poetry and reports are put into the notebook to make an attractive and easy to read project. Laptops make it easy to research topics for notebooking, find pictures and graphs, and write reports. Notebooking layouts are available from a variety of sources online to help inspire students on the journey.
Laptops can make history and geography lessons come alive in ways that were not possible in the past. There are cyber penpal groups that cater especially to homeschoolers. Students can chat in real time or via emails with other children from around the world, deepening their studies of other places and cultures.
Language learning is also made easier with a laptop. There are plenty of online programs that aid in learning foreign languages, and students can talk with tutors or other kids their age who are native speakers of the language they are learning.
Homeschooled kids in rural areas can benefit from interaction with other kids from around their region or the country. Online study groups can also be formed that unite kids from around the world on obscure topics or specialties for which local resources may be lacking.