Compiling our What We've Accomplished...

I am a member of many groups on Yahoo. All having to do in some form with home schooling. One of the 'groups' that I joined is simply a journal of one mother's journey through schooling. There is not an option to post a comment on the group, like the others that I am on, but she has tons of links and files that she has used while schooling. Her posts are not written to the group, rather to herself.

At first I admit I thought it strange to have a group for that sort of thing but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. In a previous post I talked about my almost obsessiveness with the computer, or more precisely, the internet and this blog. The main reason I started the blog, as the title I hope implies, was to share our daily activities and accomplishments and some other things along the way. I don't necessarily think I have gotten away from that. Well, perhaps a little, at times. And I also have a tendency to get extremely distracted, super easily, by bright colors and flashy posts on others blogs ;) lol

In thinking about this one of my thoughts was that keeping a journal either written or on the computer in a word document (or such) would be the same thing. However, there is a small *and sometimes it isn't so small* reason to not keep it solely on one's computer is the threat of the computer crashing. There are many people whose lives are on their computers and if it were to crash, oh my...well, we have all seen the effects at one point in time or another.

Another option is to back up the files that are kept on the computer in an online program such as Google Docs (which I just recently discovered and am happy that I did). This lessens the likelihood of losing one's 'life' to a computer crash. Also on these programs it is often possible to create the document online and save it. This bypasses the need to make the document on the computer, save it, and upload it. These files can all be shared with whoever that we would like to share them with...or no one at all! One good reason to keep these files is for the purpose of state requirements as far as record keeping goes. I personally, right now, do not have that requirement.

Granted, I just now thought of Google Docs, wouldn't you know... but it is a viable option for keeping track of files and such. There are also applications available for compiling webpages (not just by bookmarking) so you know where they are and are able to share the list with others. I have an email with just such program but have never used it.

Today, to add to all my other things (emails and blog) I began a 'group' on Yahoo for the purpose of compiling all of our What We've Accomplished Today... posts. I am sure I will still post them here but the group will be my own personal portfolio. It will be simply for home schooling, whereas the blog is about whatever happens in our day, whether school or otherwise. Also it will have links and files that I actually use, not all my gazillion bookmarked sites that I want to use. :)

It may also be a way for me to lessen my time online...perhaps.

How do you keep track of the things you have done while homeschooling? Do you keep written records, digital records, photos, etc? Do you have to keep records for your state?