My conclusions from my “Free Lunch?” posts Parts One and Two.
Yesterday brought frustration. I had the Conclusion to this series on “Free Lunch?” done and ready to post. Along came a “low battery” shut-down, (my old computer just went to sleep, not complete shut down) causing the loss of the entire article. So today I will try to quickly reconstruct my thoughts, which have since moved on to other topics.
This may surprise you after reading Parts 1 and 2 of this series, but I am REALLY grateful for online books. I download MANY of them. One of the reasons is because I LOVE old books. Well, I love BOOKS, but particularly believe that in general it is easier to find GREAT old books, than new books. I have some of those too, but old books have stood the test of time as to their worthiness.
When I hear an old book being recommended, I usually check online to see if it is in “electronic print” there for me to take a look at. I usually read several pages to see if it is something that is worth getting as a “real” (physical) book. (I have difficulty in, and choose not to, read long books off the computer screen.) Then I begin the search process, both through online “old book” searches, and antique book stores as I’m able, to look for those I particularly am interested in.
If I am unable to find a “real” book of one I really want, (or find a copy I can afford) then I will print it off, knowing that the paper and ink and time are worth it, even though it will not be of “heirloom” quality.
I haven’t done this yet, but I believe if the book is in a “public domain” format, I should be able to have a print service make a hard bound copy for me. Then I will have a more worthy keepsake, though not “heirloom”.
So in conclusion, I have had to eat some of my words, and have realized that many of the books I like to use in our education are indeed available online for free. (Though many also are not.) And you can provide at least a portion of a biblically principled education that is designed for excellency and coherent completeness with “free” resources. But “free” resources are not really free. Are the costs for what you get a worthwhile investment? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
I am SUPER GRATEFUL to have these resources available. But it is not my goal to base our entire curriculum around only what I am able to find available “for free” online, especially just because it is “free” and easy to find. I will continue to plan our curriculum based on excellent living books and biblical principles. And I will use online books as they fit into that, knowing now that more, in the areas I desire, is available than I had previously thought.
But just like as in the “real” world I don’t generally find most of our resources at the “popular” (currently “in”) home school places, neither will/do I find all the online resources we use at all the “coolest home school hangouts”.
Thank you HL for challenging me in this. I have grown through my researching it out. And no longer will I say that a biblically principled education based on excellence cannot be done, at least in part, using many “free” online resources, for those that choose to use those types of resources (filling in with inter-library loan and a few choice purchases). And for those of you whose library building is a slow process, online books can help you decide which books to buy as the finances allow, and which are worth using, at least for now, in a print out form.
