354: New Year, New Tools
Episode Goal
Choose one tech tool from this list to explore intentionally in 2026.
The 10 Tools Featured
1. ChatGPT and Gemini
AI assistants that homeschool parents can use for planning, teaching, and daily life.
Ways to use them include:
Rewriting articles at a child’s reading level
Creating lesson extensions and outdoor activities
Planning school schedules around sports and activities
Generating games, recipes, and choose-your-own-adventure stories
A free PDF with 20 starter prompts is available through the FundaFunda Academy newsletter.
2. PhET Interactive Simulations
Free, interactive math and science simulations from the University of Colorado.
Physics (circuits, forces, motion)
Chemistry (molecules, states of matter)
Math (fractions, number lines, density)
Especially useful for middle and high school students and visual learners.
3. Concord Consortium
A collection of free STEM lessons and simulations at learn.concord.org.
Filters by grade level and subject
Earth science, engineering, and data science resources
Project-based activities that work well alongside existing curriculum
4. Canva
A versatile design tool for students and parents.
Create reports, presentations, planners, and calendars
Design invitations, worksheets, and printables
Explore built-in AI design tools
FundaFunda Academy offers both teacher-graded and self-paced Canva classes.
5. NotebookLM
A free AI study tool that works only from sources you upload, reducing hallucinations.
Create quizzes, tests, and answer keys
Generate study notes and timelines
Produce short audio summaries
Work directly from PDFs, videos, and websites
A strong option for teaching teens effective study skills.
6. Brisk Teaching
A Chrome extension designed for teachers and homeschool parents.
Inspect Google Docs to see how writing was created
Generate quizzes from articles or videos
7. Edpuzzle
A tool that turns videos into interactive lessons.
Pause videos to ask comprehension questions
Track whether the entire video was watched
Use thousands of pre-made lessons for free
8. Google Arts & Culture
A rich resource for geography, history, art, and culture.
Interactive explorations of historical sites
Games connected to art and culture
Previously discussed in Episodes 314 and 315.
9. Google Applied Digital Skills
A large library of free, self-paced technology lessons.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Calendar
Digital citizenship and online safety
Career skills and portfolio building
Creative projects like comics and digital postcards
10. Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF)
One of the most comprehensive free personal finance resources available.
Budgeting, banking, and credit
Investing and financial math
Interactive games such as Payback, Spent, and Stax
FundaFunda Academy Notes
Teacher-graded semester classes began January 5
Self-paced classes are available at a lower cost
Subjects include Canva, AI, personal finance, and more
Join the Conversation
Pick one tool from this list and commit to learning it this year. Then join the Homeschooling with Technology Facebook group and share which tool you chose and why.
The post New Year, New Tools appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.