Homeschooling with Technology

In this episode I explain some of the power of Padlet, a free tool you can use in many ways in your homeschool.

Topics covered in this episode:

In order for you to try it out, I created this board for you to play around on. Click the + sign and upload anything – maybe a review of this podcast You can delete it easily – or leave whatever you add for use to see.

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Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group, especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology into your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Unlocking the Power of Padlet appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

DuoLingo has added Math to its popular language-learning app.

In this episode, learn what this app has to offer for your children – and you!

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Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group, especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology into your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Duolingo Math: A Free Math App for Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Ava Jekel, our teen guest, loved watching Youtube videos and became interested with how they were made. So she started learning how to make her own and transitioned from tech consumer to tech creator.

These are the tools she mentions in the episode that she uses regularly:

And here are examples of videos she has created

For FundaFunda’s US History Class

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Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post From Tech Consumer to Tech Creator appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

257: 12 Tech Tools to try in your homeschool this year

Start the year by planning to try these 12 Tech Tools – either for the first time, or learn their latest features. Decide to try one each month so that it is not overwhelming.

Here are the 12 Tech Tools mentioned

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The post 12 Tech Tools to try in your homeschool in 2024 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Are you looking for a way to make economics more engaging for your homeschooler? One of the best ways to teach economics concepts is through interactive online games that help students experience decision-making in real time instead of simply reading about it in a textbook.

In this episode of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network show Homeschooling with Technology, host Meryl van der Merwe shares some of her favorite online economics games for homeschool students—from stock market simulators to budgeting games, business simulations, and international trade activities.

These games help students actively engage with economics concepts like:

Whether you are teaching upper elementary students, middle schoolers, or high school economics, these online resources can make learning far more memorable and fun.

Economics can feel abstract when students only read definitions and memorize concepts. But games help students apply what they are learning through decision-making and problem-solving.

As Meryl explains, games encourage students to become active participants instead of passive learners.

When students:

they begin to understand how economics works in real life.

Online games also naturally encourage:

And perhaps most importantly—they make economics enjoyable.

Here are some of the best online economics games and simulations mentioned in this episode.

One classic economics and city management game is SimCity. In this simulation game, students manage a city and make decisions about:

As students play, they begin to see how economic decisions affect growth and stability.

While older versions may be harder to find on modern devices, similar city-building games and apps are still available.

Another classic simulation game is RollerCoaster Tycoon, where students design and manage an amusement park.

Students must:

This game is excellent for teaching both economics and entrepreneurship.

One of the most valuable economics activities for homeschool students is participating in The Stock Market Game.

Students receive virtual money to invest and compete against teams across their state. During the game, students watch how current events and market changes affect stock prices.

Meryl notes that students typically receive $100,000 in virtual funds to invest over several weeks.

This activity works especially well for:

If you prefer a more flexible stock market simulator, Meryl also recommends How the Market Works, a free website that allows parents or teachers to set up their own stock market game.

This is ideal for:

Parents can customize:

For younger students, the classic Lemonade Stand game is a fantastic introduction to economics.

Students must decide:

This simple game teaches supply and demand in a very practical way.

Meryl also shares a creative digital escape room activity focused on:

Students solve clues and complete challenges while learning key economics concepts.

This activity adds:

to economics lessons.

Fiscal Ship teaches students about the federal budget and fiscal policy.

Students must make difficult decisions involving:

The goal is to “balance the ship” while managing economic realities.

One of Meryl’s favorite educational platforms is iCivics, and the game People’s Pie is a great economics resource.

Students make decisions about:

At the same time, they must keep the public happy while balancing financial responsibility.

For high school economics students studying game theory, Meryl recommends a Prisoner’s Dilemma simulation.

This activity helps students understand:

Game theory is an important high school economics concept, and interactive simulations help students grasp it more easily.

The online game Spent helps students understand the challenges of living on minimum wage.

Players must survive for a month while making difficult financial choices with limited money.

This game opens important discussions about:

Finally, Meryl recommends The Trade Game from the International Monetary Fund website.

This game introduces students to:

While the website may feel a bit old-fashioned, the concepts remain valuable and relevant.

Interactive games help homeschool students:

These activities also work well for:

And because many of these games are online and self-paced, they fit naturally into homeschool schedules.

In this episode, Meryl also mentions:

These resources help homeschool families teach economics in a more engaging and practical way.

In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl shares practical ways to make economics engaging and interactive through online games and simulations.

Whether you are teaching elementary students or high schoolers, these ideas can help bring economics to life in your homeschool.

Many economics games work well for upper elementary students, while others are designed for middle school and high school students.

Yes. Many simulation games teach important concepts like budgeting, investing, entrepreneurship, and supply and demand through interactive decision-making.

That depends on your student’s age and interests. Popular options include stock market simulators, Lemonade Stand, Fiscal Ship, and business management games like RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Games work best as supplements to a full economics course or unit study. They help students apply and practice concepts in a hands-on way.

Online economics games can teach:

Games mentioned in this episode

FundaFunda classes mentioned in this episode

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Teaching Economics Through Online Games appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Randi Smith from Peanut Butter Fish Lessons is my guest and in this episode she shares how she has been using Kitchen Science as a homeschool elective class

Books mentioned in the episode

Randi’s blog post with all the details of what they did and the Youtube videos they watched to compliment the cooking: Homeschool Cooking Science

You can find Randi at

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Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Kitchen Science appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This is a replay of episode 178 – you can find the original show notes here.

The post Replay: Tech Electives for High School appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

STEM Christmas Gifts not only bring hours of fun to children of all ages, but also prepare children for the future. In this episode, I talk about gifts in these 4 categories

1. Hardware

2. Video Games

3. STEM Board Games

4. Engineering Toys

Two blog posts with lots of specific ideas

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Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Tech the Halls: STEM Christmas gifts appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week in the week of the birthday of Admiral Grace Hopper. If you don’t know about her contribution to the field of computer science, here is a short video to watch with your children

Each year you can find many free coding activities that will take students about one hour to complete on the Hour of Code website

This year they have included a number that are related to AI and those are the ones I talk about in this episode. The 4 I tried out are:

To celebrate Computer Science Education Week, show sponsor FundaFunda is offering a discount on their programming classes – you can get $20 off any of them with code HWT20 until Dec 31, 2023: 5-week Beginner Scratch or Python or Full semester Scratch or Python classes

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Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Hour of Code 2023 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Rebecca Brinkman from Rose and Bird unpacks some of the new AI tools in Canva. Rebecca was the guest on episode 210 – Taking Holiday Photos with Storytelling in Mind and 227 – Why all teens should learn Canva

All the tools available in Magic Studio and what they do

● Magic Edit (free) – Use the brush to select part of a photo and then use text to describe

Rebecca goes into detail on how to use the two free AI tools.

Where to find Rebecca online:

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Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Ideas for Using New AI Tools in Canva appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.