Homeschooling with Technology

Homeschooling with Technology

By Meryl van der MerweEducationParentingKids & Family
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Homeschooling with Technology episodes

  • Online Resources about Ukraine and Russia

    170: Online Resources about Ukraine and Russia

    In this episode, you will find online resources about Ukraine and Russia you can use in your homeschool. There are resources that relate to the current conflict but also resources to learn about the history, geography, and culture of the two countries involved.

    Instagram accounts mentioned in this episode

    @fundafundaeducation (show sponsor)

    @sharonsayso
    @smarthernews
    @mosheh
    @elona

    Other general resources

    iCivics has just released a new foreign policygame both online and as an app (all versions are free) – Convene the Council

    View the relative size of Russia and Ukraine on this website.

    Ukraine resources

    Video made by a Ukrainian

    Animated History of Ukraine

    Ducksters page on Ukraine

    Ukraine unit study from Eclectic Homeschool

    Russia resources

    Ted Ed videos on Where Did Russia Come From and Why Putin Wants Ukraine

    Geography Now video on Russia

    Animated History of Russia

    Ducksters page on Russia

    Unit Studies from Peanutbutter Fish Lessons and Learn In Color.

    Other ideas

    • online flag puzzles
    • listen to the languages
    • online quizzes (one suggestion is this this Sporcle quiz on Russian Geography
    • print off coloring pages
    • Suggested projects on these countries

      • Children’s book using Storyjumper
      • Poster using Canva
      • Slideshow using Google Slides
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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 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 Online Resources about Ukraine and Russia appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

        19 min
      • PDF tips and tricks

        169: PDF tips and tricks

        Learn about a number of free tools that allow you to manipulate PDFs in this episode on PDF tips and tricks. The tools mentioned in this episode are:

        • Scannable – app that scans documents and saves to PDF.
        • Sejda to fill out and sign PDFs
        • Mac PDF Preview – select “Export as” and then ‘Quartz Filter’ and “Reduce File Size” to compresses PDFs
        • PDFbuddy
        • PDFcandy
        • Tinywow
        • These resources allow you to merge, split, rotate, and much more. Listen to the episode to learn more

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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 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 PDF tips and tricks appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

          14 min
        • Online Black History Resources

          168: Online Black History Resources

          As February is Black History Month, here are some online Black History resources to add to your homeschool.

          If you haven’t already listened to last year’s episode on the topic, you can find it here. None of the resources I mentioned in this episode are repeated from last year.

          Here are the resources mentioned in this episode

          • Smithsonian’s Museum of American History African American history page which contains links to many resources including HitoryYime videos for elementary students.
          • Smithsonian Museum of American History’s Black History Youtube Channel
          • Museum of American history Business of Slavery – interactive primary documents
          • Smithsonian’s African American Museum interactive online displays and stories
          • A good Instagram account to follow

            Amber O’Neal Johnston aka Heritagemomblog shares books and resources you are possibly not familiar with relating to Black History

            To stream online

            ABC Series – Women of the Movement on the Emmett Till story

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            Show Sponsor Fundafunda Academy loves using resources similar to these in their online US History class for high school

            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. We would love to hear how you are using tech in early elementary homeschooling!

            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 Online Black History Resources appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

            16 min
          • Free Online Word Games and Apps for Homeschoolers

            167: Free Online Word Games and Apps

            The free online word games and apps mentioned in this episode are:

            • Wordle
            • Klura and Wordus are phone apps similar to Wordle
            • Words with Friends – similar to Scrabble
            • Typeshift – move the columns of letters to create words, new one each day
            • 7 Little Words – find the 7 words to match the 7 clues using the letters / letter groups. Also look at their “for the classroom” page for printable themed versions of the game
            • Flippity – hangman (previous episode on Flippity)
            • Word Trip app good for younger children
            • A fun paid iPhone app – Whirly Word – use given letters to make as many words as possible

              FundaFunda class mentioned in this episode: Writing Fun for 5th -8th grade

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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 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 Free Online Word Games and Apps for Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

              14 min
            • Replay: How to Create Online Choose Your Own Adventure Games

              (Replay)Episode 50: How to Create Online Choose Your Own Adventure Games
              Prefer to Listen?

              Want the quick walkthrough? Listen to this episode while you plan your next project-based learning activity.

              Here are 3 different resources students can use to create online choose-your-own-adventure games.

              New Here?

              If you love practical homeschool tech ideas, start here:

              • More Homeschooling with Technology episodes
              • Project-based learning ideas for homeschool
              • Creative online tools for students
              • Browse all homeschool tech resources 
              • Why Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Projects Work for Homeschoolers

                These projects are great for:

                  • creative writing
                  • history and literature projects
                  • independent research
                  • project-based learning
                  • technology integration
                  • co-op presentations
                  • 1. Text Adventures

                    Best for: beginners and middle school students

                    Text Adventures actually has 3 different options to create choose-your-own-adventure games. There is the option to download software, but I have always used the online version.

                    Initially, you are asked to select between Quest and Squiffy. Select Quest (Squiffy is a little more complicated and only text).

                    Then you can start creating a Quest game. Now select ‘Gamebook’ in the drop-down option rather than text adventure. The latter allows you to create rooms with objects that can be manipulated. If your children enjoy the easier option, they could progress to this one. And this video explains how to get started.

                    But I suggest they start with a Gamebook type. In this version, they create choices for whoever is playing and the player simply clicks on their choice to continue down a specific path. This version allows them to add in graphics, audio, and video.

                    In my online US History class students research a Native American tribe pre-1492 and then turn their research into a game which the other students can play. Here are some you and your children and try.

                    Cherokee Tribe Game

                    Igloos and Ice-Fishing
                    A Day with the Seneca Indians
                    Shoshone Adventure

                    2. Google Slides

                    Best for: homeschoolers already using Google tools

                    Hyperlink Google Slides to other Google Slides to create a choose-your-own-adventure. See the show notes for the episode I did on Google slides for a video explaining how to do it.

                    3. Twine

                    Best for: advanced students or coding-curious teens

                    For a real challenge, students can use Twine which allows them to create more complex text adventures and even incorporate some coding if they choose to.

                    Listen Next: More Homeschool Tech Favorites
                    • Homeschooling with Google Slides
                    • 10 Tech Tools to Make Writing Fun
                    • Navigating Digital Risks with Kid Safe GPT
                    • Looking for more creative project ideas and homeschool technology resources? Explore more from FundaFunda Academy and the Homeschooling with Technology podcast.

                      Visit show sponsor FundaFunda Academy for teaching resources you can use in your home or in co-op classes.

                      Be sure to join our Facebook group where we carry on the discussion about Homeschooling with Technology.

                      If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review!

                      Contact Meryl via email on [email protected] or connect with her on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook

                      The post Replay: How to Create Online Choose Your Own Adventure Games appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                      12 min
                    • Organizing your Homeschool with Tech in 2022

                      166: Organizing your homeschool with tech in 2022

                      In this episode, we look at various tech tools you can use for organizing your homeschool.

                      Here are the resources mentioned:

                      * Planning – Google sheets, Evernote

                      * Record keeping – grades, all high school things (hs challenge)
                      * Calendar – Google calendar
                      * Assigning tasks – Google sheets, Trello
                      * Reward system – Google sheets

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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 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 Organizing your Homeschool with Tech in 2022 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                      14 min
                    • Improving tech skills in your homeschool in 2022

                      165: Improving tech skills in your homeschool in 2022

                      We discussed why it is important to keep improving tech skills for both you and your children – listen to the episode for that info.

                      Websites mentioned in this episode:

                      Pixlr – photo editing

                      Strava – fitness monitoring app
                      Lynda – lots of classes, often free on your local library
                      Udemy – inexpensive classes

                      The full semester FundaFunda computer classes I mention are found here

                      Computer Applications
                      The unit studies I mention can be found here.

                      ————————————————————————————————–

                      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 Improving tech skills in your homeschool in 2022 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                      14 min
                    • Email Strategy in your Homeschool for 2022

                      164: Email strategy in your homeschool for 2022

                      This episode discusses email strategy in your homeschool – we talk about how it relates to both your children and yo, the parent.

                      1. Your kids and email
                      • When to get it
                      • How to use it: Episode 60 – Teaching Kids Soft Skills for Digital Communication
                      • 2. You and email

                        Tools to get your emails under control

                        • 21-day program – Revive Your Inbox
                        • Unroll.me
                        • ————————————————————————————————–

                          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 Email Strategy in your Homeschool for 2022 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                          15 min
                        • Technology Reset in Your Homeschool for 2022

                          163: Technology Reset in Your Homeschool for 2022

                          In this episode, you will get suggestions on how to do a technology reset in your homeschool in 2022.

                          We touch on 3 areas:

                          1. Devices

                          2. Technology Usage. The two challenges I suggest you do with your children are

                          • Bored and Brilliant
                          • Infomagical
                          • The FundaFunda class I mention is Computer Applications

                            3. Areas of frustration in your life

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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 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 Technology Reset in Your Homeschool for 2022 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                            16 min
                          • Replay: Ways Teens Can Make Money Online


                            This is a rerun of episode 39 which offers a number of different ideas on how teens can make money online.

                            You can find the show notes on the original episode here.

                            ————————————————————————————————–

                            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 Replay: Ways Teens Can Make Money Online appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

                            19 min

                          About Homeschooling with Technology

                          From the publisher's feed

                          On Homeschooling with Technology, former programmer and veteran homeschool mom Meryl van der Merwe helps families use tech with confidence and wisdom — the best apps and online tools, AI for planning…