Homeschooling with Technology

148: Google’s Free Applied Digital Skills Lessons I first learned about Google’s Free Applied Digital Skills lessons from Coach Victor Hicks in an interview he did on the 10 Minute Teacher podcast. Listen to it to hear he how has used these lessons with students. You can find all the lessons here (currently 160 of […] The post Google’s Free Applied Digital Skills Lessons ap...

147: Using technology to foster curiosity In this episode, the discussion revolves around using technology to foster curiosity. Children are naturally curious and tech makes it easy to help our children explore topics of interest. Here are 7 specific ideas: 1. Use Google Lens to identify plants and other things. 2. Explore.org and other live […] The post Using Technology to Foster Curiosity...

146: 4 Ways Challenging Yourself as a Homeschooling Mom Leads to Leveling Up Your Homeschooling Life In this episode, guest Sarah Miller-Snyder shares 4 ways challenging yourself as a homeschool mom leads to leveling up your homeschool. Sarah has been a guest on the podcast twice before. She has shared about Podcasts for hhomeschool families […] The post 4 Ways Challenging Yourself as a Home...

145: Technology and the Middle School Years In this episode we look at technology and the middle school years from two different perspectives: 1. How much technology is too much? The first topic I discuss is video gaming. The article I reference is here. The Instagram account to look at is @juliebravewriter. Click on “Video […] The post Technology and the Middle School Years appeared f...

144: Non-tech skills students learn from coding There are many non-tech skills students learn from coding. This means learning to program is useful even when students don’t decide to pursue a degree where programming is core to it. These are the skills i talk about in this episode: Critical Thinking Logic Problem Solving Project Planning […] The post Non-tech skills students learn from...

143: Asynchronous vs Synchronous Online Classes In this episode, we take a look at asynchronous vs synchronous online classes and consider which might be a better fit for your family. Synchronous Classes * Live class – Zoom / Google Meet * Interaction? Passive? Discussion? * Homework outside of class? * Specific day/time * If you […] The post Asynchronous vs Synchronous online classes...

142: Techie Teen Jayda: Coding and Digital Art Techie teen Jayda Murray is the guest and talks to us about her interest in digital art and coding. Jayda’s sister was a guest on this series talking about app creation and her mom, Ayanna was a guest on the podcast in episode 105 and shared Online […] The post Techie Teen Jayda Coding and Digital Art appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool...

141: Techie Teen Brandon: Drone Videography In this episode, Brandon Duty explains how he got into drone videography, and what he hopes to do with this skill. These are the questions Brandon answers – listen to the episode to hear his full response, but the links and specific tools he mentions are included below. 1. […] The post Techie Teen Brandon: Drone videography appeared first on...

140: Techie Teen Anaya: App Creation Techie Teen Anaya Murray talks to us about being an app creator in this episode. Anaya’s mom was a guest on the podcast in episode 105 and shared Online Resources for Creative Writing. Anaya answers the following questions 1. What are your interests outside of tech? Music – Stax […] The post Techie Teen Anaya: App Creator appeared first on Ult...

139: Techie Teen Callie: Digital Photography Our guest is techie teen Callie Fulghum who talks to us about her hobby doing digital photography. During the episode, Callie responds to these questions. Be sure to listen to the episode to hear her answers. 1. What are your interests outside of tech? 2. When did you start […] The post Techie Teen Callie: Digital Photography appeared first on Ult...

138: Techie Teen Natalie: Virtual Assistant Our guest in this episode is techie teen Natalie Vaughn who works as a virtual assistant. In this episode, she talks about how she learned the necessary skills and what her job entails. Resources mentioned in this episode: Scratch online coding class Natalie took Google Drive Unit Study – […] The post Techie Teen Natalie: Virtual Assistant ap...

137: Techie Teen Eli: Game Creation My guest is Eli Fergusson and in this episode, he talks about video game creation without using coding. The websites Eli mentions: RPG Maker Steam During the episode, Eli responds to these questions. Be sure to listen to the episode to hear his answers. 1. What are your interests […] The post Techie teen Eli: Game creation appeared first on Ultimate Homesc...

136: Techie Teen Addie: Digital Print Designs This week’s techie homeschooled teen is Addie Snyder who creates Digital Print Designs. Be sure to listen to the episode to hear exactly what she is doing. And here are brief notes and links to the resources she mentions. 1. What are your interests outside of tech? Level […] The post Techie Teen Addie – Digital Print Designs appeared...

135: Techie teen Jake: Cybersecurity Our summer series of interviews with techie teens kicks off as I interview Jake Stough. Here are brief notes and links to things he mentions, but you need to listen to hear him explain what he has done. 1. What are your interests outside of tech? Hockey 2. When did […] The post Techie Teen Jake: Cybersecurity appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast...

134: Introducing the SummerSeries: Techie Homeschooled Teens During June and July, I will be interviewing a number of techie homeschooled teens. They will share about what they are doing using a wide range of technology – game-making, app creation, T-shirt designs, video creation, cybersecurity, and more. In this episode I share what my own children […] The post Introducing the summer...

133: Intentional Summer Screen Time with Sara Radginski Sara Radinski joins us to share her idea of intentional summer screen time – instead of having battles with your children over screen time all summer. Listen to the episode to understand her plan. Here are some resources she mentions: Epic! for a “techie” reading option Coding […] The post Intentional Summer Screen Tim...

132: Using Tech to Enjoy Nature This episode shares resources on using tech to enjoy nature. Technology doesn’t need to take us away from nature but can be used to enhance our enjoyment of nature. Be sure to listen to these previous podcast episodes; Geocaching is basically an outdoor treasure hunt for all ages Google […] The post Using Tech to Enjoy Nature appeared first on Ultimate H...

131: Digital College Prep These are the websites I mention in this episode on Digital College Prep. If your high schoolers participate in the High School Challenge offered annually in the summer by show sponsor FundaFunda Academy, they will participate in assignments using websites like these, as well as many more. Scholarship websites – Moolahspot, […] The post Digital College Prep ap...

130: Exploring Media Bias My guest is Randi Smith from Peanut Butter Fish Lessons, who talks to us about Exploring Media Bias. The resources she mentions are: All Sides Media Bias Chart Scholastic Decoding the News Daily Lessons in Media Bias (Randi’s product) Instagram accounts: @sharonsayso @allsidesnow @groundsnews @smarthernews You can find Randi at Peanut […] The post Exploring Me...

129: Digital Resources for Learning Geography These are the digital resources for learning geography mentioned in this episode: 1. World Atlas 2. Youtube and streaming services. Look for 360 degree videos and drone videos on Youtube. 2. Online Geography Games Listen to my previous episode on Free Online Geography Games Purpose Games Action Quiz Stack […] The post Digital Resources for Learni...

128: “Is this okay?” How to know if a game or app is safe for your child with Lisa Honold Guest Lisa Honald provides guidelines in this episode to help us decide if a game or app is safe for our child. Lisa is a cyber safety educator and director of the Center for Online […] The post “Is this okay?” How to know if a game or app is safe for your child appeared first on...

127: Online Poetry Resources This episode is about online poetry resources for poetry appreciation and to teach students how to write poetry. Here are the resources mentioned in this episode. Online Resources for Poetry Appreciation Poetry 180 – one poem for 180 days of the year and poets read favorite poems and talk about them […] The post Online Poetry Resources appeared first on Ult...

126: How to modify online curriculum for special needs students: Part 2 Guest Lindsay Leiviska explains how to modify online curriculum for special needs students. You can find Lindsay online at A Heart For All Students. Her podcast is also called “A Heart for All Students”. Be sure to listen to part 1 first if […] The post How to modify online curriculum for special needs studen...

125: How to modify online curriculum for special needs students: Part 1 Guest Lindsay Leiviska explains how to modify online curriculum for special needs students. You can find Lindsay online at A Heart For All Students. Her podcast is also called “A Heart for All Students”. Variables to Consider: Time: Short lessons (less is more) […] The post How to modify online curriculum for...

124: Teach your children about their digital footprints It is important that you teach your children about their digital footprints from an early age. The resources I mention in this episode are: A lesson plan from code.org – especially the “Follow the Digital Trail” assignment which uses a story to teach the concept to younger […] The post Teach your children about their d...