Homeschooling with Technology

347:  BaseCampEd: Building Community and Connection for Homeschoolers Host Meryl van der Merwe talks with Morgan Bergstrom, creator of the BaseCampEd app, a new tool designed to help homeschool families build community and connection. Morgan shares how her own homeschooling journey and frequent military moves inspired her to create a platform that makes it easier […] The post BaseCampEd: Bui...

346: AI and Critical Thinking In this episode, Meryl is joined once again by Critical Thinking in the Digital Age instructor Stephanie Simoes to explore how AI is impacting students’ ability to think deeply and critically. The two discuss an MIT study that sparked widespread concern, the concept of cognitive offloading, and how parents can […] The post AI and Critical Thinking appeared first...

345: Listener Favorites: Our Top 5 Most-Downloaded Episodes Revisited In this special birthday edition of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl Van der Merwe looks back at the five most downloaded episodes of all time! This episode is part of the 12 Days of Homeschool Gold celebration for the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network’s birthday — complete with […] The post Listener Favorites: Our T...

344: 12 Homeschool Tech Hacks In this special birthday episode, to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, here are 12 homeschool tech hacks that will make your homeschool more efficient, engaging, and fun! Bonus: Celebrate the 12th Birthday of the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network with giveaways, bonus mini-episodes, a treasure hunt, […] The post 12 Homesc...

343: New Ways to Use Canva for Homeschooling Canva continues to be one of the most versatile and homeschool-friendly tools available. In this episode, I’m joined again by Rebecca Brinkman, teacher of the Graphic Design with Canva class at show sponsor FundaFunda Academy. We explore the latest Canva updates for 2025 and how you can […] The post New Ways to Use Canva for Homeschooling appeared...

342: Building Worlds in Unreal Engine   In this episode of we welcome back repeat guest, Matthew Jurison, a high schooler, teaching assistant at FundaFunda Academy, and tech enthusiast.  Matthew shares how he first discovered Unreal Engine, why he chose it over other platforms like Unity and Roblox Studio, and why it’s a powerful, free […] The post Building Worlds in Unreal Engine appea...

341:  Using Google Translate in Your Homeschool Google Translate isn’t just for travelers trying to decipher a menu abroad—it can also be an incredibly useful tool in your homeschool. In this episode, you will learn creative ways to integrate both the browser version and the mobile app of Google Translate into everyday learning. What you’ll […] The post Using Google Translate in Your Homesch...

Episode 340 — Video Scholarship Tips (with Monica Matthews) Looking for video scholarship tips that actually work? In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, scholarship expert Monica Matthews shares practical video scholarship tips for high school (and younger) students—how to hook judges fast, align your story with a sponsor’s mission, film with simple lighting and clear […] The pos...

339: Online Hide and Seek Game 🎧 Prefer to Listen? Want the quick walkthrough? Listen to this episode while you plan your next online learning activity. 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 […] The post Online Hide and...

338: Supporting Your Teen in Online Classes   Online classes can be a fantastic way for teens to learn — but only if parents know how to support them well. Every year, many parents are surprised mid-semester when they discover their teen is failing an online class. The truth is: this can be avoided with […] The post Supporting Your Teen in Online Classes appeared first on Ultimate Homes...

337: Homeschool AI Hacks: How to Write Prompts That Work In today’s episode, learn how to write better AI prompts for homeschooling—tips, examples, and hacks to save you time and spark creativity in your lessons. Core Elements of a Strong Prompt Role – “Act like a veteran homeschool mom with 10 years of experience.” Grade […] The post Homeschool AI Hacks: How to Write Prompts That Work...

336: 10 Tech Tools to Make Writing Fun Are your children complaining that writing isn’t fun? Transform writing time into creative fun with these 10 tech tools—each designed to spark imagination and ease the writing struggle. 1. Story Dice Tool: Story Dice Description: Roll virtual icons and weave them into a story—great for melting the […] The post 10 Tech Tools to Make Writing Fun app...

335: How Homeschoolers Can Use Brisk AI In this episode, we look at  Brisk Teaching, a powerful ( free for most things) AI Chrome extension designed for educators — and incredibly helpful for homeschoolers. You’ll discover how to: Use Brisk’s “Inspect Writing” tool to check your child’s writing history and detect copy/paste Create auto-graded quizzes […] The post How Homeschoolers Can...

334: Creating an AI Policy for your Homeschool We explore why every homeschool family should consider developing an AI policy—and how to do it. As AI tools become more prevalent, it’s no longer a question of if teens are using them, but how. Meryl explains how teens often approach AI differently than adults and why […] The post Creating an AI policy for your homeschool appeared first on Ulti...

Episode 333: Using Media in Foreign Language Learning In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, host Meryl van der Merwe is joined by two of FundaFunda Academy’s language teachers—Sebastian (French) and Suzette (Spanish)—to discuss how media can enhance the foreign language learning experience. You’ll discover: 🎵 How music supports vocabulary retention and pronunciation🎬 How to […]...

332: Engineering Exploration at Home  In this episode, guest Mariselle Gonzalez, a former semiconductor engineer, talks about engineering exploration at home. She offers practical ways homeschool parents can spark their child’s interest in engineering—no tech degree required! What We Cover in This Episode: Mariselle’s journey from electrical engineering to teaching and curriculum design The many [...

Episode 331: Scavenger Hunts That Bring Local History to Life In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe revisits a topic she first explored back in episode 41 — scavenger hunts! But this time, she brings fresh insights from her recent European adventures, where she completed three different app-based scavenger hunts in Belgium and France. […] The post Scavenger Hunts That Bring Local History...

330:  How I Use AI to Kickstart Creativity Use AI to kickstart creativity—yes, it’s possible! In this episode, Meryl van der Merwe shares seven practical ways she uses AI tools like ChatGPT to spark and support creative thinking. Hopefully, this will give you ideas on how you can use AI as a helpful collaborator when […] The post How I Use AI to Kickstart Creativity appeared first on Ultimat...

329: Teaching Students to Navigate Social Media Teaching students to navigate social media is more important than ever as teens face a constant stream of information, misinformation, and online pressures. In this episode, Meryl Van der Merwe is joined by returning guest Stephanie Simoes, founder of CritiKid, a platform dedicated to teaching kids critical thinking. […] The post Teaching Stude...

328: Useful Technology in Homeschooling Special Needs High Schoolers with Melody Durham In this episode, Meryl chats with homeschool mom, Melody Durham, who shares the tech tools that have helped her dyslexic high schooler succeed. From smart pens to speech-to-text software, Melody explains what’s worked, why it’s made a difference, and how to advocate for […] The post Useful Technology in H...

327:  Fun group games to play online Whether you’re on a long trip, stuck indoors on a rainy day, or trying to connect with faraway family, group games to play online can be a great way to build memories and share laughter. In this episode, Meryl shares the games her Science Olympiad team enjoyed during […] The post Fun group games to play online appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool P...

326: Why Scratch is the Perfect First Programming Language to Learn In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe is joined by returning guest Matthew Jurison, a homeschool teen. Together, they explore why Scratch is an ideal language for beginners learning to code. What You’ll Learn: How Scratch compares to text-based languages like JavaScript and […] The post Why Scratch is the Perfect First P...

Gamified Chess with Duolingo In this episode, we explore Duolingo’s newest addition—chess, which of course is gamified the way their languages are. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why Duolingo has added chess and how it fits into their gamified platform How Duolingo teaches chess step-by-step, making it accessible even for beginners How gamified challenges […] The post Gamified Chess with...

324: Free Online Curriculum In this episode, Meryl shares strategies and specific resources for stretching your homeschool budget by leveraging high-quality free curriculum. You’ll hear about four “all-in-one” programs, dozens of subject-specific tools, how to snag freebies from vendors, and tips for DIYing your own courses with AI assistance. 1. “All-in-One” Homeschool Curricula These comprehensi...

323: Innovative Ways to Use Google Talking Tours In this episode we take a deep dive into Google Talking Tours, an AI-powered tool from Google Arts & Culture that lets users explore landmarks and cultural sites around the world with automatically narrated tours. Whether you’re teaching geography, history, writing, photography, or just looking for an […] The post Innovative Ways to...