Homeschooling with Technology

275:` Web Development for Homeschoolers In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe interviews Robert Walsh, an experienced web developer and educator from Excalibur Solutions Stem Academy. They dive into the fundamentals of web development, discussing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the advantages of learning to code websites over using drag-and-drop builders. Robert shares insights on […] The pos...

274: Ethical AI Use for Scholarship Success Guest, Monica Matthews, a scholarship expert, talks to us about Ethical AI use for scholarship success for your children. Monica was also the guest on episode 117 where she shared tips for completing online scholarship applications that will help students be successful. Find Monica at her website, How 2 Win Scholarships, her Facebook page and her [&#8230...

273: Engaging online art history resources In today’s episode, guest Holly Egan who teaches the Art History class for teens at show sponsor FundaFunda Academy, shares her favorite online art history resources. Main supplemental websites for her art history class: Smart History -Has over 800 contributors from all over the world https://smarthistory.org/ National Geographic – great […] T...

  272: Vacation Planning with AI In this episode one Vacation Planning with AI, Meryl discusses using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, and others to plan their upcoming summer road trip out west in their Sprinter van. She shares her experience asking the AI for suggestions on stops, restaurants, activities and more along their […] The post Vacation Planning with AI appeared first...

271: Magic Student AI Tools This episode covers the Magic Student AI tools  from Magic School, following last week’s episode ( (Episode 270 – Magic School AI)) on the teacher tools. Magic School Features to Explore New Google Chrome extension to easily access the tools New YouTube channel explaining how the different products work Can […] The post Magic Student AI Tools appeared...

270: Magic School AI In  this episode we explore a new resource called Magic School AI, which can be used by homeschoolers to help their children retain and understand concepts, and provide engaging ideas for lessons. In this episode we look at the tools for teachers (ie would be used by the homeschool parent). Next […] The post Magic School AI appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast N...

269: Teen Podcasters Share Their Journey   In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe interviews Laila Alvarez and Damien Segovia, two homeschooled teen podcasters, who share their experience starting and running their own podcast called “IKR?!”. Topics Covered: What inspired Laila and Damien to start a podcast The name and focus of their podcast […] The post Teen Podcasters...

268 : Importance of critical thinking skills in navigating social media Guest Stephanie Simoes  from Critikid.com talks about the Importance of Critical Thinking Skills in Navigating Social Media and how to teach our children these skills. Key Points: Critical thinking involves the ability to distinguish between logical and flawed reasoning, understanding logical fallacies, cognitive biases, [&#82...

267:  Comparing AI Assistants In this episode you will find me comparing AI Assistants – depending on your needs your favorites may be different to mine, so I suggest you try them all out too!. Just as you probably have a favorite supermarket, you will likely have a favorite AI assistant after you try some […] The post Comparing AI Assistants appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podca...

266:Teaching students to use Tinkercad     Robert Walsh from Excalibur Solutions Stem Academy explains the why and the how behind teaching students to use Tinkercad. What is STEM? Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Why does my child need STEM education even if they aren’t interested in a STEM career? Children do not know what they […] The post Teaching students...

265: 10 Ways I am using AI in 2024   I use AI like I would a personal assistant. I give clear instructions and check the results. I use it for tasks that free me up to be creative in other areas, or to help me get started on a task. Here are 10 ways […] The post 10 Ways I am using AI in 2024 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network .

264: The Anton App: Interactive Lessons for Kids The Anton App offers bite-sized interactive learning opportunities for K – 8th grade. It is free and some of its features include: Works on all devices No ads Earn coins for games Covers a wide range of subjects Can customize avatars to look like oneself Games are […] The post The Anton App: Interactive Lessons for Kids appeared first on...

263: Gamified Science Apps for Neurodiverse Brains In today’s episode, host Meryl Van Der Merwe interviews homeschooling mom And Clark about two gamified science apps she uses with her neurodiverse kids — Brilliant  and TytoOnline. These gamified science apps make science interactive and engaging for both neurodiverse and neurotypical students. Brilliant offers supplemental math and [&...

  262: Equipping your children for careers in an AI world   With the AI revolution upon us and facing a future we can only guess at, how do we  homeschoolers equip our children for careers in an AI world? Key Topics Covered: How rapidly AI is changing and transforming the job landscape 3 scenarios […] The post Equipping your children for careers in an AI world appeared first on Ult...

 261: Benefits of video projects   There are many benefits of  video projects for homeschool students – and this episode unpacks some of those benefits Main Points: Kids and teens enjoy the video medium and will likely enjoy creating videos Video creation is a useful skill for college and jobs There are many scholarships that […] The post Benefits of Video Projects appeared first on Ul...

260: Unlocking the Power of Padlet 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: What is Padlet How does it work Pricing Accessibility Expanding features eg export as pdf or a slideshow Templates – eg […] The post Unlocking the Power of Padlet appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast...

259: Duolingo Math 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! Currently only available on iPhone app (coming soon to Android & browsers) Two levels so far: Beginner and Intermediate Can skip Beginner and go straight to Intermediate […] The post Duolingo Math appeared first on Ultimate...

258: From Tech Consumer to Creator 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: Pexels – […] The post From Tech Consumer to Tech Creator appeared first on Ulti...

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 Canva ChatGPT or […] The post 12 Tech Tools to try in your homeschool in 2024 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podc...

Teaching Economics Through Online Games 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 […] The post Teaching Economics Through Online Games app...

255: Kitchen Science with Randi Smith 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 Kitchen Science Lab Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking Randi’s blog post with all the […] The post Kitchen Science appeared first on Ultimate H...

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 .

254: Tech the Halls: STEM Christmas gifts 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 * Mentioned: 30 Days […] The post Tech the Halls: STEM Christmas gifts appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Po...

253: Hour of Code 2023 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 […] The post Hour of Code 2023 appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network .

252: Ideas for Using New AI Tools in Canva 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 […] The post Ideas for Using New AI Tools in Canva appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool P...