Homeschooling with Technology

Meryl has been tracking what technology does to a homeschool since before most of us were paying attention. That is why she gets this question. For the network’s thirteenth birthday, every host answers one real question from a homeschool parent. Here is hers. Her question: “Your teenager is using AI to do their schoolwork, and you have no idea whether to ban it or teach it.” Her answer is the analogy that makes it click: adults use AI like an intern — a junior one, whose work you check. Teens do not see an assistant. They see a replacement, a shortcut, a brain double. We do not use it as a crutch; we use it to help us, and that is what your teen has to learn. The clip comes from Creating an AI Policy for Your Homeschool. Also in this episode: Felice Gerwitz on whether to homeschool at all · Hal and Melanie Young on boys who will not sit still · Dr. Melanie Wilson on why you are already behind · the 7Sisters on the high school transcript · Sue Myers on a fever and a two-year-old · Meredith Curtis on getting the joy back · Lisa Nehring on life skills before they launch. The Sweet 13 Giveaway is open. More than $1,500 in prizes, four drawings across October, and a free party favor for everyone who enters. Enter at ultimateradioshow.com/sweet-13 — October 1 through 29. No purchase necessary, US residents 18+, official rules here. Presented by Eden’s Table. Use code EDEN13. The post Sweet 13 Bonus: My Teen Is Using AI appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

391: Cool History Games Meryl shares a free website that makes practicing history quick and fun: Cool History Games. The site includes several daily history games that work well as a short family activity, a homeschool warm-up, or a transition between subjects. Everything can be played directly in the browser, with no login required. Meryl highlights five daily games: Chronology – Put six historical events in the correct chronological order. Plot Twist – A history-themed version of Two Truths and a Lie. Choose which statement is historically inaccurate, then read the explanation. Speech Match – Match historical quotations with the people who said them. Threads – A Connections-style game where you group historical people, places, and terms that belong together. Portrait – Identify a historical figure as clues are gradually revealed. She also explores Time Trek, a longer choose-your-own-adventure-style history game. Players travel through different historical eras, make decisions, and earn attributes such as health, gold, knowledge, and fame along the way. These games are a simple way to reinforce history knowledge, introduce unfamiliar historical topics, and give students an opportunity to interact with history rather than simply read about it. 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 Cool History Games appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

390: How Homeschool Families Can Use Airtable Have you heard of Airtable but aren’t quite sure what it is—or why a homeschool family might want to use it? In this episode, Gina Steffy from the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network explains how Airtable can help homeschool families organize information, keep records, and create searchable collections of resources. Gina explains that Airtable is essentially a database with a user-friendly interface. Unlike a traditional spreadsheet, it allows you to organize the same information in different ways, attach files and images, create forms, filter records, and easily find what you need later. We also brainstorm plenty of practical ways homeschool families could use Airtable. In this episode, we discuss: What Airtable is and how it differs from Google Sheets or Excel Why Airtable works well for information you want to sort, filter, and search Using templates to get started quickly What is included in Airtable’s free plan Creating a family reading log or book database Organizing field trip ideas by age, location, price, or time required Keeping records of student projects and attaching photos or written work Creating searchable lists of homeschool resources Tracking LEGO creations and other hands-on projects Organizing activity or storage bins Using Airtable for recipes and other family information Why learning to classify and organize information develops critical-thinking skills How Airtable experience can be useful for teens preparing for college and employment Airtable certifications and the value of building technology skills How quickly beginners can create their first useful Airtable Using Airtable tutorials, YouTube, and AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude to learn the software Gina also shares an Airtable Homeschool Starter Guide printable that walks you through creating a simple book list—an easy first Airtable project for your homeschool. A simple project for your teen Instead of learning new software without a purpose, give your teen a real project. Ask them to create an Airtable database your family can actually use. They could organize your books, recipes, field trips, homeschool resources, or another collection of information. They’ll gain practical digital-literacy skills while creating something useful for the whole family. Resources mentioned Airtable Airtable templates and tutorials Gina’s Getting Started with Airtable printable If your homeschool information currently lives in a mixture of spreadsheets, screenshots, notes, papers, and files, Airtable may be worth exploring. 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 How Homeschool Families Can Use Airtable appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

389: Best College Application Resources for Homeschoolers College applications can feel overwhelming, especially once senior year arrives. In this episode, I share several useful websites that can help homeschool families choose colleges, understand the application process, work through essays and recommendations, and make sense of what happens after applications are submitted. These resources are useful for seniors, but many are worth exploring much earlier. Starting in middle or early high school gives students more time to think about what they want in a college and helps reduce stress later. Resources mentioned in this episode FAFSA https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa If your student may apply for financial aid or scholarships, be sure to complete the FAFSA. Parents and students will each need the appropriate accounts, so it is helpful to get those set up before the FAFSA opens. College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ College Scorecard is a helpful place to start comparing colleges. You can filter schools by factors such as: Location Annual cost Degree or major Test scores Urban or rural setting Religious affiliation You can also compare information such as graduation rates, average annual cost, and median earnings after graduation. Appily https://www.appily.com/ Appily offers college search tools, virtual college tours, scholarship information, and quizzes designed to help students think about possible majors and what type of college might be a good fit. Students can also explore factors such as campus culture, demographics, clubs, and other aspects of college life. Common App Resources https://www.commonapp.org/apply/first-year-students This provides a video walkthrough of the Common App. https://www.commonapp.org/apply/fy-toolkit The First-Year Toolkit also covers topics such as: Common App terminology Testing information Recommendation letters Family and teacher brag sheets Application fees and fee waivers Financial aid Resources for international applicants BigFuture by College Board https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/apply-to-college BigFuture includes information about scholarships, college planning, and the application process. Resources include: A 12th-grade college application timeline What to do after applying Early Action and Early Decision College placement tests General college admission guidance BigFuture also has a College Planning for Homeschoolers FAQ, which answers questions specifically relevant to homeschool applicants, including questions about high school codes and account setup. College Essay Guy https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub The College Essay Guy’s resources extend well beyond the main Common App essay. You can find information on: Creating a college list Early Action vs. Early Decision Personal statements Supplemental essays Recommendation letters College interviews Financial aid Understanding financial aid award letters Appealing financial aid decisions There are also free resources for international students, first-generation students, and low-income students. Start collecting resources early Even if your child is not yet a senior, consider creating a digital folder where you can save useful college application information. When application season arrives, you will already have resources available rather than starting from scratch. You can also search the FundaFunda Academy blog for additional articles about college applications, scholarships, and scholarship websites 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 Best College Application Resources for Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

388: Alternatives to Google search with Jo Ebisujima Google Search has changed significantly with the addition of AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. For students especially, this can make it tempting to accept an AI-generated answer without ever visiting the original source or checking whether the information is accurate. In this episode, I talk with veteran homeschooler and educator, Jo Ebisujima, about alternatives to Google Search and why homeschoolers should teach their children to think more carefully about how they search for information online. Jo shares a variety of search engines and browsers families can explore, including options that emphasize privacy, reduce tracking and advertising, or allow users to search without automatically receiving AI-generated answers. We discuss: Why Google’s AI summaries can be problematic for students Why students need to learn to check original sources How different search engines handle privacy, advertising, and AI Alternatives including Startpage, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, UDM14, Mojeek, Dogpile, Brave, Vivaldi, Bing, and Kagi Search tools for deeper research Why students should understand how a free search engine makes money How parents can turn comparing search engines into a media literacy activity How to help teens recognize more reliable online sources Why Reddit, blogs, and other user-generated content should be evaluated carefully rather than automatically trusted One simple activity Jo recommends is giving your children several questions for which you already know the answers. Have them search for the same information using different search engines and compare what they find. Ask your children: Which search engine gave the most useful results? Were the results noticeably different? Was AI automatically included? Were there advertisements? Does the search engine track users? How does the company make money? Which sources appeared near the top? Which search engine would they choose for future research, and why? This is an easy way to introduce discussions about online research, digital privacy, source evaluation, and AI literacy. Be sure to check out Jo’s blog post on this topic, where you can find links to the sites she mentions. Where to find Jo Ebisujima online Main blog: https://www.jojoebi.com/blog-2/ 193 Little Adventures Club site – I create geography and culture packs – https://193littleadventures.com/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/193_little_adventures/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/193littleadventures/ Pinterest – https://jp.pinterest.com/jojoebi Show sponsor FundaFunda Academy For online classes for homeschool students, including Computer Applications, AI for Teens, computer science, and other electives, visit the Computer page on FundaFunda Academy. 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 Alternatives to Google search appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.