Digital Learning Tools Archives - Techie Homeschool Mom

Olympics STEM Activity: Creating Graphs with Google Sheets

Let’s be real, my friend. We homeschool mommas like to turn whatever we can into an educational experience, right? With the Olympics fast approaching, we’ve got the perfect chance! Tackling Phys Ed is a given because you’re learning about different sports. And you can totally cover geography by learning about the different countries competing. History? No problem…just learn about the ancient Olympics. And there are plenty of notebooking and lapbooking options to practice writing. But, how about techin’ your Olympics study? Have you considered ways to reach STEM standards? Try out this STEM activity from the Olympics Online Unit Study. By … [Read on, my friend]

Techin’ Your Homeschool: Favorite Webtools

Techin’ Your Homeschool is a video show, intended to inspire and equip you, my homeschooling momma friend, as you guide your digital learners. I alternate between Periscope and Facebook Live, so follow me both places to find out when I’m “live”. CLICK HERE to follow me on Periscope. CLICK HERE to follow me on Facebook. “Like” the page and edit notification settings for videos. For more techie homeschool inspiration, join the Techin’ Your Homeschool community on Facebook. Click each image to watch an episode of Techin’ Your Homeschool.

Homeschool Webtools: Educaplay

Remember using graph paper as a kid to make word searches? Growing up, I would spend hours making crossword puzzles and word searches for my sisters. I’d put them in little books with riddles and mazes. That was my jam, my friend. So, I’m sure you can imagine the degree of geekiness that kicked in when I discovered a webtool that takes word puzzle. Educaplay is designed as a tool for teachers, allowing them to gamify the information they are teaching. But, I see it as having more value by letting our kids create games and puzzles. We all learn by … [Read on, my friend]

Online Learning Sites Our Family Uses

When people hear that we do most of our learning online, they are curious about which resources we use. These are the websites that we have liked best. Khan Academy Mango Languages Dreambox Learning Starfall Typing.com Math Aids Handwriting Practice Online Unit Studies Skrafty Creative Live Coursera Udemy DIY.org Code.org We watch lots of shows and movies to learn about things. These are our favorite streaming sites. VidAngel Netflix Amazon Prime Video How about you, my friend? What online resources do you use for your homeschooling? For more online homeschool resources, follow my Homeschool Learning Online Pinterest board.

How Our Digital Homeschool Evolved

I recently discovered this video by BestReviews trending on social media, and it caught my attention. This “Evolution of the Desk” got me thinking about the evolution of our homeschool room and resources over the past 12 years. I considered all the materials I had when we started homeschooling my now 17-year-old. We had a whole bookshelf dedicated to curriculum, workbooks and activity idea books. Two shelves were reserved for the 100+ books that we’d have checked out at the library at a time. We dedicated half of our family room as the “school area”. Now that we’ve embraced … [Read on, my friend]

The Homeschool Mom’s Guide: Using Social Media as a Learning Tool

Have you ever considered social media sites as learning tools? Is social media a part of your homeschool lesson plans? You probably haven’t considered this because we are the first generation of digital immigrants raising digital natives. So it isn’t very natural for us to consider the multiple uses of online tools. But, it is second nature to our kids. And they learn differently than we did when we were their age. [Related Post: What Homeschoolers Don’t Know (& what they need)] I am one of those who believes that social media isn’t all that bad…if it is used properly. … [Read on, my friend]

Digital Homeschool Project: Virtual Art Gallery

I’m always on the lookout for nifty webtools for home learning projects. Our kids are digital natives and have different learning needs than we did at their age. Navigating online and using digital tools is second nature. We need to guide them towards productive tech use and assign some digital projects as part of their home education. [Related post: What Homeschoolers Don’t Know (& what they need)] I discovered Emaze, a phenomenal tool for creating presentations. It’s Powerpoint on steroids and a “must have” for your homeshool’s webtoolbox. How would your kids like to create a virtual art gallery using Emaze? … [Read on, my friend]

What Are You Teaching Your Kids About Social Media?

Let’s talk about social media. For us parents, it’s a hot topic. We wonder, “Should I let my kids engage in social media? When? Is it safe? What if they see something they shouldn’t? What if they get addicted? What rules do I need to set?” The uncertainties go on and on. That’s because we are the first generation of digital moms who need to figure this out. We can’t ignore it. Social media and online relating are here to stay. If we do our job properly, our kids will one day leave our care and make decisions on their … [Read on, my friend]

The Homeschool Mom’s Guide: Using Online Images in Student Projects

Let’s face it, my homeschoolin’ momma friend. Our kids learn differently than we did at their age. They have access to all the information they need in their back pockets. They can run circles around us when it comes to navigating apps and computer programs. And they are bold about trying new learning webtools. [Related post: What Homeschoolers Don’t Know (& what they need] And here we are, digital immigrants, with the duty to guide our digital natives toward healthy media habits and productive tech usage. We need to teach them how to use technology appropriately and responsibly. Now, you … [Read on, my friend]

A Homeschool Mom’s “Must Have” Webtools for Teaching Writing

This week I read a post at My Learning Table with ‘7 Tips for Teaching Teen Writers’. As a former English teacher and current facilitator for a homeschool teen literature group, Anne shared her discovery that ”many homeschool moms don’t even know where to begin teaching writing to their teens.” In her post, she identified two types of writers and ‘7 Tips for Teaching Teen Writers‘ through the writing process of Prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, proofreading and publishing. You may remember the good ol’ writing process from your days as a student. However, you may not realize that the “how … [Read on, my friend]