283 episodes
Homeschooling with Technology Meryl van der Merwe
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- Education
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5.0 • 33 Ratings
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The Homeschooling with Technology Podcast is a weekly show, hosted by Meryl van der Merwe, where she shares ideas on how to use technology to be more productive as a homeschool parent and on how to use technology to make lessons more engaging. In addition, she covers techie skills your children need to learn and how to easily incorporate them into your homeschooling. Meryl homeschooled her 4 children after working as a computer programmer for many years. She uses technology whenever she can when teaching both live co-op classes and online classes for homeschoolers. In this podcast, she shares all the best tech resources she finds with you.
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Finding and Using Online Classes for Homeschooling Effectively
277: Finding and Using Online Classes for Homeschooling Effectively
In this episode we look at the importance of finding and using online classes as part of homeschooling effectively.
Choosing the Right Online Class:
Determine your goals and what's best for your children.
Consider your children's learning styles and your budget.
Decide on the level of flexibility needed (live classes vs. asynchronous classes).
Accommodate any learning disabilities your children may have.
Decide whether the class will be the sole learning source or a supplement.
Ask for recommendations from friends, homeschool groups, and online forums.
Read reviews and watch class demos to narrow down your choices.
Get input from your high school-aged children.
Using Online Classes Effectively:
Remember that you are the homeschool parent in charge of your children's education.
Monitor your children's progress and ensure they complete assignments on time.
Provide technical assistance and help with scheduling, especially for younger children.
Communicate with teachers about any learning disabilities or family issues.
Teach high schoolers how to communicate with teachers directly.
Monitor grades and address any issues promptly.
Discuss the appropriate use of AI in classes with your children.
Previous episodes mentioned
Episode 220 - How to use the internet to find the right curriculum for your child
Episode 194 - The role of parents in online classes
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 into 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
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Replay with Update: Online Stock Market Resources
This is a replay of episode 95 - you can find the original show notes here.
The Stock Market Contest run by show sponsor FundaFunda Academy is happening this summer - June 1 to July 31 for grades 4 - 12. You can register here. -
Making Math Fun: Building a Thriving Homeschool Math Club
276: Making Math Fun: Building a Thriving Homeschool Math Club
My guest, Haley Story, has built a thriving homeschool math club and taught children that math can be fun. Haley was on episode 243 where she talked to us about Math Contests
These are the questions Haley answers in this episode:
1. Why did you start a math club
2. How did you get the word out
3. What do you do during math club? What resources do you use?
4 How many attend and how do you cope with the different ability levels.
5. How do you make it fun
Resources used in the Math Club
* The National Math Club by Mathcounts
* Art of Problem Solving - for advanced students and for contest prep
* Logic puzzles and warmups: Critical Thinking Company
* Challenge problems: practice contests from Noetic
* Problem of the Week from Mathcounts
* Beast Academy for younger students
* Math Is Fun
* Math board games, dice games, and card games
Board games that are NOT “math games” but that do a great job of teaching math
* For Sale
* Incan Gold
* SET!
* Farkle
* Quixx
* Nertz/ Dutch Blitz
* 6 Nimmt - original German Version, US version
* Skyjo
Be sure to listen to the episode to hear exactly how Haley started the m... -
Web Development for Homeschoolers
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 ideal age for kids to start learning web development, free online resources, and the benefits of taking a structured web development course.
Robert Walsh was also a guest on Episode 266 where he talked about teaching students to use Tinkercad.
What is Web Development?
Creating content that displays inside a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
Building dynamic and interactive web pages with coding
Requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
HTML = Structure
CSS = Appearance
JavaScript = Interactivity and behavior
Why Learn Web Development Instead of Using Drag-and-Drop Tools?
Drag-and-drop tools have limitations and may not give the desired result
Learning HTML, CSS allows customization beyond drag-and-drop capabilities
Adding custom JavaScript enables complex behaviors not possible with drag-and-drop
Age to Start Learning Web Development:
Middle school age (6th or 7th grade) can conceptually grasp the basics
Need to be comfortable with a computer keyboard
Ability to differentiate syntax between HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Free Resources for Learning:
W3Schools (https://www.w3schools.com/)
Mozilla Developer Network (MDN Web Docs) (https://developer.mozilla.org/)
YouTube tutorials and online resources (search for "web development tutorials")
Benefits of Taking a Web Development Course:
Get feedback and assistance from experienced instructors
Learn best practices and coding conventions
Structured curriculum and guidance
Robert's Web Development Course Offerings
Half-credit high school course, but open to middle schoolers from show sponsor FundaFunda Academy - Intro to Web Development
Robert's Excalibur Solutions STEM Academy (subscription model) provides access to web development along with other STEM courses
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 into 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 -
Ethical AI Use for Scholarship Success
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 Facebook group, Scholarship Help and College Talk for Parents.
Topics Covered:
Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to write scholarship essays - why it's a bad idea
Red flags that scholarship providers look for to detect AI-written essays (strange word choices, lack of personal stories/details, similar phrasing across essays)
Potential positive uses of AI for scholarship applications (grammar correction, brainstorming ideas, rephrasing)
How scholarship requirements may change due to AI (more personal questions, video essay submissions)
Importance of developing your own authentic voice and not relying too heavily on AI
Key Takeaways:
Scholarship providers want to hear your unique personal story - AI cannot replicate this
Use AI as a tool for brainstorming, grammar checks, etc. but don't let it write your essays
Be prepared for scholarship apps to crack down on AI use and require disclosure
Work on developing skills like video editing as more visual components may be required
The ethical use of AI writing tools is crucial for long-term success
Resources Mentioned:
Monica's website: http://howtowinscholarships.com
Facebook group: Scholarship Help and College Talk for Parents
Monica's ebook guides
Sign up for Monica's newsletter for upcoming scholarship lists
Episode 15 on finding/winning scholarships
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 into 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 -
Engaging Online Art History Resources
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 art history section with engaging articles
Art History School – artist biographies explored by Paul Priestly
Artthropology.com– a collection of art history videos an art history teacher has put up on her site from various sources
Khan Academy – their art history videos
Art Museum Websites
MoMA
The Met
The Whitney
YouTube Channels for Videos:
National Galleries Scotland & Royal Academy of Arts – videos on movements, artists, exhibitions
The Magnificent Paintbrush – excellent, short artist bios from an elementary art teacher
Tate YouTube Channel:
The National Gallery YouTube Channel
Favorite art channel on this list is The Art Assignment. It's a PBS Digital Studios channel uploads videos focus on contemporary art. Host Sarah Urist Green interviews the artists from around the world and the artists give an assignment to the audience.
Holly's Art History Class
https://www.fundafundaacademy.com/product/art-history/
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 into 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
Customer Reviews
Relevant, Useful Information for Teens
I just listened to the “Apps for High School Students” episode. It was filled with helpful recommendations of educational apps that teens can use to organize their busy schedules. As a high schooler myself I am excited to look into some of the apps that were mentioned. It can be so difficult to find quality, free apps that are school-related. This podcast episode has made that job so much easier. Thank you Meryl and Natalie!
So much to love!
This is one of my favorite homeschool podcasts. The episodes are packed with useful suggestions for ways to engage kids and teens in learning through a variety of mediums. I have found so many helpful recommendations through Meryl’s podcast. Love it!
Outstanding podcast!
This is probably the only podcast that I actively listen to, instead of just having it play in the background. The resources listed in each podcast are ones that I would have never found on my own, and we have used many of them to enhance our homeschool experience. This is worth listening to from the very first episode to find the resources that your learner could benefit from.
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