How to Homeschool With Techie Tools (Even if You’re Not Techie)

I get a little bit jealous when I think about how our kids get to learn today.  There are so many techie tools and learning resources that just weren’t around even 20 years ago (I didn’t even have a cell phone until I went to college).

As cool as these tools are though, they can sometimes be intimidating.  Most of the time, using them is second nature to our kids, but there can be a lot for us as homeschool moms to wrap our brains around to meet the needs of our digital learners (you can check out what those needs are HERE).  Maybe you have wondered: what kinds of technology do I need in my homeschool?  How do I get all of my digital resources organized?  How do I incorporate these techie tools into our lessons and projects, educating my kids in a way that truly benefits them?

Although we won’t cover everything you need to know about technology in your homeschool in this post, I want to encourage you that there are a lot of fun ways to utilize techie tools (and good reasons that you should).  Even if you aren’t techie yourself, I have a few tips for you on how to get started.

Here are five ways to get started techin’ your homeschool and meeting the needs of your digital learners.

Validate techie interests and talents

Just like some children have artistic or science-related skills and talents, some kids are drawn to techie pursuits. Putting these interests down or trying to ignore them is neither kind nor healthy. Make every effort to equip your child to pursue any interests, no matter how foreign they seem to you. I’ve got some great ideas for tech-focused online classes listed HERE.

Instill a healthy attitude about techie tools

It’s so important that you sit down as a family to discuss and establish healthy tech habits and limits. If you feel your kids may be wasting time on their screens, try asking them some of these questions to discover what’s going on. Remember, technology is a tool in homeschooling, not a toy, but you might find that you also need to change your attitude!

Create projects with web tools

Even if you’re still a bit intimidated by technology, you’d be amazed how comfortable your kids are with web tools! Creating a project to summarize or articulate the results of their learning is a great way for your students to “own” and internalize the process of learning.

You’ll find lots of project ideas and tutorials in my Techie Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Digital Student Projects course.

Enroll in online courses

I’m not referring to “virtual academies” here (which are often simply public school curricula accessed online), but rather video courses. You can use this Ultimate List of Online Courses for Homeschoolers to find the best courses for your family.

Supplement book learning with websites and videos

One really popular method of homeschooling is the unit study method. Using unit studies is a great way to begin finding and incorporating techie tools into your homeschool. For example, while we still LOVE our local library, we’ve shifted from solely getting library books about our chosen topic to using ebooks and finding information and activities online. I love reducing clutter! And bonus – my kids were learning to navigate the web safely (with supervision).

I now have many internet-based unit studies published in my shop. I would love for you to check out these Online Unit Studies, and use them too. It will save you from having to scour the web for the best websites and videos for your own unit studies if you (and your kids) enjoy this method.

If you are worried, however, about finding a balance between tech work and book work in your homeschool, here are my best tips.

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Technology isn’t going away. And we have such a great opportunity for meaningful incorporation of technology in our homeschools. Even if it’s intimidating to you, fellow digital immigrant, you can embrace it and help your kids use technology in your homeschool in a valuable way.

If you want to learn even more about incorporating techie tools into your homeschool, here’s a brief beginners guide from my blog; I also share how to choose the right tools here. And if you have any questions along your journey, you’ll find lots of support from other homeschool moms in the Techin’ Your Homeschool Facebook group.

So let’s hear it in the comments: What steps have you taken to start techin’ your homeschool? If none, which techie tools are you thinking about using?