Homeschooling with Technology
331 episodes Last Updated: Jul 02, 25
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.
Episodes
Jul 02, 2025
How I Use AI to Kickstart Creativity
330: How I Use AI to Kickstart Creativity Use AI to kickstart creativity—yes, it’s possible! In this episode, Meryl van der Merwe shares seven practical ways she uses AI tools like ChatGPT to spark and support creative thinking. Hopefully, this will give you ideas on how you can use AI as a helpful collaborator when […]
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Jun 25, 2025
Teaching Students to Navigate Social Media
329: Teaching Students to Navigate Social Media Teaching students to navigate social media is more important than ever as teens face a constant stream of information, misinformation, and online pressures. In this episode, Meryl Van der Merwe is joined by returning guest Stephanie Simons, founder of CritiKid, a platform dedicated to teaching kids critical thinking. […]
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328: Useful Technology in Homeschooling Special Needs High Schoolers with Melody Durham In this episode, Meryl chats with homeschool mom, Melody Durham, who shares the tech tools that have helped her dyslexic high schooler succeed. From smart pens to speech-to-text software, Melody explains what’s worked, why it’s made a difference, and how to advocate for […]
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Jun 11, 2025
Fun group games to play online
327: Fun group games to play online Whether you’re on a long trip, stuck indoors on a rainy day, or trying to connect with faraway family, group games to play online can be a great way to build memories and share laughter. In this episode, Meryl shares the games her Science Olympiad team enjoyed during […]
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326: Why Scratch is the Perfect First Programming Language to Learn In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe is joined by returning guest Matthew Jurison, a homeschool teen. Together, they explore why Scratch is an ideal language for beginners learning to code. What You’ll Learn: How Scratch compares to text-based languages like JavaScript and […]
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May 28, 2025
Gamified Chess with Duolingo
Gamified Chess with Duolingo In this episode, we explore Duolingo’s newest addition—chess, which of course is gamified the way their languages are. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why Duolingo has added chess and how it fits into their gamified platform How Duolingo teaches chess step-by-step, making it accessible even for beginners How gamified challenges […]
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May 21, 2025
Free online curriculum
324: Free Online Curriculum In this episode, Meryl shares strategies and specific resources for stretching your homeschool budget by leveraging high-quality free curriculum. You’ll hear about four “all-in-one” programs, dozens of subject-specific tools, how to snag freebies from vendors, and tips for DIYing your own courses with AI assistance. 1. “All-in-One” Homeschool Curricula These comprehensive […]
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May 14, 2025
Innovative Ways to use Google Talking Tours
323: Innovative Ways to Use Google Talking Tours In this episode we take a deep dive into Google Talking Tours, an AI-powered tool from Google Arts & Culture that lets users explore landmarks and cultural sites around the world with automatically narrated tours. Whether you’re teaching geography, history, writing, photography, or just looking for an […]
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322 : Online help for homeschool children with learning challenges Episode Summary: In this episode, Meryl chats with Krisa Wynn about Homeschool Heroes, an online platform designed to support homeschool families with children who have learning challenges — or as they call them, “unique learners.” Krisa shares how the platform provides free and paid resources, […]
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Apr 23, 2025
Why Math Should Be Fun
321: Why Math Should Be Fun In this episode, host Meryl van der Merwe is joined by Mina Neuberg from Wonder Math, to explore why making math fun is essential. Topics Covered: The connection between math and technology careers Why so many students and parents struggle with math anxiety How a growth mindset can transform […]
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