💻 The Essential Homeschooling Software Suite

Using technology to support your child's learning can greatly enhance the quality of their education. Whether your child is engaging in online learning or not, the right software and tools can help families organize learning activities and connect with other homeschoolers in their community.

Here are some of our favorite software and online resources to support modular learning:

• For kids: Khan Academy Kids or Khan Academy for mastery-based adaptive learning, Beast Academy for math, and Meta Portal for facilitating seamless online-tutoring that almost feels in-person.

• For parents: Local Facebook Groups (for finding friends and homeschool programs), Indeed for finding teachers, and our own Modular Learning Community (for global connections and support) and Modulo Curriculum Planner (for choosing curriculum).

• Software like Google Drive: can help create a homeschool portfolio and document learning outcomes, while adaptive learning apps like MobyMax can help track progress, providing accountability and support.

Read on to discover our full suite of favorite software and hardware for modular learning.

The 21 Best Homeschooling Software and Hardware Tools for Modular Learning

Social

1. Facebook Unschooling Groups Join your local Facebook unschooling group to meet secular homeschoolers near you. These groups can help you make friends by providing a platform to connect with like-minded individuals who share a common interest in secular homeschooling.

   Alternatives: Online forums such as Meetup.com, homeschooling conferences, local homeschool co-ops, and community events.

2. SEA Homeschoolers or Modular Learning Community Large, global, online communities like SEA Homeschoolers and the Modular Learning Community on Slack and Facebook can help you get support and advice and connect with modular learners near you.

   Caution: Online parenting groups can sometimes spread misinformation. The Modulo Community is facilitated by experienced educators and certified child life specialists to ensure parents get accurate information based on scientific evidence and best practices about children’s education and well-being.

Academic

1. Modulo Curriculum Planner The Modulo Curriculum Planner helps families find the ideal K-12 curricula for their unique child, aligned with their family’s values and goals. This free planner helps you find a secular, mastery-based curriculum customized to your child’s learning style.

2. Khan Academy Kids (PreK-2nd) or Khan Academy (PreK-12th) Khan Academy provides free educational content in various subjects for learners of all ages. It's a great way to get started as it provides a complete curriculum for free.

   Caution: Khan Academy's standardized, online approach may not suit every child's individual learning style. Explore other curriculum options using the curriculum planner and our guide to secular curriculum.

3. Beast Academy (PreK-8th) Beast Academy is a standout online, adaptive, mastery-based math program for kids in grades PreK-8th. Younger kids may prefer Homer, while older teens can use AoPS.

4. YouTube Premium For $9.99 a month, kids have ad-free access to some of the best teachers in the world. YouTube Premium enriches learning by providing an ad-free platform with educational videos, documentaries, and more.

   Safety Tips: Ensure your child uses YouTube Kids for a safer experience with additional parental controls and content filtering.

5. Audible Audible is a fantastic resource for building listening comprehension skills and giving auditory learners access to a world of information.

   Balance: While beneficial, balance audiobook listening with other forms of reading and activities that promote physical activity and social interaction.

Operations and Management

1. LinkedIn or Indeed For finding and recruiting homeschool teachers, LinkedIn and Indeed are effective platforms. LinkedIn works better for targeted recruitment, while Indeed is best for broadcasting to a large base of potential candidates.

2. WhatsApp or Slack Use WhatsApp or Slack to bring homeschool teachers and caregivers into a central communication channel to coordinate education and childhood development.

3. Google Drive Google Drive is ideal for building homeschool portfolios. It allows parents to store and organize documents, worksheets, photos, and videos in one accessible place. Google Docs is also excellent for collaborative writing projects.

4. Canva Canva offers fun and helpful homeschool templates for creating schedules, reports, and portfolios. Its simple drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to use for visual content creation.

Online Learning

1. Zoom Zoom is excellent for online playdates, tutoring, and classes, offering features like breakout rooms and virtual backgrounds to create an engaging learning environment.

2. Meta Portal Plus MetaPortal Plus is a game-changer for online learning, featuring a 3D camera that tracks movements and advanced sound recognition that picks up even the softest whispers, making online classes more interactive and engaging.

3. iPad (especially iPad Pro) or Laptop While MetaPortal is great, kids can’t screen share on Zoom with it. An iPad or a standard laptop is essential for screen sharing and making eye contact, which is important for early childhood development.

Accountability

1. MobyMax MobyMax offers accessible norm-referenced assessments and adaptive lessons to help kids close learning gaps. It's a great tool to track progress and measure learning outcomes.

2. Homeschool Boss Homeschool Boss provides nationally-normed, standardized testing via the MAP Growth test. This adaptive test measures a student's academic growth in math, reading, and language usage, providing a personalized assessment experience.

In Summary

Choosing the right hardware and software for modular learning can help you make friends, document progress, measure and improve the quality of your child’s online learning experience. This suite of tools and resources covers social interaction, academic planning, online learning, and accountability, offering a comprehensive support system for homeschool families.

If you feel overwhelmed with all the information and strategies about modular learning, stay tuned for our next post, which will provide a quick checklist to help you get started easily with modular learning and ensure this experience is successful for you and your kids.