Parents choosing to homeschool in this digital age can sometimes get overwhelmed with all of the devices, apps, and software that can be used to educate their children at home.
Avoiding these five key dangers in digital homeschooling can save you time, money, and sanity.
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5 Dangers to Avoid in Digital Homeschooling
1. Upgrading devices more often than necessary.
If you’re like me, you always want the latest and the greatest. It’s nice to have more storage, more speed, more anything when it comes to technology. However, many times the last version or two previous versions of a device or software will work just fine. Knowing when it’s time upgrade is tough but you should balance your desire to have something new with what you need.
2. “Edutainment” apps that are more entertaining than educational.
I get a lot of requests to review apps. Sometimes developers try to sell their app as educational when, in fact, it’s far from the truth. Be wary of apps that claim to be educational and entertain.
3. Purchasing modular apps or apps that require micro-payments.
This one drives me nuts! I purchase an inexpensive app of download one for free and my kids get bombarded with either ads or enticed to upgrade. Another thing I can’t stand is when developers have modules for their apps. I’d rather pay one price for the app up front and not have to worry about advertising or being enticed to upgrade the app.
4. Too much screen time, especially for young children.
I like to refer to this a “screen creep”. Since our kids are using computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices it’s possible for them to spend many hours in front of a screen. Try to break up the screen time or have “screen-free” times of the day. Have them get up from the couch or computer and go outside and play or do something that doesn’t involve a screen like a puzzle or board game.
5. Not understanding the technology your kids are using.
This is the biggest mistake I’ve seen. I’ve gotten questions from parents who bought something for their kids and want to know how to enable the parental controls. Before you buy a device, make sure you know how to use it and and how you want your kids to use it. It will alleviate a lot of frustration.

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