This week on HSHSP Ep 184: Best Educational Apps and Audits for Homeschool Families, Interview with Leah Nieman.

HSHSP Ep 184: Best Educational Apps and Audits for Homeschool Families, Interview with Leah Nieman

We hear so much bad news about the digital world and various apps. Not all apps are bad! In fact, there are some excellent choices for educational apps that can really be of help to homeschool high schoolers! You will find out about it in this episode where Vicki is joined again today by Leah Nieman of LeahNieman.com. She joins us for two topics today:

• Best Educational Apps for Teens
• Social Media Audits for Teens

The first topic we are discussing today is based on Leah’s blog series: Best Educational Apps for Homeschool Families.

Not all apps are bad for teens! In fact, Leah has found some apps that will be marvelous additions to the educational process.

Leah says that the more homeschoolers are on productive education apps, the less they will try to occupy their minds on mindless apps. Parents can feel good about apps that answer these questions:

• Is it quality content
• Does it help my child be productive
• Does it help them develop skills

Leah suggests a number of great apps in her Best apps series, including these apps for homeschool high schoolers.

• Google Drive: This storage and collaborative project app. Teens can also store photos and files there that they will need later or use it for group projects. Teens will be using Google Drive in college or some job situations.
• Study Blue: This is a flashcard and quiz app. Teens can find quizzes already made or create their own flashcards. Teens learn a lot by simply creating their own study tools on this app. It is a great time-filler when driving home, waiting for a doctor’s appointment. This is a great way to study for ACT or SAT vocabulary and math skills.
• Periodic Table apps
• Graphing Calculator apps: Saves a LOT of money
• Easy Bib: Formats bibliographies as your teens write their research papers. Properly formats citations for their teens. This is a great resource! This is a highly recommended app by college students.
• Onenote and Evernote: These are apps that help teens store and organize notes and resources: These keep information and resources organized (and not lost) and can be shared when working on a team.

Leah also does social media audits

When doing a social media audit, Leah goes through all social media accounts to check the social media footprint to make sure these *speak what you want*. This is a useful process for teens who are applying to a competitive college or a private college who is serious about the kinds of students they admit. Some employers check social media accounts, also.

When conducting a social media audit, Leah:

• Sends a questionnaire to define goals and dreams
• Holds a kickoff session to discuss social media audit and strategies
• Finds unused accounts and close them down.
• Searches through social media accounts to clean up anything questionable
• Teaches teens what they should be posting if they are *branding* themselves for college or career:
  • Values
  • Causes and ideas they are passionate about (this is important for teens going to college into majors where this will be a plus)
  • Skills
  • Accomplishments (This is not bragging. Begin to think of your social media as a branding tool and extra resume.)
• Provides a report.
• Sends a video with how-to’s and valuable information
• Gives a 45 minute strategy session on building a social media strategy for building attractiveness to colleges and employers.
• Sends ollow-up email with strategy notes and videos
• Later on, follows up to see if there are stuck points or questions

As parents we sometimes we are so concerned about our teens’ social media, but we might need social media audits, too. Parents may have done too much *sharenting* by posting embarrassing information about our kids over the years. Leah ferrets this out and helps parents get rid of it. Vicki points out that many of us digital immigrants do not have the time or skills to be able to do our own social media audits!

• If you would like to discuss with Leah Nieman about social media audits for your teens, you or your whole family, contact her here.
• Facebook/LeahNieman This is a MARVELOUS facebook group.
• Opt into her newsletter at LeahNieman.com
• Listen to her podcast Teens and Technology

Are you starting to believe you need to really increase your knowledge of the digital world with your teens? Check out this interview with Leah on the good and bad of the digital world.

You will also LOVE all the episodes at Homeschooling with Technology, with our friend Meryl van der Merve. (Start with this interview on Homeschool High School Podcast on technology skills all homeschool high schoolers need.)

HSHSP Ep 184: Best Educational Apps and Audits for Homeschool Families, Interview with Leah Nieman

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