The real benefit of all mobile apps, regardless of the primary purpose, is that they help keep people connected, which is exactly how apps can help homeschooling parents across Australia. The Daily Telegraph reported earlier this summer that more than 6 children are being pulled from their mainstream school every week because of problems such as:

– Learning difficulties not being properly dealt with

– Dissatisfaction with educators

– Bullying

A record number of children are now being educated at home in NSW and other states across the country. While the popularity of teaching children from home is on the rise, that doesn’t negate the fact that there are still concerns with homeschooling. One of the main concerns that most parents and educators have about teaching children in a home setting is the potential disconnect between the government mandated education system and what children at home are actually learning. With easy-to-use applications, however, bridging the gap between the two is becoming easier than ever.

Keep Up To Date

Homeschooling parents would really benefit from having at least two mobile apps related to education on their smartphones and tablets: one app that connects them to a credible and preferred homeschooling resource centre where they obtain information such as:

– What to teach their child

– When to teach it

– How to assess their child’s progress (tests, papers, etc.)

The other app could be to the district’s education system. This way parents can receive information and news from both the homeschooling side and the regulated educational side, so they can ensure that their child’s educational requirements are being met.

Send In And Receive Reports

The Board of Studies has reported that they only need to check in with homeschooling parents and children every 6 months to 2 years. They do this by asking parents to submit to an accreditation process and stop by for a home visit. With that kind of lapse in between routine “checks”, this means that the school boards are grossly out of touch with their homeschooled children.

There are a number of reasons behind why this is, but having an application that allows for reports to be easily and seamlessly sent in at predefined intervals can definitely improve the communication process. Parents can easily send progress reports in to the Board of Studies. They can receive updates and reminders from the Home Education Association. The communication channels can be opened in a way that was never before possible.

Online Testing

There are some murmurings that some schools may also begin using mobile apps to conduct formal testing. This means that homeschooled children, in the future, may be able to take government tests right along with their peers in the future and send it in electronically.