Category: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Computer Technology, Cryptocurrency, High School, High School Credit, High School Electives, Homeschool High School, Mr D Math

Why Blockchain Genesis Became One of Our Most Unexpectedly Valuable High School Electives

Little Learner and Mom

I received Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block and Mr. D Homework Helper for my honest review.

I will be honest when my son first showed interest in learning more about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, I realized very quickly that I had a lot to learn myself. Like many homeschool parents, I had heard the words “crypto,” “blockchain,” and “digital wallets,” but I did not fully understand how they worked or how deeply connected they are becoming to our everyday lives. Over the last few months, my son and I have been slowly working through the new Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block course from Mr. D Math together, along with using the Mr. D Homework Helper, and it honestly turned into one of the most eye-opening courses we have added to our homeschool this year. What started as “just another elective” quickly became something much bigger meaningful conversations about online safety, financial responsibility, technology, scams, digital footprints, and the future our teens are growing up in.

One of the things I appreciated most was that this course did not assume students already understood cryptocurrency or technology. Instead, it walks students through the concepts in a way that feels approachable, relevant, and practical for real life. Even as a parent, I found myself learning something new during almost every lesson.

What Is Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block?

Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block is designed to introduce students to the foundations of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in a way that is approachable for teens and homeschool families. The course breaks down complicated topics into manageable lessons that students can actually understand. The lessons are especially helpful for high school students who are interested in:

  • Cryptocurrency
  • Technology
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital finance
  • Business and entrepreneurship
  • Future careers in tech

The course explains how blockchain works, why cryptocurrency exists, how digital wallets function, and the importance of protecting personal information online. It also teaches students how to think critically about the digital world they interact with every day.

Short Lessons Packed With Information

One thing my son and I both enjoyed was the structure of the lessons. The videos are short, engaging, and packed with information without feeling overwhelming. This made it easy to fit lessons into our homeschool schedule while still retaining the material. Rather than long lectures, the course keeps students actively thinking and processing information. The pacing worked very well for us, especially for a subject that can easily become too technical or intimidating.

Interactive Quizzes and Real-World Assignments

One area where this course truly stands out is its focus on security and scam awareness. At the time of this review, we were beginning Lesson 6 on Security, and honestly, this section alone makes the course worthwhile. The lessons include realistic examples involving Cash App scams, suspicious text messages, fake investment opportunities, and online manipulation tactics that many teens may encounter in real life. I appreciated that the course teaches students how to recognize red flags and think before reacting emotionally online. In today’s digital world, these are life skills every teenager needs. Instead of fear-based teaching, the course focuses on awareness, discernment, and responsible decision-making.

The Mr. D Homework Helper

Sometimes students simply need a little extra clarification or support while working independently, and the Homework Helper provides that additional layer of guidance without taking away student responsibility. For homeschool families, this can be especially valuable when parents are learning alongside their students or when students are working more independently in high school. The Mr. D Math Homework Helper is a wonderful addition for us on the math side. I really appreciated having an extra layer of support available when working through more challenging math concepts. Sometimes students simply need another explanation or reassurance while working independently, and the Homework Helper gives them that added guidance while still encouraging them to think through problems on their own. For homeschool families, especially during the high school years, having that kind of support can make a huge difference in building confidence and independence in math.

Who Would This Course Be a Good Fit For?

Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block would be an excellent fit for:

  • High school homeschool students
  • Tech-minded learners
  • Students interested in cryptocurrency or investing
  • Teens curious about cybersecurity and online safety
  • Families wanting practical real-world electives
  • Students preparing for future careers in technology or digital business

I also think this course works well for students who may not normally enjoy traditional finance or technology classes because the material feels modern, relevant, and connected to everyday life.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Blockchain Beginner – The Genesis Block has been a very positive addition to our homeschool. It combines technology, critical thinking, digital literacy, and real-world awareness into one engaging course. What stood out most to me was how relevant the material feels for today’s teens. This is not information students are commonly taught in traditional classrooms, yet it is becoming increasingly important in the world they are growing up in. My son and I both learned a lot throughout the course, and I appreciated the opportunities it created for meaningful conversations beyond the lessons themselves. If you are looking for a modern high school elective that introduces students to cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, digital security, and responsible online behavior in a student-friendly way, Blockchain Genesis from Mr. D Math is definitely worth exploring.

6th Grade, AI Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Critical Thinking and Logic, Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Middle School, Reviews, Teaching Resources

Khan Academy: Khanmigo First Look

Little Learner and Mom

Hey, guys, I’m jumping on right now to bring you a review that’s probably not like our typical reviews. We were given the opportunity to review the new Khan Academy Khanmigo. If you aren’t familiar with Khanmigo it is Khan Academy’s new AI teacher assistant and learner tutor. I’m gonna be totally honest with you I was a little bit skeptical about the whole AI technology being used in my homeschool. Like many families, we do have several Alexa devices in our home. and So when we were given an opportunity to try out the new Khan Academy Khanmigo AI resource I jumped at the chance to just check it out. 

As of right now, the Khanmigo is not available to the general public but you can eagerly put your name on a waitlist. The platform that we were using was the beta platform. We shared the teacher dashboard but there is an area for learners. Once fully launched Khanmigo will be available to students on their dashboards. Khanmigo’s goal is to be an assistant teacher to help you plan creative lessons. For the student, it is used to be a progressive tutor in which the student facilitates the learning and Khanmigo adapts and tutors.

Khanmigo is a wonderful resource from what I can tell right now. There are lots of prompts and details to tell you how the system works. The AI is very responsive, honestly, I didn’t run into any problems using Khanmigo. I was really impressed at how thoroughly the system works.

Teacher Dashboard

The teacher dashboard has and on the left-hand side of ten activities to choose from:

  • Chat with GPT-4 (Your AI buddy)
  • Class Snapshot ( Lets you see what going on in your classes)
  • Summarize student chat history ( lets you see how your students have been chatting with Khanmigo)
  • Refresh my knowledge ( Lets you pick topics and grade levels you need refreshing on)
  • Create a lesson hook and write exit ticket questions
  • Options for creating lesson plans
  • Write learning objectives
  • Co-create a rubric

The dialogue box is to the right of the activities and this is where you will see your interactions. How I tested Khanmigo’s lesson planning skills is I asked for the AI to create a lesson plan for Meso- America. I was completely blown away. AI the system gave me a complete breakdown of:

  • Objectives/Standards
  • Essential Questions
  • Materials
  • Lesson Hook
  • Lesson Activities
  • Assessment
  • Higher-Order Thinking Questions
  • Extensions Activities
  • Differentiation

Take your teaching to the next level with AI-guided lesson planning and insightful student feedback. Khanmigo frees up our educators’ most limited resource—time.

Khan Academy

Fellow educators let me just tell you, I WAS SHOCKED !!! I want to take this time and thank Khan Academy for saving me HOURS of research and agony. The systems even referenced activities to use within Khan Academy. I then further tested the learning objectives activity on the same topic and the AI helped me come up with and pinpoint my personal own objectives for this topic for my son.

For Learners

The learner’s section of the dashboard also includes a welcome screen and on the left side there were twenty activities that included:

  • Brainstorm admissions essay
  • Grammar and Mechanic check
  • Tutoring Math, Science, Humanities
  • Ignite your curiosity
  • Practice general subjects
  • Practice for Elementary, Middle School, High School, AP Exams, College
  • Debate topics for Elementary, Middle School, and High School
  • Chat with Historical and Literary characters
  • Story writing and writing prompts
  • Vocabulary
  • College and academic and career growth

My son took his turn at Khanmigo and so far he has studied Indigenous Tribes, Civil War, Juneteenth, and Indigenous mounds. He has also used writing prompts and debate topics for middle schoolers. He has also used Khanmigo to help him dig deeper into his physics and history lessons.

Khanmigo mimics a writing coach by giving prompts and suggestions to move students forward as they write, debate, and collaborate in exciting new ways.

Khan Academy

Now I know what you’re thinking is Khanmigo doing all the work for kids and teachers is it taking away the ability to research and be creative. On the contrary, Khanmigo gives students and teachers the skeleton it encourages them to dig deeper into what they have asked about or created. Students are encouraged to use the resources within Khan Academy as well as outside resources. Khanmigo is not about giving your students answers they are testing their knowledge and building upon it. I appreciate that when students type in answers if the answers are wrong or they come close to being correct the system is very encouraging and they help them learn about the topic rather than listing a bunch of facts and historical events. 

Khan Academy Khanmigo receives a huge thumbs up from both my son and myself. There are so many capabilities of this platform. The things I took away from reviewing this Khanmigo are that it saves time, and takes my lesson planning to a new level. I definitely see Khanmigo as an assistant teacher at my homeschool.

Middle Schoolers Thoughts

I really like Khanmigo I was able to learn about topics I am interested in. I also like the writing prompts helper. The writing prompts help me develop my writing with greater details. My favorite area is science, I was able to ask questions and search through my own books, and the internet based on the suggestions Khanmigo gave me. Khanmigo is like having another teacher that helps you learn. I also like Khanmigo because I felt in control of what I wanted to do and learn about.

Final Thoughts

Khan Academy Khanmigo is a great resource for educators and learners. Right now it is in beta testing, so I would hurry and get on the waitlist. In the future, the learners will have their own dashboard. I also foresee Khan Academy Khanmigo getting some tweaks. I am hoping they included a printing option so you can print out the conversations. You can copy and paste your conversation into a Word document which is helpful. We really like Khan Academy Khanmigo and I will be using it more often in our homeschool and for planning purposes. I know my son really likes it so I see it being in high rotation with him as well.

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J