Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products

When I first heard of the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse magazine, I was wondering why a digital version… I must admit that I like having a paper copy in my hands to carry around. I was also wondering what the digital version would look like. To my surprise I now see the numerous advantages of it.

To begin with, I am really impressed with the look and feel of the digital version. I instantly loved the format and the presentation. It is very easy to use for experienced and not-so-experienced computer users. Being an advanced user I checked all the different options.

When I clicked on the contents button, I found all the different sections of the magazine. When I selected one specific one, it brought me automatically to the section selected. The pages option however allowed me to see the whole magazine as thumbnails and select whatever page I wish read. No need to shuffle through the magazine and check the pages to find what I want to read. This is a definite advantage.

I really liked the search button which permitted me to look for something specific in the fastest way possible. For example, if I am looking for an article that contains the word “draw” in it, I type the word in the search field and click submit. The search functionality would bring me all the articles containing the word I typed in the search field. It’s easy, fast and reliable.

The links button lists all the links that are found on the current page. I especially love the convenience that the links are included in the page because if I see an advertisement I really like I can easily click on it and I go directly to the vendor’s website. How often have I seen a link in a magazine that I never followed up on? With the digital version, it is as easy as a click of the mouse.

An interesting feature of the digital magazine is the settings button which allows me to modify the view of the magazine. I personally like the two pages presentation which allows me to read an entire article on the screen at once.

I am very enthusiastic about the digital version of this magazine because of its numerous functionalities. One of them excites me a lot because I now have the possibility to share a specific article with a friend without having to worry about the logistics of lending out my hard copy. Finally, I like the option of downloading the magazine and keeping it on my hard drive for future reference. Other great features are bookmarking a page, printing a page, getting help, viewing in full page and the RSS Feed (which contains a summary of the magazine).

The help that is provided is totally amazing! The help section is done with videos which demonstrate and guide a user through all the different options of the magazine. It is well done and the information provided is very clear. To learn how to use a specific feature of the digital magazine, you simply select the specific video and listen to it.

Other advantages of having the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine would be: • The fact that you receive it as soon as it is available. No need to wait on the postman to get your magazine, you get it directly in your e-mail.

• It is reasonably priced which will allow families who are on a tight budget to subscribe to this useful and wonderful homeschool magazine.
• It’s perfect for families who are environmentally conscious seeing as this edition is entirely electronic which eliminates the need for paper.
• Provides a format that is dynamic and easy to use, full of color and containing all the same information as the paper copy.
• And finally you even receive free gifts when you subscribe to the digital version!

In a nutshell, the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is worth considering. It contains all the same information as the paper copy and is easy to use. I would strongly recommend giving this version of the magazine a try. You might be surprise how much you will enjoy it. To be completely honest, I will even consider switching to the digital version of the magazine when my subscription ends. It’s easy, fun to use and I just love the fact that I have access to all the links at a click of my mouse. I can honestly say that I am totally sold for the digital version of The Old Schoolhouse magazine!