The Old Schoolhouse Digital Magazine.

Today’s review is not a review of curriculum but of a homeschooling magazine. I’ve been a subscriber to the Old Schoolhouse Magazine for several years now, but this year when it came time to renew, I had to pass . We had, as a family, just decided to cut back on expenses. So, the extras, like magazine subscriptions and that weekly trip to Dairy Queen which I will deny till my dying day, were going to have to go.

When I had the opportunity to receive a free copy of the digital version just for reviewing it on my blog, I jumped at the chance!

I have always loved The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and there are some definite perks to having it in digital version. One of my favorites is the fact that I can click on the advertisements and check them out right then. Often while I was reading the print version, I’d think to myself, ‘that looks cool, I should go check it out.’ Of course, when I was next on my computer, the magazine was nowhere to be found and I could not remember what I wanted to look up. Now, I click on the link, right there in the advertisement and it opens it up in another window. I can check it out without even losing my place in the magazine.

I also have the ability to go directly to the blog or homepage of the author of an article I particularly liked, and read more about them.

There are some distinct disadvantages to having it in digital form on my computer; like the inability to read it while in the bathroom. Not very nice to talk about in polite company, but it is the truth. Also, I originally had trouble finding where it downloaded on my computer and had to view it only while online, but I eventually found it and was able to view it while offline. This is probably due more to my technical savvy or lack thereof, than an actual design flaw, but it was an issue for a while. The same problems still exist that I wrote about with the The HomeSchool Planner ebook in that I have trouble remembering how to turn the pages and zoom in etc. I’m sure as I use the ebook/digital versions of things, I’ll get better at it.

I can’t really say which I like better, the real hold-in-your-hand magazine that has a tendency to get lost or have orange juice spilled on it, or the digital version which also has the tendency to get lost albeit in the depths of my drives. Both have their perks and their downsides.

I think I can honestly say if I was given the choice, told I had to choose between print or digital, I have absolutely no idea which one I’d choose. How’s that for an opinion!

What I do know is that I really LOVE The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, no matter what format it comes in.