BJU Press Distance Learning DVD versus Online Option

I'm sharing about my experience using BJU Press Distance Learning videos in the DVD on online options. I'll let you know the differences between these two options and which option is working better for my homeschool family.
BJU Press Distance Learning*
www.bjupresshomeschooling.com...
*Some links are affiliate links. Should you purchase through an affiliate link, I will receive a commission. I only recommend products I have used and love. Thank you!
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[@MichelleGold]

You are a GEM! I SO appreciate how you explained this. I found the website sadly missing of all this excellent detail you shared. Nothing like REAL LIFE HOMESCHOOL MOM experience. I so appreciate you! Homeschool Mom, Michelle Gold

[@bialibanio1]

Thank you so much you’re great 👍🏻!! I definitely am homeschooling my kids next year and will use bju press online!! I really appreciate all your advice, reviews, all you have done!! Thank you...

[@stephaniereeves6330]

Howdy! We just started our new BJU press DVDs. first time using BJU)we have used Abeka DVD since K4, now in sixth and third grade. DVD is great as we are able to easy take along and use as needed on our many trips to Children’s Hospital for my youngest, no worries about a connection. I appreciate you explaining, clearly about the many benefits of the online. Definitely worth considering. We have small, portable DVD players with head phones. They enjoy being able to do it themselves, I enjoy them being able to do it themselves as I can work with my youngest, five years old, with learning delays....so they can keep going and not have to wait on me:). Two boys in sixth grade, they “LOVE”, being able to work on different subjects and at their pace, since the subjects each have their own DVDs. That was a big plus for this year as they ask, so much last year if they could do their classes by themselves. I love that they can move on or slow down without affecting the other. My boys are enjoying this “one on one”, with them and the video teacher, it’s bringing them more confidence as they don’t have to “keep up” with a class of other students. They have also been going from class to class on their own;). I like the shorter video lessons and that they pause and allow them to read and then continue with the teaching. Love that the work is sufficient but not overwhelming, boys can get their work done and not feel overwhelmed with class work or homework. Looking forward to getting through this first year of using BJU press and see how we feel at the end:). Pretty sure we’ll be happy with it. Thank you for sharing your families experience with BJU press, it does help. Thank you for letting me share as well. Blessed Momma of Seven💕Happy Jesus is risen (Easter) Sunday!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Stephanie Reeves thank you for sharing your experience with BJU DL!

[@andreahunter5645]

Thank you for this comment! It helps so much considering we have been doing Abeka since 1st grade and I now have a 6th and 8th grader and I am thinking of switching for all the reason u listed above compared to Abeka. I was wondering if you are still going with BJU and how you like it compared to doing Abeka before? Thanks

[@youandme9516]

Yes my 3rd grader is online and does tests and quizzes paper and pencil. Lesson guides I have both online and paper.. which I really love. I have to do my own grading

[@d.sanchez1434]

So helpful! Thank you :)

[@NikkiB7598]

Thanks for sharing this info. What appealed to me about ordering the DVD curriculum for my oldest child is that I would be able to have it in the future for my younger children once they reached that grade. But now knowing that I’d have to send the DVD’s back, it strongly deters me from doing this. If I’m spending over $1k on a single school year’s curriculum for one child, you’d think you’d get to keep the DVD’s.

[@JanelleKnutson]

I agree that keeping the videos would be ideal but I try to think of it as a much cheaper option than private school. Plus, the videos have really saved my sanity and allowed my family to continue homeschooling through my health issues and when I was overwhelmed with caring for so many little ones while trying to homeschool. There are lots of other great options out there that are video based that do allow you to keep the videos if that works better for your family and budget. IEW and EIW are two options for English. Math U See is a great one for math with a video component. Hope that helps.

[@natalieamberger2432]

FOREAL!

[@shonniebeenatural]

Thank you so much for this helpful video ❤

[@JanelleKnutson]

You're welcome!

[@robdebl2414]

Thanks for the video!!!:) Hope you're doing well!!

[@sandstorme1363]

Very helpful Janelle 👍 thanks. We are just getting ready to wrap our first year trying BJU DVD English for my 1st Grader and my 3rd grader. We just ordered six subjects at the convention to get the 50% off. I went with all DVD's except one subject for my soon to be 4th grader to do online. Wanted to get a better feel with online prior to having several subjects being online. Made me feel at ease to see your video. Thanks again!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Sounds like a good plan! :)

[@kikik5266]

50% off really! Wow!

[@DixonChristianAcademy]

Sandra Denison do you know if you get the entire grade level at a convention if you get 50% off?

[@heatherstull7339]

@@DixonChristianAcademy I just bought a bunch of stuff at a convention. You can get 50% off single subjects if you buy 6 or more, and 25% off entire grade levels. The consultant that helped me was great at getting the best deal combinations.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Have you used BJU Press Distance Learning videos? If so, share your experience!

[@CindyBennett13]

Shopping now!!!

[@hongmajeska4918]

Hi Janelle, im so new in homeschooling but want to do do it this year due to pandamic. I found your channel and really love it. Would you mind to share what your thought about BJU online with text books and no text books options... which one you would prefer to? Thank you so very much.

[@tonjaduncan0315]

I love how clear you present material. Do you feel that BJU HS English covers enough writing?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Great question! BJU English (in high school) includes grammar, writing and literature. The writing is incorporated into the grammar and literature sections. There are plenty of writing assignments and they have general guidelines/instructions for those assignments however it does assume that the student is already a good writer. If you have a student who needs more help in how to write then another curriculum might be a better option.

[@GiovaDuarte]

Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience. Have you used the Monarch system? If you have, how does it compare with the BJU online option?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I have not used Monarch. So many choices for homeschool curriculum!

[@shone_is_here4207]

Hello I've been watching your video. Made me decide to homeschool my son. But my son is less motivated doing it without friends. I am open to any suggestions.

[@sew_whatever1252]

I have decided to go with Bju for my daughter...... she's supposed to be in 2nd grade...... I'm switching from tgtb and I know I will have to put her in math 1 but I am not sure about reading, English, and spelling. She is 20 lessons in to LA 1 with tgtb....... I'm just worried to order something that is going to be too difficult for her. Any guidance will help..... I'm having her do backyard math and vacation stations in the summer.

[@IbanezMontenegro]

You are awesome, Janelle!!! I'm from Peru and it's been a long journey just trying to decide what's best for my children. My oldest one is in 10th grade have done Abeka in the past two years and my youngest only 1st grade last year. I'm switching to BJU but their representative didn't answer some of my questions that you have. Thanks so much!!! An extra question, if I use the Online version instead of the DVD, can I use e-textbooks? With the COVID 19 I don't even know if my package would arrive to my home. What would you recommend me? Blessings!!!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Check with BJU Press. They will have a better answer than I could give.

[@dawnlea1264]

We have done Abeka book and dvd video since K5 and in 3rd I switched my daughter to Switched on Schoolhouse and regretted it! She didn't advance any in math, basically repeating things already learned and I didn't realize until too late. I am leaning more toward BJU for this next year than Abeka because the Abeka videos have so much wasted time and distractions. We are time crunched as it is and I am excited about moving on quicker with less time involved. But my fear is moving them from one program to another and having the same issue of repeating things already learned. Do you have any advice on switching from 4th grade Abeka to 5th grade BJU and 2nd grade Abeka to 3rd grade BJU and moving forward with new material. How would I go about checking and comparing what they will be learning?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I had a similar situation when switching from another curriculum to BJU Distance Learning. I found it easy to look ahead at each chapter to see what was being taught. I had my children skip a lot of lessons that were not needed. If a chapter looked like it would be a repeat of information that they already knew then I had them skip all the regular lessons and just watch the lesson review. If they did well on the worksheet/assignment for the lesson review then we just moved on to the next section and didn't bother with the actual lessons for that chapter. Hope that makes sense.

[@kayjorooker]

DVD positive is it can be used for multiple children in the same grade!

[@wannar4]

So its better to get the DVD for multiple kids? Would you have to buy an extra student book?

[@scotttoney6997]

@@wannar4 yes you would.

[@samamthaj9768]

So on the timeline for the online program if i wanted to start now I would only of acess tell December....so just a little over a month?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Kevin & Samantha Kelly if you did the online option you’d have access until December of the following year so since we are in November 2018 you’d have access until December 2019. About 13 months

[@nikkiwasher8618]

We used the dvd option with 4 kids and it came with so much stuff. Are the teacher and student guides for the online option in pdf instead?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Nikki Washer the teacher and student guides are accessed online when you use the online option.

[@LJscrubs]

Can you re-watch, pause, etc videos in the online version like you can with DVDs?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes! And with the online version, you can bookmark parts of the lesson so you can come back to it later if you don't finish the entire thing in one sitting. Or, as the parent, I often go in and bookmark video lessons if I want my child to skip some of the review in the first part of the lesson and get to the new concept.

[@brookevillafano7919]

With the online version, do you grade the work text and enter them in or is the only thing for a grade the tests and quizzes?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Online option for older grades has them taking quizzes and tests online that are automatically graded. I check over worktext pages for younger kids and have older kids check their own worktext pages. You can give a grade based just tests and quizzes or add in points for worktext pages and anything else you'd like. The online option automatically enters the quizzes and tests into the online gradebook but you can manually add in any other grades for each course. Hope that makes sense.

[@anydayblessings2354]

Do you have any kiddos doing Spelling 2 with BJU Distance learning? I'm wondering how closely the video lessons follow the teacher's edition ( Spell It!, Pretests, Tests, etc)

[@JanelleKnutson]

None of my kids have used BJU spelling. I did watch a few of the lessons though and they seem to follow along with the workbook. A little bit of spelling instruction and review and then showing them how to do the workbook page for that day. If you contact a Home Works by Precepts consultant (which represent BJU Press), one of them might be able to answer your question better.

[@deelvlvlg]

@@JanelleKnutsonI'm curious, what do you use for spelling then?

[@familytimehomeschool1438]

Hi. Thank you for the video. Is it possible to retake the online tests?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes! You can reset the test and have them take it a second time.

[@familytimehomeschool1438]

Janelle Knutson Thank you!!

[@estrellaakastar5118]

By any chance do you know if they send out emails or somehow announce their $99 sale for the distance learning upgrade? I know it's either Dec or Jan every year???

[@JanelleKnutson]

They usually announce the sales on their social media platforms and I believe they send out an email to their subscribers. You are correct that the sale is usually in December or January.

[@estrellaakastar5118]

@@JanelleKnutson thx!

[@kikik5266]

How does this work with placement tests? If your child is strong in one area but not in another.

[@deelvlvlg]

Curious aswell

[@shalon4jc2]

Hi Janelle Do you know of anyone using just the textbooks complete kit and not the DVD or online?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes! Lots of homeschool families use BJU materials without the videos. :)

[@shalon4jc2]

Thank you😍

[@tonyabursey2778]

I realize this is an older video. I am looking at getting this for next year. I have lupus and other health conditions that have made homeschooling challenging at times. Sometimes teaching from bed. Do you know if there is a feature that allows you to see if the they are actively completing the work they are assigned for the day. Like as it is done? Not sure if that makes sense.

[@JanelleKnutson]

I am sorry to hear about your health conditions. I am struggling with health issues as well and BJU Press video lessons have been such a blessing for my family this year. When you purchase BJU Press curriculum from BJU, you get access to the Homeschool Hub which preschedules all assignments based on criteria you set. You can then adjust lessons, skip lessons, grade assignments, check in on student's progress, etc. all from your computer or phone through the Homeschool Hub. It is a wonderful resource which has allowed me to keep up with my kids work while being in bed or on the couch many days. You can learn more about the Homeschool Hub here: www.bjupresshomeschooling.com/site/include.php?id=17&url=670 O... and you can manually schedule other curriculum/subjects/tasks in the Hub that are not BJU. Hope that helps!

[@mamabenzing5872]

My oldest daughter is wanting something like this when she starts high school in August. This is a silly question but once you buy the textbooks and DVDs they're yours to keep and reuse for my other kiddos to use once they get to high school?

[@JanelleKnutson]

That is actually a really good question because you actually are only LEASING the videos. If you do the online option you lease from July to December of the following year (so 18 months if you start using them in July. less time if you start later) I believe the DVDs you have to return in 13 months from when you purchase them. All textbooks are yours to keep. I sure wish they let us keep the DVDs since the Distance Learning is quite pricey.

[@mamabenzing5872]

@@JanelleKnutson thank you for getting back to me. She wants something she could do online (CDs or DVDs). I used switched on schoolhouse awhile back for my oldest son but that was for 3rd grade not high school. I like curriculum I can reuse for all my kiddos, it does get pricey other wise.

[@dl5615]

Hi Janelle, I am pretty new to homeschooling and I am trying to decide which program will work for my family, so I had a question that i hope you would be able to answer if you wouldn't mind: are the BJU online video classes as old looking or antiquated looking as I've seen in some KZbin videos? Thank you, I do really appreciate your response. Thank you for this video it is really informative.

[@JanelleKnutson]

BJU continues to update videos. Many are updated and some are still older versions. The best thing to do is to visit their website, look at the curriculum you are considering and check out the sample videos on the website. Those ones will be the most accurate. On KZbin, they have the older samples as well as the updated ones so it can be a bit difficult to determine which grade/subject has been updated. The website is the best place to check things out. www.bjupresshomeschooling.com/site/include.php?id=17

[@dl5615]

@@JanelleKnutson Thank you so much Janelle for your response. God bless.

[@carolinaorozco7864]

This program works if living outside of united states? I asked to k12 online and theirs dont. I am looking online homeschool that keep my childreen schooling w/outside state option.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Contact BJU Press directly and they should be able to answer your questions better than me. :)

[@tinamartin612]

Can the student retake a test or quiz with the online option if they score badly?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes! You can reset the quiz or test and they can take it again.

[@shalon4jc2]

I just noticed that the online and dvd bjupress homeschool curriculum does not come with Teachers edition plus cd. How do you get the teachers editions ? Will they include it in package?

[@JanelleKnutson]

SMcD M When you choose the online option, you will have access to the teacher’s manual in digital form. You do not get a teacher’s manual with the DVD option although you can contact them and they will give you a discount on a physical copy of the teacher’s manual. You don’t need the teacher’s manual unless you plan on teaching some lessons yourself instead of using the video.

[@almetcalf]

SMcD M According to their website, teacher editions are online no matter which version you go with.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you for clarifying! I guess I never looked online for the Teacher's Editions that went with the subjects we did on DVD.

[@stephaniem6646]

Would we be able to stream the online video to our smart TV? Sorry if someone asked that already and I missed it. This will be my 5th year teaching my twin boys and we’re considering BJU distance online :) Thank you for all of the helpful videos!

[@northernlight4016]

I would like to know this as well.

[@olgavakulich]

I have had my kids watch online video through our smart TV, so it is possible 😃

[@cbloom100]

We are using English 4 DLO online and the tests are not online they are still paper/pencil. But maybe that is just for English 4.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Cara I think I spoke incorrectly. It must be 5th grade and up have tests online. Thanks for commenting and pointing out that error!

[@cbloom100]

We only use English so I’m not sure how the tests are for the other subjects so I can only speak for English. Either way, we also really enjoy the DLO videos and lessons.

[@kellyalbertson257]

Janelle, I know this is an older video, but I’m considering using this program next year for History. My question is, can you do online only with no textbooks or do you have to purchase the textbooks too?

[@JanelleKnutson]

You will need to purchase the textbooks to use BJU DL. You will get a textbook, a workbook and some student handouts.

[@kellyalbertson257]

Janelle Knutson it’s so expensive!!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I know! BJU DL has been such a great fit for my family the last few years but it has also taken a toll on our bank account. The cost is definitely a negative and something to consider before purchasing it.

[@kellyalbertson257]

Janelle Knutson ty Janelle!!

[@therusticroad]

Go on the BJU website and contact a Homework by Precept consultant. If you order DLO subject kits through them, you can get the kits at 50% off, and regular subject kits at 25% off. Definitely worth ordering through them for a big savings! :)

[@wannar4]

Can you use either the online or DVD for two kids? Or would you have to buy 2?

[@JanelleKnutson]

You can use both with 2 kids but would need to get the student materials for both. Check with a HomeWorks consultant for more information on how to have 2 kids doing the same course. Find a HomeWorks consultant: www.homeworksbyprecept.com/pages/why-homeworks-by-precept

[@michaelleshort7124]

I think my son would enjoy doing BJU online. I have a few questions if you don't mind clarifying. Can I purchase different levels in several subjects? Or does it need be all in one level and all subjects?

[@JanelleKnutson]

BJU allows you to purchase their Distance Learning program in several different ways: 1. as one complete grade level kit (ie all subjects are all the same grade level) 2. you can purchase a grade level kit and then you have the option of picking 2 subjects to move up or down 2 grade levels (for example, you can purchase a grade 3 kit but choose to do grade 2 math and grade 5 history while the other subjects are grade 3) 3. you can purchase subjects individually (for example, you can buy grade 3 science and grade 7 history) Hopefully that makes sense. :)

[@michaelleshort7124]

Yes! Thank you very much! I think BJU will work perfectly for us. We have 12 months to finish the curriculum correct? Even on-line? @@JanelleKnutson

[@JanelleKnutson]

@@michaelleshort7124 This is taken from the BJU FAQ page... Online option: "Subject access for the 2018-2019 term will begin by July 1, 2018, and end on December 31, 2019" DVD option: "When you order a DVD package, you are leasing the DVDs for 13 months from original shipping date of the DVDs. The textbooks are yours to keep."

[@michaelleshort7124]

Thanks! @@JanelleKnutson

[@shelleymattson4243]

Hello, I have watched some of your BJU distance learning videos. I am considering some for my 3rd grader for next year. Do you find any of the videos get to lengthy for your children? I see the Math Video and Reading video for a 3rd grader is around 30 minutes? I am not sure how that would go for my son. Do you have any experience at this grade level and a boy for these time frames? Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

[@JanelleKnutson]

The newer/updated videos seem to be shorter in length than the older videos so that is something to keep in mind when you are considering a particular subject/grade. My son is currently doing a mixture of BJU DL 2nd grade and 3rd grade videos. (One of the benefits of BJU DL is that you can order a grade level kit but adjust 2 subjects up or down one or two grade levels.) Sometimes the longer videos frustrate him but I try to give him breaks in between videos/subjects which helps a lot. Overall though, the videos are engaging enough that he doesn't mind the length.

[@reginatyson4861]

i have 2 kids and wanted to ask if i pay for the online course for math, can they both use it? or do i have to pay twice to have 2 students access the course? we have been using bju since kinder grade. they love it and i wanted to invest in the online to get the better features that will make them love math even more

[@JanelleKnutson]

Reach out to BJU Press and/or a HomeWorks by Precept consultant to see what they can do to help you get the most for your money. They are always good at helping families get the best discounts.

[@NunuHsiajennifer]

love yr video so much! I am the first time home school mom because of the pandemic. As a beginner, I use the Abeka grade 4 this year and it runs good in the first 2 months. after that, i noticed my son always browsing internet when the video teacher have a test or quiz. I like to switch to bju next school year. QUESTION: Can the DVD option and the do things on paper make the active boy more concentrate and focus in learning? thank you!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I have found that BJU Distance Learning was a better fit for my active boy over Abeka BUT there are a lot of other excellent curriculum options out there that might be more engaging for an active, easily distracted boy. Many of them you would have to teach though.

[@rxy_fazbear5434]

I have not used bju before. I didn't hear the price if you said it. Sorry.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yolan Veitch check their website for prices and discounts!

[@rxy_fazbear5434]

Janelle Knutson. Okay. Thanks.

[@imperfect13]

This video is very helpful. Can you skip the biblical lessons that come up in between the lessons.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad it was helpful. No, you can’t skip the Bible lessons as a biblical worldview is woven throughout the entire curriculum. If you don’t want a Christian curriculum you might try searching for “secular homeschool curriculum.” Hope that helps. 😊

[@imperfect13]

@@JanelleKnutson thank you for the response. Sorry I have one more question. I noticed the video lessons can be between 10-1hr. Is it self-pace? If the video is too long for my son can he pause the video and resume the next day? I think I want to get the ELA program