I stumbled upon a website called BrainPOP ( http://www.brainpop.com/ ). BrainPOP
creates animated, curriculum-based content that supports educators and engages
students - in school, at home, and on mobile devices. Their resources include
movies, quizzes, games, mobile apps, experiments, activity pages, and much more
covering hundreds of topics within Math, Science, Social Studies, English,
Technology, Arts & Music, and Health. All content is aligned to and
searchable by state standards including Common Core.
WEBSITE IS NOT FREE
UNFORTUNATELY. HOWEVER, BRAINPOP DOES HAVE A SECTION OF FREE APPS AND MOVIES OF
THE DAY.
Here is link to free section on BrainPOP ( http://www.brainpop.com/free_stuff/ )
What to Evaluate
|
High
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Med
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Low
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Score
|
||||
Instructional
Aspects:
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||||||||
Objectives clearly
stated
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
||
Objectives
appropriately sequenced
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
||
Instructional
strategies appropriate for the objectives
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Instructional
activities/process clearly described
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Tasks
adequate/significant for achieving objectives
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Resources
adequate/significant for achieving objectives
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Learning achievement
adequately evaluated
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Evaluation criteria
clearly expressed
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
||
Motivational
Aspects:
|
||||||||
Gaining and
maintaining learners’ attention
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Relating to
learners’ interest and goals
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Building on
learners’ prior knowledge & foreshadowing what the lesson is about.
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
||
Providing positive
feedback and feeling of accomplishment
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
||
Motivational
strategies serve for objectives
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Web
Design Aspects:
|
||||||||
Navigation is clear
and easy to access
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Authorship and date
is clearly stated
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Text follows the rules
of grammar, spelling and literary composition
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Use of multimedia
(Text, graphic, audio, video, animation, etc.) is visually appeal
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Mechanical aspects
(No broken links, misplaced or missing images, etc.)
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Web design
appropriate for objectives
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
Web design
appropriate for learner characteristics
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
||
TOTAL
|
94
|
|||||||
94/100
Over all, BrainPOP is an amazing site. I found
myself watching many of the videos and even playing around on some of the
interactive games. If I was a teacher right now, I would absolutely use this in
a classroom setting. If I was back in elementary school, I could see myself
spending hours learning and playing games on here.
The navigation through the website was very easy
too. The links never left me to dead areas or dysfunctional links. All the
buttons and links even had animations to draw in users to any section they wanted
to participate in.
The other thing I liked about the site was they had
their own mascots that were in a lot of the movies to help kids learn about the
certain topics the students were viewing. Their names are Tim and Moby. They
even have reoccurring characters, and their names are: Cassie, Rita, Bob, and
the father and son duo of Gary and Gary.
I’d have to say the only negative about the site was
that it wasn't free. But they did do a great job of setting multiple prices for
different institutions. You can purchase the site for at home use, home-school, classroom, school, and even district prices. If you buy in bulk, (school,
district, etc.) they give you a certain percentage off by however many years
you subscribe for (ex: 35% off, if you subscribe for 5 years).
In conclusion, I think every school should look into
this site for their students. It was very fun, interactive, and I even learned
a lot myself even being older for the site.
SORRY ABOUT THE ONE PARAGRAPH. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS SMALLER THAN ALL THE OTHERS!
ReplyDeleteBrainPOP is awesome! I used to work at a school that had a subscription and I used it frequently, but my current school doesn't buy it. Great job with this Tyler!
ReplyDeleteThis would be a valid technology purchase for schools to use especially since it is linked to state and common core standards. Love the variety of options for school and home use!
ReplyDeleteI like Brain Pop as well but there are other great sites for interactive learning that does not cost the district additional funds that (in the case of PCSSD) we just don't have. It seems that today it is up to the teacher to buy an individual subscription if they want to use really cool sites in their classroom. BrainPop is user friendly which is important because it caters to younger children.
ReplyDeleteOur school has a subscription, and I love it. It is a bit cheesy at times, but that catches the kids' attention. We use it for seventh grade, special ed and remediation.
ReplyDeleteBrainPOP is a very interesting site. I liked the summaries at the beginning of each subject. They were written in such a way that captures your interest, and makes you want to dive into the module and find out more. If it was all free, that would be great. If I was a public school teacher, I would definitely look into purchasing a subscription.
ReplyDeleteI used a couple of the freebies on BrainPop and have liked the results. I too which I were free because, from the other comments, it appears that others who have had access to the subscription site were able to incorporate it often. BrainPop was one of the first sites the kids in our district were allowed to visit during computer lab sessions (freebies only, of course).
ReplyDeleteI have used BrainPop in the past for my engineering classes- in particular simple machines. I was able to watch some videos and even print off the quiz for my students to take. I had forgotten my login information, so I was not able to login to access anything- I do remember; however, once you've registered for an account, that you get a LOT of SPAM from them, so booo! I do LOVE the robot avatar which always kept my students interested in the videos! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis site is a great resource. The welcome page is a little overwhelming. There are many sections of the site. I liked the section for educators to locate lessons by your state, course, and grade level. There are a variety of lessons. It also allows for extending your knowledge in the lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteI love BrainPop as well. I first learned about it when my son was in 2nd grade and loved playing it. We then got the app for our phone and while my daughter was in Kindergarten she would watch the videos. It is a great way to keep kids engaged and help them learn a topic. I think the quiz is a good idea after the video to assess students learning. I agree with you and others, it would be a lot better if it were free. Great job Tyler!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a subscription to BrainPop, but I do like the website. I have looked at the free site and it is great for gaining attention and the videos are great. I wish it was free, I would be able to use it more.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK!
ReplyDeleteYes we have brainpop and brainpop jr. The students do enjoy it and it is an excellent website for them to use. Anything that relates to the standards is always a plus.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of BrianPop, but had never visited the site. This is a really amazing site. It has a lot of good information presenting in neat ways that included a lot of interactivity. ways to introduce. The only downfall is that it has to be purchased.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I really like this website. It is very informative and yes I agree that it sucks the website isn't free. The good part about it is, if you invest in the subscription you will definitely get your money's worth.
ReplyDeleteYes, BrainPop has been around for a while. It is great with interaction, animation and other resources. Even better now that it has been connected the the Common Core Standards and it has apps that we can use on Mobile devices with kids. Great find!
ReplyDelete