called Study Jams. I love to use this website. Study Jams is an animated, curriculum based website
and offers sessions in math and science. The website is through Scholastic, which gives it "street"
credit. Study Jams offers videos, slide shows, vocabulary with definitions, karaoke, and self
testing.Students are able to get to know each character as well and this seems to help them relate to
the characters during the videos. The best thing about Study Jams is that it is entirely free!
What to Evaluate
|
High
|
Med
|
Low
|
Score
| ||||
Instructional Aspects:
| ||||||||
Objectives clearly stated
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
| ||
Objectives appropriately sequenced
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
| ||
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
|
5
| ||
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
|
5
| ||
Providing positive feedback and feeling of accomplishment
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
5
| ||
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
|
1
| ||
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
|
96
| |||||||
Study Jams is a great site to use for middle school students. The only reason I didn't give it a 100 is
because I couldn't find an author and date for any of the information. The subjects are clearly labeled
and within the subjects, the objectives are neatly easily found under topic headings. When you click
on the different topics, the materials, whether it is a video or a slide show, is easy to navigate and find the information. Each topic is set up the same way to minimize confusion.
The characters stay the same throughout the entire site. At the home page, there is a section to get to know each of the four characters better. It even goes in to their favorite subjects. They are all dressed in modern clothes and use modern technology as well.
I was unable to find any grammar or mechanical issues. All written language was correct and the characters even used correct grammar. All of the links seem to work with no issues. The design of the website seemed to be perfect for middle school students. Things were clearly labeled and easy to find. I would definitely recommend this website to anyone that teaches middle school math or science.
What a great resource! Too many times websites have very elementary looking designs and don't keep the interest of middle schoolers. I agree it deserves a 100. I will share this resource with my fellow teachers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous idea to have animated "teens" help real live students with their studies. We know that peer coaching is effective and relevancy a necessity! It seems like this site has incorporated both. Great idea to implement a self created tool like this to help my students study vocabulary and other content driven material. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYes, this site is great all the way through. I am always drawn to visuals, so the rotating menu on the home page is a real plus in my book. At first, one may have the impression that not much information is there, but when you drill down into the options, the information is endless. The learning modules are obviously designed with the young learner in mind. I thought they were fun and interesting. The other thing that impressed me was the unlimited resources for not just Parents and Teachers, but also Administrators and Librarians.
ReplyDeleteAwesome site! I loved all the interaction and media on it. Loved all the vocab sections, because sometimes bigger words throw students off in the learning process of new material. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteTyler, I also loved the vocabulary words at the bottom and Lori, I am with you on the "peer coaching" element of this. I watched one on finding equations in word problems and thought that it presented an authentic problem; having to save up for a desired item. I would definite recommend this for younger middle schoolers, but the 8th graders I taught would have found the bright, cheery voiced a little "juvenile" for their tastes, and might have been a little more dismissive than younger learners, even though this site does a great job presenting the material and is very easy to follow. I really liked the site! Great job!
ReplyDeleteCarrie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a super website to use as a resource! The simplicity makes it easy for any student to use without much instruction on how to navigate. One negative I have is that the narrator talks a bit too much in her explanations of questions that get correct...if I get something correct, I'm ready to move on to the next question to keep the momentum going. Just like other sites, this again does not inform the user up front about grade level appropriateness, but I quickly figured it out by navigating through the site and choosing different math tabs. Great job!
Great site! I wish there was something similar for younger students. I agree Rachel, once I have something figured out, I'm ready to learn something different. This helps with engagement. I really liked the site overall. Good job!
ReplyDeleteCarrie what a great site. My kids are not in middle school yet but I think they would enjoy playing around on it. I love the animations and audio that is throughout this site. I believe it will keep students engaged and be a great resources for teachers to use with students. Tyler made a great observation about the vocabulary words. Great job Carrie.
ReplyDeleteThis website is a great find. The images and videos are of great qualtiy. I like the test yourself section in each area. After watching the videos and going through each lesson, you are able to assess your knowledge. The site also has a variety of lessons and subjects for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI love this website. The information is a little old for my students, but I think they would love the pictures. It is very informative and you can control the slides yourself. I also like the idea of the test yourself section. If a student is absent, they can go to the computer themselves at school or at home and complete the assignment.
ReplyDeleteThis website is awesome. It has animation and spices up math and science information. The structure of each unit is good. When you click the topics it has the objectives, curriculum, songs that reiterate the concepts, and an evaluation aspect. The would be a great resource for teachers to use in class or have for supplementary material.
ReplyDeleteThis website would be a great way to engage middle school students. The games are fun and easy to learn, so it allows them to focus on the learning material. Great find!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. I really liked the games and songs. It is a great way to keep students interested in wanting to learn about math and science.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice resource for middle-school science and math content! Yes, it does use the "peer tutoring" metaphor consistently and very appropriately for this age group of learners. It has wonderful interactive and media materials for students.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would hope for improvement would be an overall introduction about the site. We got to know the site from Carrie's introduction, but what if we did not have anybody to introduce us to the site? It will take a while for us to figure out what the purposes are, and how we can use the site. I believe that more people will get to know and be able to use the site, and Scholastic's money will be better spent, if we have a better introduction page for the site. :)
I loved this. I have never heard of or used this site before. Of course I tried out that math part first. I think the consistency of the site is great for middle school students. You get the information on the home site of the concept. The watch out section addresses common mistakes and the try it section allows students to test themselves. Other concepts use music and video then allow the students to test themselves. I had fun with this site. Students definitely will love it. I use scholastic all the time in my tools for learning class. I will definitely show them this site.
ReplyDelete