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ANIMATED EDUCATIONAL GAMES FOR KIDS

+What is Brain Pop?

BrainPOP (http://www.brainpop.com) is an online subscription site owned by FWD Media that produces short curricular-based animations. The content is aligned to state educational standards.

Geared toward grades K-12, these movies, hosted by characters, Tim and Moby, span seven subjects: Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health, Arts and Music and Technology. 

Each movie is supplemented by features such as printable quizzes, do-it-yourself experiments, cartoons, timeline of related events, and a Q&A forum.

They can be used to introduce new lessons or topics or to illustrate complex themes as review before a test. The flash content runs in a browser and is fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs, requiring no special hardware or software

+History

Founded December 31, 1999

BrainPOP developed from his desire to explain medical concepts to his young patients using animation and a simple  storytelling method of illustrating complex subject matter to pupils, similar to his own family conversations.

Dr. Kadar sees Brainpop as a prerequisite for deeper learning of “hard subjects” in a non-condescending, yet accessible manner; as an antidote to the  “digital attention deficit” that some digital technologies and videos may promote by their superficial treatment of content (Seltzer, 2007).

Avram KadarPediatrician, Immunologist,

Entrepeneur

+BrainPop products

GameUp and MyBrainPop, a tool for students and teachers to record learning accomplishments

BrainPop Español, BrainPop Français, BrainPop UK, BrainPop ESL for non-native speakers learning English,

BrainPop Jr. for younger children (grades K-3),

BrainPop Educators, a free site for teachers and parents to post materials and interact with BrainPop and each other

+Who uses Brain Pop?

Used in over 25 percent of schools in US, offers subscriptions for homeschoolers and families. Other countries include Mexico, UK, Israel, France, and Spain. Videos are in local languages and designed for students in each county.

Available by subscription and offers some free content-movie a day, free movies from each topic, lesson plans, library of educational games called GameUp

Smartphone and tablet accessible.

+The Company, FWD Media

Two of Kadar’s children hold Vice President positions

The in-house team of educators, animators, and writers come from a variety of backgrounds, linked by training in and a commitment to education.

The BrainPOP sites incorporate teacher and parent input, and their content is reviewed by a voluntary Advisory Board of over 22 advisers specializing in a variety of curricular areas, including technology & special education.

This staffing commitment to Research and Development exceeds the average for a company of this size (46% vs 30%) , while those performing administrative duties is lower than average (38% vs 53%)(LinkedIn, 2011).

+Research

During the 2008-2009 school year, SEG Research conducted a multi-site study of students in grades 3, 5 and 8 to evaluate the effectiveness of BrainPOP.

Findings indicated that students in classes using BrainPOP made significant improvement in Science, Reading Comprehension, Language, and Vocabulary skills during one school semester (January through June) as compared to students in classes that did not use BrainPOP.

+Teaching with games - Reviews

“Teaching with games ‘allows me to hit multiple learning styles in the same lesson in a much easier way than the normal classroom environment.’ ~David McG, from Best Practices for Using Games & Simulations in the Classroom Guidelines for K–12 Educators (PDF) 

“The site is logically arranged, with most videos sorted by content. Monthly features, like a February spotlight on U.S. presidents, keep things relevant.” Kevin Hodgson, Common Sense Graphite

“Use of animated characters and sly sense of humor make for an engaging learning experience. Games offer kids a chance to get more deeply involved in the subject matter.” Dana Villamagna, Common Sense Media

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Can be used on mobile devices

Animation is good. Consistency of characters, Moby, Tim, Robot.

Studies have shown positive results in education.

Teachers and parents can track student progress.

Compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. No need to download, install, or purchase special hardware.

Requires annual subscription. Monthly subscription requires a year-long contract. The annual price is $100 dollars.

Technical requirements for running BrainPOP are an Internet connection and the Macromedia Flash Plug-in.

PROS CONS

+Conclusion

After researching BrainPop, its products, and the company behind the website, it is my opinion that the uses of BrainPop in education are only as limited or expansive as the imagination of the teacher. Although educational technology such as this cannot substitute for a dynamic instructor who understands all aspects of the educational needs of children, it is possible to use it with measurable results and with all ages in k-12 education. BrainPop can enhance and aid the learning process for a generation of “digital natives” whose needs are changing quickly and are sometimes different from the educational needs of the instructors who teach them.