Technology Review # 1 BrainPOP!

BrainPOP is an absolutely amazing website! There is BrainPOP BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Educators. Therefore, this website would be great for any age student. BrainPOP is essentially a resource to help students understand difficult topics through the use of movies and Tim and Moby (the characters in the movies). Tim and Moby are both comical and the kids really enjoy the videos. The videos are a great way to introduce a new concept or to review a concept. There is every type of video you could imagine on here. They have science, social studies, english, math, engineering, health, arts, and music. You may search for a movie by standards, topic, or grade level. The great part about these movies is that throughout the movie, Tim and Moby stop to discuss new definitions and the definition appears on the screen. They also break down difficult concepts into simple terms. They "kid proof" everything. After the video, the teacher can click on interactive activities where the students answer review questions, play games, or even complete printable activities. BrainPOP also has supplemental lesson plans, experiments, and a Q&A page. The website is very user friendly, but you must subscribe to BrainPOP in order to use it. However, many schools sign up because this is just the greatest website! I also enjoy the movies because they can be cross curricular. They may take a social studies concept but incorporate math into the video. They also do this often with reading and writing. Tim and Moby also ask each other questions in the videos that the students are most likely thinking. This catches their attention and they stay engaged. Adult supervision is not required for this website because it is all about the kids. Everything is educational, but the students may not be able to login unless the teachers dishes out the username and password. I absolutely recommend this website for the elementary years and even older. I even learn something new from these videos all the time!