When I first was looking over the web2.0 tool list, I really wanted to find something that I could focus on in the classroom as well as around my Action Research Project. Brain Pop first appealed to me when I saw the adorable characters and some of the video topics. I also love the fact that there is a Brain Pop Jr. site for grades K - 3.
Brain Pop has been utilized within the school district that I am currently working for. Some teachers utilize it as much as possible, while other teachers use it for filler if they have time left over. While my Action Research focuses on Technology Integration, I can utilize this Web2.0 tool because of the great interactive choices on their website. After watching the movie there are quizzes and fun facts that the teacher and students can opt to do.
The presence of the website can definitely be seen as fun and interactive. A great thing about this website is that it is very user friendly. You can have students use the website on their own or utilize one video for the whole class if you have the technology available to you. Because of the interactive activities at the end of the movies, there is a big area for socialization. You can have students answer individually, as a team, or as a class as a whole.
As far as accessing the videos, you do need to have a membership. Some school districts carry a full membership for all teachers to use. If your school district does not carry a membership, there are different membership options that you can look into with all different types of access and price ranges.
Teachers also get great lesson plans to accompany the videos. What I liked about the videos that I previewed was that they are not too lengthy. They pack in just enough information without going overboard. There are also blogs and discussion boards that teachers can interact with.
Brain Pop is used in many classrooms across the country. I have not personally used it, but I have seen it used in Science classrooms a lot. As a matter of fact, it is written into some of the curriculum as a must use tool in Delaware. After reading your post, I jumped onto Brain pop and looked for videos I could use that are related to Language Arts. I was very impressed with the multitude of videos available. I will be using this in the future! Thanks for the insight.
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