BrainPOP
From LIS 460 Summer 2007
Who is BrainPOP for?
Although many of BrainPOP's movies are appropriate for all ages, the main focus grades for BrainPOP are 3-12. For content aimed at grades K-3, BrainPOP Jr is avaliable [BrainPOP Jr. Home Page]
About BrainPOP
- BrainPOP is an educational program founded in 1999 that spans seven main subjects including: Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health, Arts & Music, and Technology. The program offers over 600 movies on these subjects and each movie is supported by activities such as quizzes, comic strips, experiments and printable worksheets. What is so great about BrainPOP is that all of these things speak to students in a language (BrainPOP is offered in Spanish as well) and voice that they can understand. [BrainPOP Facts Page]
- BrainPOP was also developed in accordance to national education standards and BrainPOP's movies are searchable with a state standards tool. Also the service has won multiple education and media awards, including the Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award for Best Educational Website for Children; the top prize at the New York Flash Forward festival; Forbes Best of the Web; and the Media and Methods Awards Portfolio Prize.
- BrainPOP is subscription based and offers differing levels of subscriptions depending on if it is a single teacher all the way up to school or district wide service (a year's subscription for a media center is $575.00) [Subscription Rates]. But before ordering there is a 14 day free trial offered [Free Trial].
BrainPOP in the Classroom
94% of surveyed teachers say they use BrainPOP because it makes learning fun. Also because it appeals to a variety of different learning styles. Teachers use BrainPOP as a supplement to their lesson plans.
Teachers have used BrainPOP for:
* Whole Group Learning -
Teachers can use BrainPOP with the whole classroom by using projectors, interactive whiteboards, or by connecting their computer to a television monitor. This way students could respond as a class to BrainPOP quizzes, use the movies as a discussion starter at the beginning of class, or use the movies and quizzes after lunch as a way to refocus students.
Project Idea - In a History classroom students could watch BrainPOP movies that follow along with the topics they are covering in class. Then at the end of a topic or movie the teacher could show the corresponding quiz. The class could answer the quiz questions as a group. They could have note cards that correspond with the answers to the quiz and hold up their answer when the quiz comes up on the screen. This way the teacher will know how many of their students are understanding what they are learning plus its fun for the students.
* Partner or Small Group Learning -
When working in small groups Teachers may choose to watch a BrainPOP movie as a whole class and then split into partner or small groups to discuss what they just watched or the teacher could pause the movie at key points and allow the groups to discuss these certain sections. Also if a Teacher really did want to work only in small groups, and had enough computers avaliable to do so, students could use inexpensive split headphones to listen and watch the movies without creating a noisy classroom.
* Individual Learning -
Teachers could 'bookmark' topics in BrainPOP that are relevant to what they are covering in the classroom. This way students who want more information on a topic have quick and easy access. A webquest could be created using BrainPOP or Teachers could find pre-made webquests on the internet.
* Library -
BrainPOP could make it easy for any library to become a media center as well. The program offer complementary materials for traditional literature that students could use for class or their own personal interest. But what could be really neat was if the librarian knew what different classes or grades were studying. Then the librarian could offer pathfinders through BrainPOP on the topics students are working on. The librarian could have webquests available or simply bookmark topics students could use to further understand what they are studying in other classrooms.
Project Idea - The library could use individual learning in their media center. The librarian could bookmark literary topics that correspond either with books that are popular with their students or books that the students are currently reading in other classes. The librarian could talk with teachers and find out what lesson topics students are having difficulties with then the librarian could go and bookmark those topics on BrainPOP. This way students have yet another way to review and understand the information.
* Classroom Management -
BrainPOP could be used as a great reward system for students in the classroom. The more motivated a student is the better they pay attention and grades go up. Instead of the usual reward options (food, extra free time) a really cool reward could be seeing a BrainPOP movie at the end of the day. This way students are being motivated and their reward is educational reinforcing that learning can be fun.
* Connections to Home -
BrainPOP could be linked to the library's or school's home page this way students could use BrainPOP at home. This way students could search the individual learning options the teacher has given them at home. Or students could simply search topics that interest them.
