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Written by Dagny D'Anconia
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Friday, 04 November 2005 |
I first became away of brainpop.com when a friend said she’d be sure I’d like to see the site. Her children has learned more about science from the site (in her case the Hebrew version) than they ever did in their classes.
I suspect you’d like your children to frequent it as well.
Between five and six million children in the US log on every day to brainpop.com, the on-line educational site founded six years ago by Israeli-born physician Dr. Avraham Kadar. This week, Kadar arrived in Israel to launch the Israeli version of the site, brainpop.co.il, which became operative last month.
The character-based Web site stars a boy called Tom and his robot friend, Moby, who together explore hundreds of different scientific subjects.
In the US the site is in use in many and an ever growing number elementary schools, and more than 20% of them are subscribers. In England the site is among the 30 most visited on-line sites.
While some teachers use the site to review subjects studied in class, others use it as a bonus promised at the end of the class, or assign a visit to it as homework.
According to Kadar, the tens of thousands of e-mails the site receives every day from American children enables him to be the first to know what is on their minds - be it anthrax, hurricanes, or bird flu.
Kadar is adamant about the site remaining privately owned, and will not advertise on it or provide any links to other sites.
Despite the tremendous brand recognition it has among American children, he said, he has consistently refused all offers to buy the site, invest in it, or create related products for children. While the Israeli site is currently free, in the future it is likely to be available for a nominal subscription fee as it now is in the US.
One of the purposes of the site is for parents and children to use it together as a shared activity.
The site is especially conducive to children with learning difficulties, because it is easily accessible and offers a rewarding process of discovery that can restore their confidence in their ability to learn.
The site, which is designed for elementary school children, will soon be expanding to add material for both older and younger children.
Eliat Azran, a science teacher at Harel elementary school in Ashdod, experimented with a pilot version of the Hebrew site in her science classes. Although she liked the site overall, Azran pointed out that most of the children she teaches do not have computers at home, and many of those that do are not connected to the Internet.
Nevertheless, the site can act as a great equalizer. Once they do have on-line access the content is available to everyone.
Mati Alper, who teaches at Derby University in Israel and who studies educational computer programs, was impressed by brainpop's Israeli site.
"It's very refreshing and well-designed," he said. "It shows a lot of investment as well as a true understanding of how children use computers, because if the site doesn't move quickly enough they will tend to abandon it very rapidly."
Israeli education officials, however, are slower to catch on, even though the company is in touch with various educators responsible for developing educational programs.
To The Pointers don’t have to wait for union bureaucracy to fascinate their children with science. Go to the site, pay the small fee, and watch your children’s interest in science blossom.
Dennis Turner
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