Let's Get Poppin' with BrainPOP: An Educational Web Site
Tara Naugher Martin · The Delta Kappa Gamma bulletin · 2017
Looking for a way to make your instruction come alive? If so, BrainPOP may be just for you. The BrainPOP Web site (www.brainpop.com), created by Dr. Avraham Kadar in 1999 (About BrainPOP, n.d.), includes editable quizzes, games, activities, lesson plans, webinars, and animated movies starring Tim and Moby, a boy and his robot friend. The content is aligned with Common Core Standards and includes social studies, health, math, English, science, technology, and art while making connections to the real world. The site is geared to upper-elementary and middle-school age groups.Of course, sometimes beginning to work with new technology can be frustrating while one learns different programs and software. To make the teacher's transition to using BrainPOP's resources easier, screencasts are available online. For example, one helpful screencast walks teachers through the process of assigning activity pages, concept maps, games, movies, and quizzes to students in different classes. Let's take a more thorough look at what BrainPOP has to offer and some of its advantages and disadvantages.AdvantagesMany teachers struggle with demonstrating how certain concepts, such as pre-algebra, relate to their students' world and lived experiences. Students need real-world experiences to retain information; however, authentic learning opportunities are not always readily accessible to teachers. One advantage of using BrainPOP's movies in the classroom is that they are aligned with education standards and present the content using real-world connections. For example, one math video shows different types of angles and angle relationships using a clock. The content introduces key vocabulary words while the multimedia format meets the needs of both auditory and visual learners. A movie as a springboard to a lesson is exciting, and students find viewing a video much more engaging than taking notes and looking up vocabulary words in the back of the book.For teachers who want to individualize instruction, assigning different topics or activities is a great way to differentiate. With BrainPOP, students can log in to their personal accounts at home or school to access their assignments. Once they are logged in, they will see a clickable link to their assignments-as well as the deadlines. Accessing the accounts and playing assigned movies is a very quick and easy process for those who have Internet connectivity. No downloading or installing is required.Need a quick form of assessment or way to introduce and review material? The BrainPOP resources will not replace what you have but will complement the lessons you already use. …