March
2008
Mathematical pollen.0
So I did my first ever video podcast in e-learning class on the 13th of March. We had to talk about any chosen educational site and I picked “funbrain.com.” I made it in iMovie.
The funny thing is that at the time when I was picking my educational website, I merely popped into google to check out the first “fun-looking” page, but funbrain leapt out at me with dozens of memories I almost forgot…Back when I used to study in Rutgers University in the US, I used to participate in the “Big Buddy” program that assigned you to a child in any number of schools. You would visit the child for a minimum of certain hours every week, and during that time you’d help them, follow them around, and just be as the program says, a “big buddy.” I was assigned to an energetic and outspoken Year 3 boy and one day, I followed him to “computers,” as they called it.
That day, the students were introduced to funbrain.com and were told to create little accounts and play JUST the maths games. I was fascinated by their eagerness to practice their maths skills. As explained in my vodcast (What a horrible term), the children went through a digital chess board and played little minigames, each win granting them a step further in their cyber-victory. I still remember laughing as my “little buddy” gloated about how he beat the games in a “higher stage,” since stages link to your year in school. They were told to play stage 3, but the children found it fun challenging themselves, and I think that kind of motivation is wonderful.
Not only can it be competitive, it can just be fun! Maneuvering a bee around little flowers has never been more.. educational. Check it out:
One problem that I noticed with funbrain, though, is that this site is only good for reviewing what one has learned. The page shouldn’t be used to teach new concepts, as it seems to “expect” the student to be at a certain level and only poses revision questions. So, while I don’t think it’s an appropriate tool for introducing a subject, I would totally suggest funbrain as a little exercise for children if they’ve completed an assignment early and they have time to put their new knowledge to the test.
I’m also shocked that funbrain.com has a funblog! It wasn’t there when I saw that page for the first time! My, how times change.
