Fun Brain

Fun Brain is a great website where students can work on their math skills. This website is great because it goes with them as they work their way through school because you are able to choose a level based on your grade. Another great feature of this is that student's would be able to develop their math skills at a fast pace but still have lots of fun. The student's also get as many tries as they would like to complete a level.

Educational Website Evaluation Form

Evaluator: Meredith Tidd Date Evaluated: March 18, 2007

Website Title: Fun Brain

Website: http://www.funbrain.com/

Author and/or Company of Website: Pearson Education, Inc.

Grade: K-8

Subject Area of Website: Mathematics

Main Educational Goals Addressed in Website:

CCSD CEF (3) 2.6 “form mental pictures before, during, and after reading”

CCSD CEF (3) 2.7 “draw inferences using prior knowledge, textual information, and pictures”

CCSD CEF (3) 2.8 “retell the main idea of text (synthesize)”

CCSD CEF (3) 2.9 “interpret information in new contexts”

CCSD CEF (3) 2.10 “use self-correcting strategies to gain meaning from text”

CCSD CEF (3) 1.18 “Immediately recall and use addition and subtraction facts”

CCSD CEF (3) 1.19 “Immediately recall and use multiplication facts, products to 100”

CCSD CEF (3) 1.20 “Recall division facts through the 10s”

Description of the Website:

Accuracy

Does the website list sources of information? No

Is the information provided accurate?

The information pertained to mathematics so it was not necessary for them to list the sources for creating the math problems. I played the math game in its entirety and found no mathematical errors.

Appropriateness

Is this digital format the best way to present the information of the website? Why is the digital format the best form of delivery?

The information provided covers two subject matters and provides games to test the student’s ability. The website format is better to present this information because students have access to more information and links to other educational websites to gain more in-depth knowledge. Students would not be able to play the games, which test their math skills, if this was a book format.

Currency

When was the website established (date)?:

The copyright began in 2000

Has the website been revised? Yes

If so, when was the website revised?

I cannot say yes or no to this because there was no date saying when the site was last updated or if in fact, it had been updated at all.

Does the information provided on the website need to be updated often?

The information is not time sensitive therefore, being updated often is not necessary for the site to be useful.

Easy of Use

Is the website easy to navigate, remember the three-click rule?

The website was easy to navigate, there was also a brief introduction telling you about the features you could discover on the website. The website followed the three clicks rule and provided information both in text and in audio for each page. I have high-speed internet and the pages had no trouble loading, I do not think the same would be true for someone with a slower connection because each page has graphics as well as audio.

Objectivity

Is there any evidence of bias on the website? Yes

If there are biases evident, can the website still be used in your lesson?

If someone were not a native English speaker, this site would be problematic and may enforce ethnocentrism. The website could still be used because everything is written down mathematically.

Suitability

Is this site suitable for your student audience?

The information provided on this site understands the limits of age groups, but also what the students should be learning class. The material covered is 100% educational and the students will benefit greatly from it.

Are the sponsors for this site suitable for your student audience?

The site’s sponsors are educationally based and are suitable for the age groups the website seeks out.

Potential Problems for Students with:

Learning Disabilities: If the student is a slow reader then the math game will be difficult for him to complete because it is all reading the math problem and then reading the answers to find the correct one.

Mental Disabilities: Because of the varying age and grade levels for this site students who are slower can start in a grade or two below them and work their way up to their current grade.

Physical Disabilities: If students have trouble seeing this site will be problematic because everything is in text with very little audio.

Additional Information/Comments

The math game on this website was fun and enjoyable for even me. Another fun section is the Mad Libs Junior section. It is a new section and was being promoted but not accessible. This would be a great way for students to learn speed for their math skills because the game has sections which are on timers.