Website of Mary Ann Oszurek
Website Evaluation: Kidnetic
Website Title: Kidnetic www.kidnetic.com Producer of the Website: International Food Information Council (IFCI) Grades: 5-8 Ages: 9-12 Subject Area: Physical Education and Health Reviewed by: Mary Ann Oszurek Website Description Kidnetic is an interactive website designed for children aged 9-12 that promotes active living and healthy eating. The information within this site is for kids, parents and teachers. The site is intended to encourage kids and parents to begin the process of behavior change towards healthy lifestyles. The website has 4 main components; Move, Eat, Learn, and Talk. The Move section allows children to actively participate in games using the site. For example, one game offered is called “Move Mixer” which is a way for students to design a dance using animation and then stand away from the computer to complete the dance. All of the activities in this section give children the opportunity to be physically active indoors or out. In the Eat section you will find a huge array of printable healthy recipes with directions, materials needed and a breakdown on why it is healthy. In the Learn area there is a portion called “Bright Papers” where students are able to gain knowledge about a wide variety of healthy lifestyle information. This section is broken down into 7 areas that contain the following topics, Featured, Fitness, Fun, Food, Feelings, For Parents and Spanish. Once you pick your topic of interest you can either read or print out your “Bright Paper”. The last part of the site is the Talk option which is a wonderful way for students to communicate with each other, their parents, friends or teachers. They simply input their name, their email address, the email address of who they are sending the note. Then they pick from a list of opening statements. All the students need to do is review the prompt already given to them, respond and send their message. One special quality of this site is that it offers a free downloadable parent guide in English and Spanish for anyone interested in using the webpage. This gives parents valuable information about healthy eating and becoming physically fit. The guide includes a healthy habits quiz along with information on the following; healthy eating, the food pyramid, portion sizes, physical activities and much more. Teachers can also receive a free downloadable leader’s guide that uses the content on kidnetic.com and presents it as a curriculum- like resource that can be used in the classroom or other educational settings. The guides include lessons, activities and resources where you can learn more about the topics you are teaching. Accuracy of Content This site was created by the International Food Information Council (IFIC). They have done a great job putting together an accurate resource for students, parents and teachers. In some areas the content may be a bit long for younger readers but it appears to be appropriate for the suggested age level. The games and activities are also appropriate and geared toward the intended audience. Students will not need previous knowledge to use the site as all the information is accessible right from the webpage. The site does not discriminate by gender or ethnicity. In fact, it offers the content in Spanish as well English. Technical Quality Once you type in the web address it brings you to a vivid homepage with lots of color and some sound effects. The sound effects are exciting and keep the learner interested in what they are learning about. The layout of the page makes it simple for students to navigate through and access information. The site is traveled through by clicking on links to view information which all function they way they are supposed to. I had a chance to activate the games and activities which all worked well and were visually stimulating. There is a separate link for parents so they can bypass the children’s version of the site and receive an adult friendly atmosphere. Another component of the site that will be beneficial is called “Betchacant” were students have the opportunity to challenge other people to a dare. The site gives you a list of physical activities to choose from and then you email your responses. This interactive website has colorful aspects and great sound quality making it a fun and user friendly site for students. One complaint I have is that there is no help key. There was not any way to ask questions if you needed technical assistance while navigating through the site. I would definitely want to fix this problem. The only solution I noticed is to click on the manufactures link and ask for help through the IFIC website. Use of Technology The technology used here could be improved to promote the creation of a product. The students can use the technology to play games and review information about various topics in favorable way but they do not have the opportunity to create anything. Students may print out recipes and try some of the healthy food options but what about a way to create your own recipe? Another suggestion may be to implement a way for students to chart their progress as they use the site to promote a healthy lifestyle. This is where a teacher using this site would have to be creative implementing their own lesson ideas. The leader guide will also be helpful here since it offers suggestions for lessons and activities that can be incorporated with the website. The site offers print outs of articles and recipes for students to use that will improve knowledge of a particular topic. It also has interactive games that promote physical activity that students will enjoy participating in. While viewing the articles, students can also access more information on the topic by clicking on links to other valuable websites. The technology presents a fun environment for learning to take place. However, the site itself does not offer any way to assess the students. Again, this is when teachers must look beyond the site to create assessments or use the leader’s guide. Role of Students The website is designed so students can freely move through it and search topics of interest. It is limited in that it only has a few activities and once children have view or participated in them they may become bored with the site. I was not able to find out if the site changes the activities to prevent this problem. Students will not have any problems activating this website on their own or at their own pace. The website promotes student or group interaction with the Talk and the “Betchacant” features. Students can interact with other individuals by accessing these features and posting a dare or responding to writing prompts that will be communicated to others. The primary goal for students is to view educational material and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. The site has the content as well as activities to achieve this goal. Role of Teacher The most critical aspect for the teacher to do before using this site is to access and review the leader’s guide. The major role of the teacher is to create lessons ahead of time that can be assessed in order to make this site an effective learning tool. The teacher will have to decide what areas are appropriate for their students and what topics they wish to cover. The site is pretty easy to navigate so the students will not need much assistance from the teacher once they become familiar with how the site works. The students will need clear instructions on what is expected of them for each lesson. The teacher must be creative and keep students involved in a particular lesson so they do not drift off and only play games. Classroom Usage This site is a good addition to a health or physical education curriculum. It would be used most effectively on an individual level so students can participate in the activities. Students can use the site to interact with one another or compete against each other. In the physical education setting the movement activities can be used on rainy days or when the gymnasium is not available. It could also be used to get students active in a small area. It would be a great way to implement computer technology into health and physical education. The site can have a positive impact on students that tend to be bodily kinesthetic (physical) learners. With some creative thinking this webpage can serve as a great resource for educators in these fields. Critical Summary The website has a lot to offer and can be an effective educational tool. It requires some initial work, on behalf of the educator, but will be worth the effort when children learn how to live healthy lifestyles. It is an entertaining, colorful and simple site to navigate through making it welcoming for students in addition to presenting a great source of health related information. The site would benefit from some technology advancements such as adding ways for students to create charts or receive feedback on their work. In addition, the site could include comic strips or movie clips to engage the students. The teacher plays a critical role in ensuring the students use the site effectively and educationally. Overall Rating (On a Scale of 1-10) 6 Explanation of Rating I only gave the site 6 out of 10 because I believe it could be a much better site if it included the technology advances mentioned above. The site allows the teacher to access a guide that can be used to implement lesson plans. If the teacher is willing to put in the time and creativity, this site would be beneficial for all health or physical education professionals.
Homepage | Review of Brain Pop | Last Revised: 6/12/2008 | © M. Oszurek | moszurek@sjc.edu