Online education websites
* one being the worst, 10 being the best
Sam learning is the only website I evaluated that requires the user to log in, this is so there hours online can be added up and a total usage time calculated. The school the student is at has to pay a yearly fee for the privilege of its students being able to use it. The other four sites on the other hand didn’t require a username and password or a fee.
I think Bitesize is the website that looks the best; it has a sleek simple and clear look about it. The Science museum has a similar look to this and has a very inviting image. The primary resources website is very plain and dull with boring colours and too much text. I think this would be hard for a child of primary school age to use. There are a few basic pictures but it looks like very little effort has gone into the design of the website. Net frog is the worst set out but this is aimed at older students so it gets away with being plain and informative, the images are very basic and the layout is poor.
BBC Bitesize is the easiest of the 5 websites to use; it has a clear navigation and images to enhance the experience. Sam learning is quite similar to Bitesize as the navigation is again quite simple to use and clearly set out. Most of the websites were easy to use, ‘primary resources’ was again the worst one because it was very difficult to find exactly what I was looking for, there is lots of unnecessary information on the homepage.
Whilst using the websites I didn’t have any problems with any of them, there were no errors and nothing functioned incorrectly.
On Sam learning the total usage time is calculated so students can be rewarded for there revision efforts, this is a very good idea. All of the websites used a range of multimedia assets including videos, flash animations and basic pictures. On Bitesize as I moved my cursor around the screen images and texts would highlight and flash, Sam learning is the best website for multimedia, it gets the user really involved in what they’re doing because all of the exercise require you to drag and drop the correct answers into the right places. The science museum website uses mostly basic images but there is a few interactive activities for people to use. I think one of the best things about the websites is that the user can get instand feedback, especially on sam learning where it gives you an estimated A*-U grade for GCSE.
Advantages of online learning
- Quick and easy
- Inexpensive worldwide distribution
- Accesible by anyone anywhere
- Users can work at there own pace
- Sound, videos and graphics can be used
- More affordable
Disadvantages of online learning
- Computers may replace human contact
- Feedback is limited
- Someone must provide web server access.
- You have to be self motivated
Sources
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
www.samlearning.com
http://frog.edschool.virginia.edu/Frog1/
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
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