Lord knows that I don't, but I want to share some llama love by rating the sites that I have had some firsthand experience using. I'm not paid (darn) and by no means are these reviews "official" but hey, who says they can't still be useful.
Today I'm covering one of my favorites - Interland! Gosh darn if Google doesn't just make great versions of everything.
Price Point
It's free! Doesn't get better than that, right? They also have the curriculum and other resources free as well.
Practicality
I definitely think bonus points should be awarded for practicality because it does include the curriculum. I have consulted them when I went to teach it in my own lab setting.
It does
Student Engagement
We all know, if the students aren't into it, it's going to be a battle. Interland has four topics that are played as individual games. Certain games do hold higher engagement than others, but for the most part, my 1st-6th grade students all enjoy it. I had several ask to play it during Game Day which is always a sign of a successful program.
Reliability
It's free! Doesn't get better than that, right? They also have the curriculum and other resources free as well.
Practicality
I definitely think bonus points should be awarded for practicality because it does include the curriculum. I have consulted them when I went to teach it in my own lab setting.
It does
Student Engagement
We all know, if the students aren't into it, it's going to be a battle. Interland has four topics that are played as individual games. Certain games do hold higher engagement than others, but for the most part, my 1st-6th grade students all enjoy it. I had several ask to play it during Game Day which is always a sign of a successful program.
Reliability
The site is just about as reliable as any other flash using website. I will say, it is heavy on the graphics so it may lag on slower devices/networks. They do have a lower definition option easily accessible though, so this may help.
I have used the program for two school years and have not encountered a day the system was down, so overall, good!
Academic Value
It looks like a game! It plays like a game! But they don't hire computer/technology/STEM teachers just for kids to have video game breaks, did they? (I know your students would answer yes to that question)
So what skills does Interland enhance?
- Digital citizenship (cyberbullying through comments, secure passwords, and more)
- Mouse/keyboard skills - some games require students to use more than one keyboard key at a time (to jump well) or to make quick movements with the mouse (to navigate a character)
Final Score
What type of llama lover would I be if my scoring wasn't llamarific!!
With little negative feedback on each rating in each category, it may not come as a surprise that this site gets a score of...
I have used the program for two school years and have not encountered a day the system was down, so overall, good!
Academic Value
It looks like a game! It plays like a game! But they don't hire computer/technology/STEM teachers just for kids to have video game breaks, did they? (I know your students would answer yes to that question)
So what skills does Interland enhance?
- Digital citizenship (cyberbullying through comments, secure passwords, and more)
- Mouse/keyboard skills - some games require students to use more than one keyboard key at a time (to jump well) or to make quick movements with the mouse (to navigate a character)
Final Score
What type of llama lover would I be if my scoring wasn't llamarific!!
With little negative feedback on each rating in each category, it may not come as a surprise that this site gets a score of...
5 out of 5 Lovely Llamas!
I'd love to hear from you! What tool have you found best for teaching digital citizenship?
Llama love,
Sam
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