A Critique of the Site StarFall.com Design and Content - Research Paper Example

Starfall.com Abstract This paper is about the online website, Starfall.com. Starfall.com is a free on-line website which helps children to learn to read. It has animated lessons and is primarily designed for first grade students. It is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and second grade students. Introduction This website consists of an interactive program for reading, and programs for letter and word skills and vocabulary development. Starfall in its site says that it is a place "where children have fun learning to read!" The site is a useful tool for both teachers and parents. Parents find Starfall useful as it prepares their children for school, and supports them even after they join school. Content and design The content of the website focuses on that method of learning that emphasizes relation between letter and sound, skills for recognizing words, and strategies for reading and comprehension. It does this with the help of activities like animated stories, movies and games. The site consists of four major units .The "Get Ready to Read" section is about the alphabet and the alphabets are pronounced in a child’s voice. The "Learn to Read" section which is for early readers and for those who are just beginning to read has fifteen different modules consisting of games, stories and movies that teach the child various letter sounds and skills. The third section, "It's Fun to Read,” designed for intermediate readers consist of activities related to art and music. The last section, “I’m Reading” is for advanced readers and has online storybooks that include well-known folktales and myths. The website also has an active bulletin board that can be used for discussion by parents. When students complete a program they can obtain a feedback of their performance and also give a feedback. The reading level of the text and stories is according to the grade levels it was designed for. The content of Starfall.com helps the learner to go beyond basics into a higher level of thinking. It enhances a student’s curiosity Starfall.com is well designed and the animation used compliments and enhances the process of learning. Starfall.com uses a variety of media that includes texts, graphics, video and audio narration. The main aim of a web profile is that it must be most attractive, says Stephanie Ruth (2009). In Starfall.com the colorful graphics and easy-to-read text makes it attractive for children. Cartoon characters are also used in the interactive stories and activities. The graphics in this website are appropriate to the goals of this program. All the texts are accompanied by visual clues to help a child to understand concepts. The layout of this site is simple and makes it easy for the preschoolers to navigate the website with ease by clicking on boxes and arrows. The site is designed in such a way that if a student does not know how to read a word he just clicks on the word and the computer reads it out in a normal and not a robotic voice. The interactive program allows the student to recall previous lessons and use them to learn new reading content. Strengths and Weaknesses The website’s strengths lie in the fact that it has been designed by educators. The format is user-friendly. A number of children can use the online program at the same time. The program works with Window and Mac programs. Since Starfall.com is web–based there is no need for any software to be installed. A high–speed Internet with Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape 4 and Flash 4 player are the only things that are required. Another strong point is the voice used in the site. The voice used is clear and distinct. The fact that students can immediately give a feedback as to whether they have enjoyed the activity “ not only helps Starfall continually improve their approach, but also gives students a sense of ownership of their learning.( Allie Hodges, 2007) The site has several online printouts, writing journals with introductory grammar exercise and writing exercises supported by picture dictionaries. However, these have to be purchased. This is a major drawback of Starfall.com. Even though it is a free site one has to purchase the books that support the lessons. The activities are more useful when used along with the companion materials that are available in Starfall.com’s online store. Only a limited number of worksheets and activities are available for free. The website sometimes has technical problems which prevent the program from running properly. Conclusion In conclusion it can be said that Starfall.com is an extremely useful learning tool. As Jean Armour Polly says, “Families who visit this site will discover that learning to read can be fun for all ages”. References 1. Hodges Allie (2007), Starfall.com: Instructional and Learning Theories, www.allisonhhodges.com/AIL605/605.2a.doc 2. Mary C (2007). Quote retrieved from http://www.ivouch.com/ur.cgi?u=18 on 31/8/09 3. Polly Armour Jean, Quote retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/Starfall.html on 31/8/09 4. Ruth Stephanie (2009), The Secret Towards an Attractive and a Colorful Website, Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/web-design-articles/the-secret-towards-an-attractive-and-a-colorful-website-747925.html on 31/08/09 5. Starfall.com, http://www.starfall.com Read More