Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: StarFall

Monday, January 31, 2022

StarFall

Started as a free educational website that opened on August 27th of 2002. The site was founded by Stephen Schutz and was motivated by the idea of helping children to read. Shortly after the site expanded, offering a fully developed kindergarten, English and Language Arts curriculum as well as a comprehensive pre-K curriculum. Starfall's continuous growth allows children to partake in a number of songs, books and mathematical activities. You can now enjoy activities on apps and mobile devices from kindergarten up to grade 3!

The site is colorful and appealing to a young audience. When you enter, you have the option of exploring activities for kindergarten or you can select grades 1 to 3. Depending on your choice there is a section for math, language arts & music or seasonal activities. Kids are provided with a section called "Who Am I", here they have the opportunity to design a page all about themselves. Under each category, there are three to four activities available per section for free. If you want to unlock additional activities you can pay a yearly fee. Kids interact with the app by selecting a category. Once selected they play a game while learning about the subject. For example, kids are provided with math questions and if answered correctly they can jump to the next level. The app celebrates success and is easy to navigate. The site communicates verbally to the child with animations that are easy to follow and assist students along the way if they get stuck. Beginners will definitely need assistance from an adult to get started. Although, the pictures provided seem appealing enough to entice a child to click on.

The site also provides a free resource center for parents and teachers. Parents and teachers can learn how to navigate, find the best place to begin educating their child or students and get access to worksheets or lesson plans. In addition, an activity index is provided for quick access. It's a fun and interactive website for educators if they want to reinforce a lesson. Starfall was rated a 4.3 by 44 reviews from parents and a 3 by 77 reviews from teachers according to Common Sense Education. You can be the judge by trying it out for yourself!