Juniors.net. Below you will find general information on the product, Evaluate’s interim product evaluation and a full classroom evaluation (where this has been completed). Click on the title bars to show or hide the interim and full evaluations.

Product: Juniors.net   Publisher: Netcradle Ltd www.juniors.net     Type: Website     Subject(s) supported: English   Mathematics   Science      Keystage(s) supported: keystage 2      Scheme(s) of work: No QCA Schemes of work available   Literacy Word level, Sentence level, Text level     Technical specification(s) required: Mac  PC  Operating system:  Microsoft Windows 95  Processor speed: Intel P3 & P4 RAM: 128 Mb         Cost(s) Home use: £90 a year (occasional promotional offers), School, depending on number of KS2 pupils: £118-£875 a year     Other information: Each activity is voiced over to aid those pupils with reading difficulties.

The interim evaluation is an overview of the product based on the evaluator’s investigation of its capabilities outside the classroom environment. It provides information on the subject and scope of the product, its content and appearance, and the potential benefits it could offer teachers in the classroom.         Context: This product is suitable for use pupils aged 7-11 age. It could be used for individual or for whole class teaching using stand-alone or networked computers. Other multimedia aids would add to the effectiveness of the presentations.     Technical information: The product loaded reliably with a 56K connection. With broadband the site and sound came up very quickly. Flash 6 player is available as a free download. Netcradle offers free technical help and phone training . A user guide, mouse mats, posters and flyers come with the subscription pack.     Design & navigation: The site has bright graphics throughout, sound in most activities and a couple of characters who guide users around the site. The multimedia is appropriate for key stage 2. Parents, teachers and pupils access separate areas with different passwords. The English homepage offers an efficient search facility and activities by-category. Activities can be stored for future access and past activities are logged in detail. Text support is available from all areas of the site visited.     Content: The site offers teaching presentations (short and long) and quizzes. The site’s target audience are pupils aged seven to 11, and the language is accessible and relevant. The activities match the objectives in the NLS and so ensure progression. This is a flexible resource: activities can be simply planned, recorded and reviewed by both pupil and teacher. Teachers can plan classes in detail with printable resources for individual pupils or whole class. Administrators can also plan whole school access and assessment. The support materials complement the teaching activities.       Curriculum coverage:   The resources support literacy teaching and learning, and are linked closely to strategies and QCA units. There is a link to curriculum mapping. Teachers could use the site to complement the teaching of all aspects of English.       Learning outcomes:   I would expect pupils to increase attainment particularly in sentence and word level work. The site may boost the motivation of some pupils who otherwise find these subjects uninteresting or inaccessible. Extensive facilities are available to allow the teacher to follow pupil progress. Scores and question by question reports are available.     Classroom management & preparation: Users should be familiar with website navigation. Links are generally clear. The teacher tutorial is comprehensive. The user guide in the subscription pack covers the curriculum aspects, online help and telephone support dealing with technical points and demos cover classroom use. The site comprehensively supports pupils’ learning and offers appropriate tests. Teachers could differentiate by dropping down a year and tracking back objectives. Spoken text and instructions in many areas can help pupils with SEN. There is not a feeling of ever going wrong if you click on the wrong link.Teachers can assess progress on all activities that the child/class or school has undertaken. Rewards can be allocated and there is a feeling of real control over the activities the pupils try.     Summary: Juniors.net English looks sophisticated and fresh. The resources are closely linked to literacy strategies and QCA units. This site will appeal to teachers who feel ICT should complement rather than replace the teacher. Teachers can control the speed of learning and they can guide pupils to their weaker areas. The pupils will undoubtedly be hugely motivated by the chance to accrue points towards building a robot. They will enjoy the chance to challenge each other, even other classes, in the two activities. Learners will feel they control this element of competition as they are free to participate as much as they like without feeling left behind. The assessment tools and the record of tasks enhance pupils’ sense of achievement. The site encourages pupils to take control of their own learning and guide themselves. It will foster a sense of ownership and independence that many pupils may not often experience.