Kayla A.

McCray

Coastal Carolina University

EDIT 720: Theories of Learning with Instructional Technology

29 July 2022

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Table of Contents

I. Overview…………………………………………………………………………. 3 - 4

II. Multimedia principles and learning theories……………………………………… 4 -6

III. Redesigning the product …………………………………………………………….. 6

IV. Summary …………………………………………………………………………….. 6

V. References …………………………………………………………………………… 7

VI. Appendices …………………………………………………………………… 8 - 11

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I. Overview

BrainPop is an educational software that is meant for students in kindergarten through at least

eighth grade (Appendix H ). It is broken into multiple sections because it has BrainPop Jr.

(Appendix H) which is designed specifically for kindergarten through third grade. BrainPop

itself is for students in grades third through high school. There is something on there for

everybody. It covers all subjects – science, math, ELA, and Social Studies (Appendix A). They

also have some videos in the topics of arts & music, health and SEL, and engineering and

technology (Appendix A). It is playful, educator-focused, reflective, and global.

There are engaging games that encouraging learning, animated movies and activities. It is

designed with relevance, depth, and humor to encourage students on their own paths.

There are other versions of BrainPop available. Unfortunately, there is not a free version of

the product, you must have a subscription to access it. With the exception of BrainPop Jr. There

is a free subscription available for access via SCDiscuss but you must have the username and

password for access. The main version I will be focusing on is BrainPop.

The program teaches how to think analytically. It also presents them with real world

situations and scenarios where they will be able to apply what they are learning in class. During

the videos, there are pause points where teacher can turn on/off to encourage discussion.

The program is not individualized for each learner. Each child will receive the same

instructional components. The program does not show growth or give a diagnostic test of any

kind. It basically used as a supplemental resource to enhance the learning experience. Some

teachers use BrainPop instruction for a hook to lure students into the lesson, a refresher, or a

closure to a lesson – just to name a few.

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 One thing I do like about this program is that you can find videos by topic or unit

(Appendix C & D). Once you find a video, you can also see the standards (Appendix E) that

relate to that video. There is not an option to search for videos by standard. I think this would

make it easier for teachers as well.

With every video, there are several features (Appendix F). The features are the same but

the information within them vary based on the videos. They also include in depth lesson plans

that can be used to coincide with videos as well (Appendix G).

Each day, BrainPop generates a video of the day. This is a random generate but it is easy

to access because it is readily available on the homepage (Appendix B).

II. Multimedia principles and learning theories

BrainPop is a proven program that produces significant growth and results. This program

targets multimedia principles and theories. Some of the learning principles and theories include

the cognitive learning theory, sensory, and working memory, dual-coding, and the fundamental

multimedia principle (Research SEG, 2009, pp. 9). Based on information from the readings,

when incorporating pictures and words to present information, it is more effective (Research

SEG, 2009, pp. 9). Studies show that dual coding has different parts to make it effective.

When it comes to dual-coding theory, there is a three step process. First you have the

verbal explanation that then transfers to mental representation (Mayer & Sims, 1994, pp. 390).

That in turns transpires to the working memory. Some the components of the verbal system are

visual, auditory, and articulatory (Clark & Paivio, 1991, pp. 151). Through BrainPop the students

are able to connect to what they are learning. They are able to see the animations and hear the

verbal explanations in all videos. Also, when it comes to vocabulary, they will be sure to explain

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and show pictures that connect to the word. As an educator, the teacher would use the

supplementary resources to introduce the video if needed (Appendix __ ). In using those

resources, it impacts a child’s learning and this helps them to be able to retain the information

better.

The use of verbal and nonverbal representation helps the learner succeed. Those

nonverbal representations are environmental sounds, actions, and other nonlinguistic objects

(Clack & Paivio, 1991, pp. 151). Second, there is the representation of the visual that is

concerted to mental representation (Mayer & Sims, 1994, pp. 390). This to is converted to the

mental representation of visual system in the working memory (Mayer & Sims, 1994, pp. 390).

In BrainPop videos, sounds and actions help the students focus on what information is given.

The final stage is the information gets transferred to long-term memory (Mayer & Sims,

1994, pp. 390). Students will be able to retain more information after going through the dual-

coding theory. With BrainPop there is also closed captioning that assist with students who have a

hearing impairment or need added support of the text.

Visual and auditory works together in the fundamental multimedia principle (Research

SEG, 2009, pp. 9). When the two of these work together, learning can be enhanced. There are

multiple modes used in BrainPop videos – visual and auditory.

Cognitive overload and be caused in many ways. If there is a lot going on, the

information can become too much and won’t make it to the long-term memory (Research SEG,

2009, pp. 11). In BrainPop there is just the right climate of happenings to not cause cognitive

overload. The length of the videos are just right – they are not long for the viewer to get bored.

They are long enough to get the information needed to be presented out but short enough to keep

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the attention of the viewer. The information is also organized and grouped well enough to follow

along and understand. It also presents existing schema when displaying a movie.

III. Redesigning the product

After looking at the product, I have not seen any multimedia principles or learning

theories being violated. I would not like to re-design the product. I would like to add a feature

however. Being that you can assign students assignments to be graded, if you want to give them

the opportunity to redo the assignment, you would have to reassign the whole assignment. I

would like to see a redo button that is more accessible. If I assign the assignment and a student

does poorly, it would be very convenient to be able to click the poor grade and then click

reattempt so they would be able to make another attempt at a better grade. I also would like to

have a feature to be able to search for videos by standard. There is a way to see how videos relate

to standards (Appendix ___) but I do not see a feature to be able to see standards and then videos

that relate to it.

IV. Summary

For the most part, I really enjoy using this product with my students. It is very enriching,

engaging, and has many qualities that support multimedia learning. My students look forward to

viewing these videos in lessons. Students love to use other resources available to assist in the

skills. I hate that for upper grades there is not a free version of the program and you have to have

a subscription to enjoy this feature. Other than not having the search by standard feature, I think

this program is very easy to use for both teacher and student.

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References

Brainpop.com. (n.d.). Retrieved August 3, 2022, from https://www.brainpop.com/

Clark, J.M., Pavio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology

Review, 3, 149 – 201.

Mayer, R.E., Sims, V.K. (1994). For whom is a picture worth a thousand words? Extensions of a

dual-coding theory of multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 389-

401

Research SEG, (2009). Improving student science and English language skills: A study of the

effectiveness of BrainPop.

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Appendix

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

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Appendix D

Appendix E

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Appendix F

Appendix G

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Appendix H

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