I am really impressed with the magnitude of this Web 2.0 tool called Fresh Brain (www.freshbrain.org). Fresh Brain is a community, a social networking site, a creative studio where teens can virtually explore, create, learn and share projects in the areas of development, ecology, gaming, graphic design, music, venture, videos and web. Fresh Brain was created with the goal of complementing the school curriculum. It brings to students the technological learning opportunities that teachers are unable to provide in the classroom due to the lack of time or training. After navigating the site one can see that it is a combination of different small environments contained in a bigger one.
As a community, it is similar to social sites like Facebook and Myspace that allows students to share ideas and connect; this community also includes parents, teachers and the support of a volunteer staff. But more than just a forum, they took it a step further and made it a platform where technology meets creativity.
As a learning environment, students have the support of tools, tutorials, and classes. They receive advice from a community of volunteers and they can work individualy or in teams. These activities are then posted on the site for sharing.
As a studio, it is a place where projects are created following a plan from conception to completion. Teachers can take advantage of this tool in the classroom by assigning projects that will enhance student’s knowledge. It provides the students with a real world scenario where a project can be completed in a number of weeks by one student or in several months by a team.
It has the support of Sun Microsystems, T Mobile and other corporations that among other benefits, provide the access to technology and volunteers. In addition to the benefits or learning, and sharing there are opportunities for scholarships.
This tool provides a place where teen students can create and thrive.
Isabel-this looks very interesting. Did the site seem easy to use? Easy to navigate? It sounds like a great tool for teens to incorporate technology into their education. Teenagers THRIVE on technology as I have seen from my teenage nieces and if more teachers would use tools like this and invite students to use them at home I think the learning process would be so much more appreciate among teens. Thanks for the great find! I will pass this along for sure.
ReplyDeleteFrom the sounds of this, I could have used it in my high school classroom for student video projects. Awesome find and post, Isabel!
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