StudyJams! (www.studyjams.com)
© 2008 Scholastic, Inc.
Best described as a multimedia web-delivered textbook for upper elementary or middle school, Scholastic's StudyJams (www.studyjams.com) combines slide shows, musical selections, animated movies (called "jams"), and encyclopedia-style articles; backed up with short quizzes. To find a topic, you can either search by keyword, or choose a topic heading and drill down. We tried the word "plants" and found 21 related "jams" and 639 topic entries. The first entry, called "Plants With Seeds" offers a video, quiz and six very typical (e.g., rather dry) encyclopedia entries. The videos are designed to appeal to middle and high school kids, featuring four "hip" middle school kids. In the rap called "Division Time" there are links, such as "If 2 or 3 can split the number quick, throw a trick and divide by 6." You're rewarded with "jam points", which can be redeemed in a "jam studio" where you can buy tracks to songs and then create your own mix as an MP3 file. Testers noted that the videos can be choppy, and can take a while to load. The production quality is high, with professional narration and images. For home accounts, up to three children can be saved per subscription. More children can be saved on teacher accounts that cost $79/year. A word of caution to busy parents (or teachers). The "free trial" requires manually canceling your subscription, or else you'll continue to be billed at $10/month.... forever. The following copy is on the registration form—read carefully: "Your credit card will not be charged if you cancel anytime during your free 10 day trial period. To cancel, click on My Account and follow the simple cancellation instructions. If you are enjoying StudyJams!, do nothing, and your credit card will automatically be charged for the next payment period." For homeschoolers or for those looking for professionally produced, well-scrubbed school content that looks like re-packaged schoolwork, StudyJams might be worth a second look.
$1099, Internet Site
Teaches: math, history, science, facts about states
CTR Rating: 80%