BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper

One smart teen created this homework helper.

Entertainment Value: Low Graphics: Not the focus here Playability: Easy to navigate Reading Level: Heavy Website: http://school.discovery.com/homeworkh...

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that although this homework hub is managed by a 17-year-old boy (and his dad), it's wise beyond its years. The Discovery Channel teamed up with BJ Pinchbeck to offer only kid-appropriate organized links to educational resources ("English" takes you to authors, grammar lessons, and quotations, for example), so parents don't need to worry when their kid is taken off the site. There's an ad slot for other Discovery Channel sites and their store, and one for a subscription-based homework aid ($9.95/month).

Families can talk about using the Internet for homework help. What makes up a good resource for school kids? Is it better to have a site for a specific age group or for a specific topic, or does it matter? Can you think of a site that's not a reliable hub of information? Why is it not reliable?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Dana Cotter

BJ Pinchbeck's homework help is on the way! Finding information about any subject -- from algebra to the history of DNA -- is easy. Where content is clearly organized by subject areas (including recess, reference, and search engines), subcategories give you more direction and link to the best resources on the Web. Most importantly, if you can't find information on the subject you're looking for, it'll be clear in minutes and you can move on. Or, you can e-mail BJ with suggestions of missing resources. There were a few broken links and pop-ups will, well, pop up, as kids browse through many different sites, but overall this is a no-hassle library of links helpful for quick questions and homework assignments.

Fans looking for another site that has endless information may also enjoy Wikipedia.org.

Reviewed: 08/10/2007

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content There are some links to anatomy sites, but they're all educational.
Violence
Language You can find out how to swear in Spanish if you look hard enough.
Message
	Social Behavior
	Commercialism Banner ad at top of pages links to Discovery Channel Store and other channel-related links. Pop-up ad for Cosmeo (Discovery's subscription-based homework helper).
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco
	Educational Value Vast amount of resources for all kinds of homework help.