Do educational websites make a difference to a childs' ability?

[lovecheese]

A question for teachers, really; I have a 9 year old technophobe who shows little interest in the computer, and a 6 year old who is quite proficient and enjoys playing games on what I would call educational sites. Do you think such sites make a difference to a childs skills? Obviously their ICT will improve but what about, for example, quick maths recall? Do any teachers recognise a difference between children who use a computer and those who don't? Interested to know before I subscribe to anything!

I don't think they make a great deal of difference it's simply that they can motivate children who like computers and computer games to practise skills they may be reluctant to work at on paper.

My dd has an annual subscription to maths whizz, courtesy of a rich generous relative! She loves it, and her (previously weak) IT skills have certainly improved enormously in the six weeks since she started using it. However, I'm not sure about her progress in maths - she has certainly had a plenty of practice from the site, which I suppose is good in itself, but I'm not convinced that she has actually learnt anything new iyswim. That's fine by me, because her maths is excellent anyway and she only goes on for fun.

I am dubious, however, about the claims made in the "reports" that are generated by the site about how much progress she has made in "maths years" over the last few weeks. If she continues at the rate that they claim she is moving, she'll have a PhD by the time she is eight!

I think all of these things have a place, if a child is interested and keen to use them. However, in my view, a computer will never be a substitute for a good teacher!