Beginning level students to mathematics need mathematics delivered to them to be nearly as perfect as their textbooks give. Lesser quality, even unusal fonts, can throw students off track, causing more problems than solving. An engaging interface, great graphics, and lots of color Reading text, particularly mathematics from a video screen requires sustained, controlled, and concentrated attention. Learning mathematics this way is virtually impossible for all but the most dedicated mathematics students. Bright colors and exciting graphics are exactly what most kids expect and demand if you are to engage them.
Television knows how to hold human interest.
We should learn from television. Denying the impact is foolish. You, the teacher, needs to how they are doing. But with web learning this is not so straightforward. On-line courses must communicate with the student in a realistic way.