Animation in the Classroom

The article I read was very interesting, and aimed at convincing the reader that animation in education is possible, fun, and easier than it looks. With so much choice of easy to use software available for both MAC and PC it’s hard to ignore the potential of animation in the classroom today. Animation software includes: “I can Animate” for MACs and “Stop Motion Pro” for PCs, or digital video editing programs such as iMovie, where you can enhance the animation and bring extra effects to your work. The article discussed the educational benefits of using animation in the classroom, because it gives the students a sense of accomplishing their own tasks, being able to watch and evaluate their work, while speeding up their learning processes.

A myth that surrounds animation that may prevent people from having a go is that it takes years to make a film. However in the author’s previous experience, it usually takes almost one hour for a group of children to produce a scene of about 35-45 seconds. The longer film isn’t necessarily the best; often shorter is sweeter as more care and thought has gone into it.

Model animation is a hands on and creative experience it encourages students to trust their creative instincts. There is no right way to make a dinosaur walk; therefore, children have the opportunity to be as creative as they want to be, without being wrong.

I think that is very important. Animation encourages students to engage in the classroom activities, giving them an opportunity to represent who they are. I think teachers should take advantages of the animation software that I mentioned in the beginning of this article, and they should really put animation to the test in their classrooms. Students learn best by doing, and using animation in the classroom can be a huge beneficial aspect to their learning processes.

If I was to do more research, I think I would want to find out how many teachers actually have used animation in their classrooms before, and the advantages that it has. Did it improve their students learning? Was it a task that everyone participated in? I remember back in school, TV production was one of my favorite courses, where the impossible can be done. I think children feel the same way about animation, therefore, we as teachers, should really take it into consideration.

The original article can be found at the following link:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/articleview.aspa?PageId=461&nodeid=0

Digital Imagery

Increasing Visual Literacy Skills with Digital Imagery
By Dr. Lance Wilhelm, Arizona State University - West Campus

The use of images is becoming extremely popular in our society today, and schools are starting to adapt to this in their instructional practices. Because visual literacy is becoming more important, and our society is replying more on images and visual communication, it is essential for students to acquire some visual literacy skills.

According to the article I read, one way for teachers to increase virtual literacy is by the use of digital cameras, which are becoming cheaper and easier to use in the classroom today. Many schools have used laptops in the past, and that tool still remains essential and crucial to the learning environment as well.
Using laptops, students can work on imaging programs such as Adobe Photoshop, which is a great program to use to enhance images, edit them, or combine images together. Using this program, as well as many others, can help students produce many creative images, while learning the many aspects and advantages of digital imaging.

However, the article I read didn’t really focus on using laptops or computers for “digital imaging.” On the other hand, digital cameras were its main focus. The teacher stated many ways that he could use the digital camera in his classroom. The first example was on the first day of each class. He would take digital photos of his students then combine their photos and contact information into one Word document, which he would keep in his course binder. That way, he learned their names and had access to their information. Also, the teacher would also use the digital camera would take photos of the whiteboard, when it had interesting notes or data. So instead of wasting time writing the info down, he would take a picture of it.

Also, the article discussed how the teacher showed his students how easy it is to import digital pictures into Word or PowerPoint documents. Students could build and organize the images for their use, or maybe the use of their students. Many other examples of teacher use are demonstrated throughout the course, including utilizing cameras to document the steps of a procedure (e.g., carving a pumpkin) or creating a photo journal of a field trip.

The article also discussed the ethical aspects of digital imagery, such as importance to give credit where credit is due, and identifying situations where editing photographs is clearly unethical and shouldn’t be done. These situations are really important, because it’s crucial to give credit to an image’s source.

This article gave us a set of examples of how digital imagery can be integrated into classes in the college. What I would like to do more research about is if effective integration of technology can occur into K-12 curriculum. I think that will be a bit more challenging, however, this article briefly mentioned that it can be done, and students as young as kindergarten can effectively use digital cameras as well. This article didn’t really mentioned how to go about that exactly, but I would like to do more research on that and find out.

As you can see, students can use digital cameras in many ways. I really liked reading this article, and enjoyed all the information it provided. I think using digital cameras in the classroom is great, and what this professor did with his college students is a wonderful experience for each one of them. New experiences like that can enhance the learning process, and are crucial means of adapting to our society today. When I become a teacher someday, I will definitely be using this technology, as well as many others, in my classroom.

The original article can be found at the following link: http://thejournal.com/articles/17145

Storyboarding

USING STORYBOARDS TO PLAN YOUR PRESENTATION

The article I read proved how important storyboarding is, and how everyone can benefit from it. It is important for children to write down their thoughts and ideas as soon as they think about it, and then express themselves while using images and pictures instead of words. Microsoft published this article to show the importance of using storyboards, and transferring them into PowerPoint slides, with minimal wording as possible. The article talked about how students can learn to transfer the statements from the story template to PowerPoint, and then transforming the PowerPoint presentation into storyboards.

Storyboards are really important, helping us shift from creating a presentations of images, to creating pictures that work together to tell us a story. Therefore, the world of visual storyboarding can be really helpful, especially to younger children. Usually, younger students like the draw more, and don’t rely and writing very much. Storyboarding can help them develop their ideas, by ways they enjoy, and things they like doing. According to the article, storyboards ensure that everything you say and show maps back to the structure and sequence of a story.

I think students learn a lot better if they have visual aids or props in front of them. Therefore, storyboarding before they start writing gives them a brief idea of what they need to accomplish, and what they are trying to do. I know I learn better if I draw things, because my mind is able to grasp the concept a lot faster. Therefore, using storyboards in the classroom has many positive aspects that can benefit the students in more than one way.

I would like to do further research on the use of storyboarding in the classroom today. I highly doubt that teachers are using it as a tool to enhance learning, or even an aid to teach nowadays. I think that if teachers became more aware of the benefits of storyboarding, they will definitely reconsider, and put it to use in their classrooms.

The original article can be found at the following link:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA011886711033.aspx