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
1 comment:
I like this!! Allowing the students to create their own animations would be a great project for any class. This project would be fun, and would allow for the students to learn to work as a group, and also to learn from each other. Seeing all the different annimations would be a fun and exciting experience for everyone. What a way of getting to express their own personalities!! I never really thought about the use of animation this way-I think it would be great.
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