Week 5 - Animation

This week in our workshop we looked at a plethora of Web sites that allow you create your own animations.

Animations are a great tool and I see them having a range of applications across the curriculum. Animations can be used to for sequencing, recounts, to illustrate literature or be used as a stimulus to inspire student's creation of their own literature.

Animations can be used for more than literacy applications, they could be created to help teach a mathematics concept or as part of an integrated inquiry unit of work. Some of the programs that are available are amazing in that all you need is your basic ideas and they create the sound and sync characters movements with the speech you have added.

I look forward to being able to use animations of these kinds as well as claymation in my future classroom. For students creating such a tangible product such as an animation or video that can be shared with their friends and family is a rewarding exercise. There is potential for great improvement of skills when animation is used repeatedly over a year as well, it would be a great opportunity for everyone to observe student's skills improve as their finished products do too. With all the ICT that I use in my future classroom I will remember what Greg told us repeatedly in our lectures and workshops "make sure you celebrate student's successes and then move on and encourage improvement".

Here's a little bit about what we looked at this week:

Zimmer Twins

http://www.zimmertwins.com/

This Web site allows you to create story boards using 3 different characters doing a range of things in a varitey of places. You get to add in what your characters say by typing it into speech bubbles. The characters don't actually talk but you can read their speech bubbles. This would pose a few problems for students unable to write or read. I am sure that if you wanted to use this programme with your Prep class you could get some parents in to help, make a class animation or even ask students what they want to say and write it for them so they can just copy as long as their other ICT skills are up to the task!

Once your story board is complete you turn it into a movie. Sound effects are added for you as well. Zimmer Twins creates really nice simple animations and the way that it turns your storyboard into a movie is magic! This would also be an excellent way to help students understand sequencing.

This is 13, he's one of three characters that you can choose to use in Zimmer Twins for your animation.

The jungle is just one of the many settings you can choose for your animation.

13 is singing, singing is one of the many actions you can have your characters perform.

Build Your Wild Self

http://www.buildyourwildself.com/

This Web site is provided by the New York Zoos and Aquariums. It allows you to create your

own 'wild self' by selecting different animal body parts to place on your own body. The really cool part is the crazy name that it gives your 'wild self' made up of all the names of the animals that you took parts from to create yourself.

This could be used as an activity to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year. Everyone in the class can make their own 'wild self' and print them out to hang around the classroom (including the teacher). This Web site was incredibly simple and fun to use, the end product is really cute too.

Creating characters using this Web site could have great literacy applications for visualisation and character illustration. Characters created using this Web site could be used as creative story prompts, students could create a story based around the character generated using the 'random' generation button or one created by a classmate.

Roller Mache

http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/rollermache/default.htm

This Web site is provided by the ABC and has information about animation, examples of animation and instructions on and how to do it as well.

There are some great teacher resources in the form of PDF's worksheets that you can download that provide instructions for students on a range of animation techniques including; creating a set or background, templates for story boards, how to make flip charts, ideas for character development and squashing and stretching objects to create movement.

Microsoft Photostory 3.

This is a free programe by Microsoft that apparently "makes show and tell cool again". I personally am not the greatest fan of show and tell however, I do see it's place when done correctly, with variation and interesting topics other than the contents of student's pencil cases or what they did on the holidays! So if this program by Microsoft can make show and tell more exciting for everyone they are onto a winner.

Photostory lets you show your photos with your voice recorded as a commentary, you can add motion to your slide shows, special effects or a soundtrack.

Xtranormal

http://www.xtranormal.com/

Xtranormal's claim is "If you can type you can make movies."

This Web site contains high end adult animation. Character's mouths move to the text that you have typed making animation very easy for the user. This Web site is not really suitable for use in the classroom, but it's good if you are interested in making your own animations for other purposes. As a teacher you could make examples of animations to inspire students when creating their own however, this may prove to be problematic when students are not able to achieve the same effects that their teacher has.

Sketch Swap

http://www.sketchswap.com/

"Draw one to get one" Unfortunately this site is also not suitable for kids as you may get something inappropriate back! This is a shame as it was heaps of fun and sketches that the kids get back could be used as great story starters. You could get around this by saving sketches off the website but I think this takes away the fun of drawing a picture and then getting a nice or

nasty surprise back.

I drew the butterfly sketch and got the bomb back!

Reasonably Clever

http://www.reasonablyclever.com/

This Web site allows you to create your own Lego characters. Once again these could be done for pure fun or to illustrate or inspire literature.

The Star Wars character at the beginning of this post was also created on this Web site.

Zip Tales

http://www.ziptales.com/

This Web site allows you to write and share stories in the classroom. Greg siad that this is a great Australian resource however, it does require a subscription.

Dvolver

http://www.dfilm.com/live/mm.html
This Web site is not suitable for use in your classroom but is a great example of animation made very simple. I made a short animation that is suitable for all audiences about Pete the bear for this blog, it took me about 30 seconds to do!