Digital Technology Week 7 – Animation
This weeks lesson was based around animation and its uses in the classroom. ICT allows pupils to “achieve something that would be very difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way.” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.54). We discussed about how the importance of teaching children to use technology in this modern-day world. We first learnt about what ways animation making could be used in the classroom to make lessons and then we learnt how to make our own and did so using stop motion.
The way we learnt how to introduce animation in the classroom lessons was through stop motion animation. We did this through an app on the iPad which may be available in classroom for the children to use. We learnt about what animation is and how it can be defined. “Animation involves the stringing together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.” (Jarvis, 2015, p89). Children should be given experiences with all sorts of technology as it can open doors and their imagination which could help them discover what carer path they would like to go down and it may open jobs that don’t currently exist. Animation in the classroom doesn’t have to be with plasticine models – cut out animation is by far the easiest technique to start on. (Moving Image Education). Children won’t be making masterpiece movies, but they will do their best and will be able to imagine up ideas with what they are provided with in the classroom. The most obvious example of stop motion animation is Wallace and Grommet which is made using plasticine models. It works by taking a picture and then moving the model a tiny bit then take another picture this is repeated several times and when all the pictures are played in sequence quickly it looks as though the models etc are moving themselves.
I was in a pair to make our animation. I had a little bit of experience with stop motion when I used it in 3rd year of school in computing. I used the app on the computer and we used sweets to make it look as if they were moving. My partner had no experience with this type of animation. We decided to go with the simple idea of drawing on paper and it would look as though the paper was drawing the picture itself. Our short story line was of the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. We took hundreds of photos that when put together illustrated the short story. This would be simple to do in the class as all that is required is paper and pens. We learnt quickly that a key point that needs to be taught is that the pad must stay in the exact same position for the animation to look real and not jumpy.
This can be seen in the curriculum in the experiences and outcomes. One of which is “I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.” TCH 1-01a. Which relates to the use of the technology and the child enhancing and extending their knowledge of how to use technology to the best of its ability. It also relates to experiences about their literacy if it can be applied to their animation. It could also extend to experiences referring to them working in groups, using their imagination and sharing their ideas and outcomes, all depending on what relates to the lesson you as the teacher set them.
Overall, I really enjoyed learning about and making a stop motion animation. I feel like this would be a great set of lessons to teach a primary class and to allow the children to use their imagination. I will use this in my classroom if I get the chance and if the resources are available to use.
References
· Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.
· Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed: 26th February 2018]
· Jarvis, M. (2015) Brilliant Ideas for Using ICT in the Classroom: A Very practical Guide for Teachers and Lecturers. Routledge.
· Moving Image Education website: [Online] https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation [Accessed: 26th February 2018]
