Introduction

Today’s workshop was a very fun, interactive task looking at animation and the different ways in which we can incorporate it within a range of curricular areas. This topic was introduced today and is going to be explored more next week when we will be creating our own animation. Animation ‘breathes life into something that wouldn’t normally move’ (Moving Image Education, 2016). Throughout primary school, I remember being introduced to animation and exploring an application called ‘purplemash’. I always remember extremely enjoying using animation as it allows you to be fully creative and create a range of different projects which was why I was exceptionally looking forward to today’s task.

Animation is an incredible tool which can be used to enhance learning. According to Bertrancourt (2005), there are 3 different components of animation which helps to enhance learning. The first element which stood out to me was how animation intensifies children’s visual representations. Secondly, it demonstrates processes to children as there are a range of steps needed to successfully build an animation together and, lastly, it provides an interactive element for children.

Animation is also proven to be effective in supporting children with challenging behaviors (Beauchamp, 2012). As animation involves a lot of steps it is likely to cause frustration. However, if mistakes are made they are extremely easy to fix. This allows children to play about with different features and when something doesn’t go to plan it can be easily resolved, which avoids frustration and limits insecurities within children’s learning.

The task

Today, we looked at another two animation applications called ‘istopmotion’ and ‘puppetpals’ which I have personally never used before. After exploring both applications the major benefits of using animation within the classroom were clear.

Firstly, my peers and I looked at the app ‘puppet pals’ and explored the range of features available. This app allows children to be creative with a choice of characters and scenes. I enjoyed looking at this app, however, I think it would be more beneficial for children in early and first level who are still developing their skills within ICT, as it is quite restricted in what you can do and is fairly easy to operate. I believe it can act as a great tool to introduce animation to children and allow them to show their imaginative skills within their learning.

We then looked at ‘istopmotion’, which personally I found more enjoyable as there were more features available and it allows you to be totally creative. The app allows you to take a series of photographs and also include voice recordings. My peers and I created a short animation clip while using a bendy figure that were available during the class. Discovering both these apps was extremely beneficial as it allowed us to explore the features and become familiar with the app prior to next week’s session where we will be creating our own animation!

I linked todays activities to the following experiences and outcomes:

• I explore and discover different ways of representing ideas in imaginative ways. TCH 0-11a
• I can explore and experiment with digital technologies and can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts – TCH 1-1a. 

Conclusion

Having the opportunity to work collaboratively and look at both these apps today was very valuable as it allowed us to see the clear benefits of using animation to enhance learning within the classroom. As a developing student teacher animation is something I will be eager to include within many curricular areas as it is a fun, interactive task that I believe children would not only enjoy, but also benefit from.

For next week’s task, I decided to work alongside two of my peers. After looking at both the applications today, we created a mind map of ideas we had for our animation as we wanted to ensure we had all the necessary materials prior to next week’s session. In the end, we have decided to create our short animation clip around volcanoes, as within this module so far our previous tasks have mainly been targeted towards literacy and math’s.

Overall, today’s task was extremely beneficial and really opened my eyes to the world of animation and how it can be incorporated within the classroom effectively. I am looking forward to considering animation in more depth next week!

References

Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary School: From Pedagogy to Practice. Pearson.

Moving Image Education website: [Online] https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/animation[Accessed: 19.3.19]

Jarvis, M. (2015) Brilliant Ideas for Using ICT in the Classroom: A Very practical Guide for Teachers and Lecturers. [Accessed: 20.3.19]

Scottish Government (2019) Curriculum for Excellence Technologies – Experiences and Outcomes. (Online) Available:https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf (Accessed: 20th March 2019)