This week in Digital Technologies we were learning to create an animation.  I really enjoyed this lesson because I am really enthusiastic when it come to things that are creative.  It showed me that when children take part in animating they are developing and strengthening their creative skills and this is something I can’t wait to see happening in my future career.  As well as creative skills, team-work skills and communication skills will also be developed because this can be a group activity.

ICT gives pupils the chance to “achieve something that would be very difficult or even impossible to achieve in any other way” (Beauchamp, 2012, p.54).  According to (Beauchamp, 2012), ICT is something that contributes to all areas of learning rather than a separate “subject”.

Using digital technologies in the classroom, such as “e-Inclusion”, can minimise the problems that pupils with learning difficulties experience (Beauchamp, 2012, p.55).  Since ICT equipment is part of pupils’ everyday life, it should also be part of their everyday play (Beauchamp, 2012, p.66).

It is important that teachers are confident in using new technologies and not worried because this could be transmitted to young children and we must ensure that no other obstacles interfere with their curiosity and willingness to explore new technologies (Beauchamp, 2012, p.66).

Animation can be used in the classroom to string together a sequence of static images, generally so that they appear to move.  This can be done using “Puppet Pals”, an app that can be accessed on iPads.  The animation can include voice recording and movement and the child would have the ability to change the size of the characters.

Animation can impact people visually  (Jarvis, 2015, p89) because, in a way, it brings something to life that would normally be still (Moving Image Education).  It creates something very exciting to watch which is ideal for sending an important message across to children because if what they are watching is interesting and exciting, they are more likely to remember what is was about.

When I learned what animation actually was and what pupils would have to do the first thing that I thought of was the sense of achievement that the children would experience when they created something like this.  Animation is such a creative and complex thing to do, so when it is completed the children will be proud of themselves and what they have achieved, thus their self-confidence will increase.

Animating in the classroom doesn’t have to be as complex as working with plasticine, to start off a class could try cut-out animation which is an easier technique.

According to Moving Image Education there are five main types of animation

• Cut-out – quickest and easiest
• Stop – motion – example is plasticine models
• Pixilation – humans become the puppets
• Drawn – example is the classical Disney animation
• Computer – also known as CGI and found in games and movies.

(Moving Image Education)

I worked with a friend to undergo “Drawn” animation.  We decided that we would animate a caterpillar changing into a butterfly.  I am very proud of what we achieved because it had a great visual impact and was entertaining.  This task is something that I definitely want to do with my own class in the future because not only is it enjoyable, but it is also a great way to teach them about animation and how to use “Puppet pals”.  It is an interactive, “hands-on”, task which I think is much more effective compared to just listening to what it is about.

I took the time to research some Curriculum for Excellence expressions and outcomes and have decided that it should focus on “Craft, design, engineering and graphics contexts for developing technological skills and knowledge”.  The expression and outcome I have chosen is, “I am developing an interest, confidence and enjoyment in using drawing and colour techniques, manually or electronically, to represent ideas in different learning situations (TCH 1-15a)”.

In conclusion, this lesson has allowed me to learn even more about how I can use digital technologies in the classroom and has made me a lot more confident about teaching this in the future.

 

References

• Beauchamp, G. (2012) ICT in the Primary Classroom: From Pedagogy top Practice. Pearson.
• 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: 26.2.18]