On the Journey Step Five: Animation in the Classroom
On the Journey Step Five: Animation in the Classroom
Image by Mikhail Nilov via Pexels
Five Types of Animation
There are five types of animation which can be explored (Bloop Animation, n.d.).
Traditional Animation is an older form of animation in which the animator draws every frame of the animation. The hand drawings are now done on a computer rather than onion skin paper.
2D Animation is a popular technology because it is available in Flash. Using Flash, the drawing skills of an animator are not necessary.
Computer Animation is known as 3D animation. It is the most well known type. A technical skill set is needed for each task in a computer program.
Motion Graphics is not about a story or a character. It uses graphic elements for promotion such as television promos or app commercials.
Stop Motion animation is a special form of animation which takes a photo of an object, moves the object, and another photo of the object is taken. The photo frames are put together to create the animation.
Animation in the Classroom for Instruction and Expression
The use of animation in the classroom for instruction has the ability to support students who need help making successful behavior choices (Vargo, 2017). As students in grades kindergarten through second grade are exposed to animated characters, their ability to develop their social and critical thinking skills increases. Also, students can create characters which help them to learn how to have good relationships with others. A large part of having good relationships with others is the ability of a student to have empathy for others. Animations have been shown to help students learn that other students have feelings and allow them to see models of friendship (Vargo, 2017).
Since animations employ multi-sensory tools, all students can be reached with animations (Vargo, 2017) Animations may be used to teach social and emotional skills using a non-threatening way to teach better behavior choices. The educator may use the animated character as a way to shape student choices in an efficient way and give students an animated model to follow. One example of a resource to use for creating shared experiences with animations are the Habits of Mind stories. These stories may be used to engage students, and help build classroom communities.
The use of animation to express student learning has the ability to be used in every subject area. In a project-based learning environment, the students may be given the opportunity to use animation to show their understanding. The students may be given the options of producing an animated debate, news report, music video, or interview to complete their unit assessment. A tool which contains a variety of project ideas written by Moviestorm Limited may be a helpful resource. Students who are using animation as a way to express their learning should be aware of copyright issues and fair use issues. When a student is creating work within the school and is not publishing the work, the project is considered fair use within an educational setting (Moviestorm, 2011). Also, students should use copyright-free materials and to credit their sources. If a source is copyrighted, students should ask permission for its use.
New Ideas for Using Animation in the Classroom
The use of animation in the classroom gives students the opportunity to engage in research and the production of original works (Teaching Channel, 2021). One project suggested by a Teaching Channel blog was to use animation for a Westward Expansion project. The students were divided into research groups and given a topic. The students were required to create an animation which represented the topic. The students were extremely motivated to complete the project. Animation may be used in many different ways by looking at the course content standards and allowing students to express their ideas with animation.
A website written by Lisa Labracio demonstrates how to use animation to connect to multiple content areas. One animated video is “Ancient Ear Hair: How Do Crystals Form?” which was produced by Labracio for The Met museum. The animated video creatively gives detailed academic vocabulary such as malachite and simplifies the terms and the chemical process. The Met examines the conditions of the valuable artwork that is used in the museum to study the growth of salt crystals. The science of geology and crystals and salt are used to limit the number of crystals which are grown on the ancient statues. The animation video ends with a project about crystals that students may do at home.
A second animated video by Labracio is “Dinosaur Fashing: Where Can We Find Plastics and Polymers at The Museum?” which helps students learn how plastics and polymers are used in artwork and to prevent pollution. The video introduces the topic of dinosaurs with creative animation which engages the reader while presenting fossil fuels. The video links information about fossil fuels and polymers used in plastics. The animation uses models and examples to discuss the use of plastics. The video makes these terms accessible to all learners. The video introduces students to a scientist at The Met who explains how the museum studies polymers which are disintegrating in works of art. The video ends with a home project with steps to make glue.
A final animated video by Labracio is “Painting With Bugs: Where Does the Color Come From?” which presents an insect named the cochineal. The video presents the use of color pigments. The video uses animation to explain how the cochineal insect was used to make a natural red color for an ancient art object. The red dye is still used today in pink and red beverages. The study of color pigments in ancient artwork may be used to help understand the history of cultures and the way of life of a culture. The video ends with another home project which gives ideas for making pigment from foods such as purple cabbage to be used for painting.
Stop motion animation may be created using the tool Animoto. An example of a stop motion animation using Animoto is embedded below. The steps for creating a stop motion animation using Animoto are linked here. Welcome to the world of animation for the classroom!
References:
Bloop Animation.(n.d.) The 5 Types of Animation. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NZbrdCAsYqU
Labracio, L. (2022). Animation and education. https://www.lisalabra.com/
Moviestorm Limited.(2011). Using animation in schools: A practical handbook for teachers. http://cloud.moviestorm.co.uk/edu/Using%20Animation%20in%20Schools%20-%20A%20practical%20handbook%20for%20teachers.pdf
Teaching Channel. (2020, April 19). Animating the classroom. https://www.teachingchannel.com/k12-hub/blog/animating-classroom/
The Met. (2021, August 26). Ancient ear hair: How do crystals form? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/VZtKWlOH4IE
The Met. (2021, August 26). Dinosaur fashion: Where can we find plastics and polymers at The museum? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/pNsJbUh04wg
The Met. (2021, August 26). Painting with bugs: Where does color come from? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Zwox4zk7rmo
Vargo, J. (2017, October 5). 10 Reasons to use animation in the classroom. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/blogs/10-reasons-to-use-animation-in-the-classroom
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