Week 5 - Amazing Animation

In today's workshop we covered quite a few websites. I was really interested in the animation sites we looked at such as Dvolver and Zimmer Twins because it gave me the opportunity to build the layers of my own animation. Websites such as Zimmer Twins also gives students to experience how animation is layered. Zimmer Twins would be easy for the students to use and this website could easily be added to a WebQuest. Zimmer Twins gives students the opportunity to type in their own text and work in teams to write and design a movie. Zimmer Twins could integrate any subjects such as ICT, maths and literacy.

We also looked at xtranormal which students could have great fun playing around with and making movies. The students could then also send the clips they make to their friends.

Build Your Wild Self is a website that my students on my first practicum loved. They would happily spend all of their lunch times on wet days creating characters on this site. While you could let students design whatever character they wanted you could then also turn it into a learning activity by asking them to go and research 5 facts about the animals that they'd chosen to use on their character. Alternatively you could set the students the task of listing what characteristics their character had to have. Students could also create characters, print them off and put them in a pile. They could then cut them into thirds to create different characters. The students could then write stories about these weird and wonderful creatures that they've created. Websites like this make it really easy to fire students' imaginations which is what we need to be doing in our classrooms.

Sketch Swap is a great way to practice your drawing skills on the computer however it is not appropriate to use in the classroom because you can't be sure what kind of image the site will generate and return to you. To get around this problem you could have students draw their own pictures and email or post them to pen pals that you've set up for them. This way they're still swapping sketches but you know the sketches they receive in return will be appropriate.

Story Games was a website that has good example of rebus writing. I think it's a really creative way to get students reading and writing. It would be a good website for students to see what rebus writing is and then they could make their own stories using this technique.

Catchment Detox is a site that is all about the environment. It involves information and a game where students step up their catchment ares and have to carefully maintain it. If the students do not maintain it it begins to go downhill and they can see the consequences. I think being able to see the ramifications visually through a game is a great way for students to understand the topic. This site could easily be incorporated into a WebQuest.

On the Reasonably Clever website students can create lego characters which they can then print off and write stories about. This is an easy way to integrate ICT, art and literacy. But you could also give students real lego and get them to create characters that way. By giving students real lego, real paints and materials to work with you're getting them involved.

We also looked at the Roller Mache website which is a guide to animation and has great videos showing how artists actually make animations. The website has activities for students and takes them through the process of 'inspire, plan, create.' Greg pointed out there are also the extras sections on DVDs such as Toy Story that you can show to students to show them the process of animation.

We also looked at Dvolver Movie Maker. This is not appropriate for children but it's a good tool for getting your head around animation. There's music, backgrounds, text boxes which are all fun to play around with but the nature of the characters are not suitable for children. It would be fantastic if there was a version aimed at children though.