During our workshop Greg showed us some websites that allow anyone to make one of these short animation clips. The websites usually had a cartoon ready made that the user can pick and choose from. The user then adds their own script. I had a go at making a few short videos from these sites. The next part of my blog (Week five continued) displays one of the videos I made and have placed onto the blog.
KEY CONCEPTS FOR ICT EDUCATION
The key concepts for ICT education developed during this week included making short films and animations and using the VELS domain of 'Design, creativity and Technology' to implement these.
Greg showed us some short films made by students at
http://www.hthdeneps.sa.edu.au/clay/ and http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/kentict_home.cfm which encouraged;
- Level of engagement of students in specific areas of the curriculum as selected by students and/or teachers
- Literacy skills through writing and storyboarding
- Organisational skills
- The ability to develop group skills and work as a team
Some sites were even able to educate us as teachers on how to develop these films. The following site http://www.clayanimator.com/ demonstrates the stop motion animation technique by using interactive tutorials, lessons, pictures and video.
http://www.digitalfilms.com/?act=1 Shows precise sequencing of digital video online with characters, text, backgrounds, music and animations.
Darcy Prendergast (animated film maker) discusses how he develops his films at www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/rollermache/ . Showing this short clip to students would depict real world examples of where filming skills are used out of the classroom.
Our first activity in the workshop was to create our own short film using templates from the site http://www.dvolver.com/ver.com/ My video has been placed in the next blog entry as I couldn't publish it on this one for some reason. Other websites we viewed that could be used to create your own short film were:
Rebus stories
Design, creativity and technology can also be encouraged through other activities. I thought the sites http://www.storygames.com/TeachManPF/readwri.html or http://www.highlightkids.com/ which assist in designing Rebus stories would be great for younger students. Rebus stories are typed onto a MS Word type document then small pictures are added instead of certain words, for example a small image of a crab is placed in instead of the word 'crab'. I think they make reading fun and would be very engaging for young children learning to read. I would love to get students to make their own Rebus stories. Students could design their own story on an MS Word document, save it as a webpage then add pictures from Google.
Another great activity we went through in the workshop was called 'Ode to a spell checker'. Greg made us open a blank MS Word document then switch off our computer screens. He then read aloud a short poem that we attempted to type onto the document without seeing it. Once we had finished typing we were able to turn on the screen and view our poem. Mine is shown below.
Greg then spelled out all of the words he had read. Nearly every word I had written was spelled differently to his poem. This activity would be a fantastic way to incorporate ICT with Literacy in a classroom. It would alert students to the fact that words may sound the same but can be spelled differently. The activity would also improve typing and keyboard skills.
Some other sites we looked at during the workshop allowed us to create new objects or characters. I have an example below of a creature I created at http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
Above is a picture of a Lego-man I created at http://www.reasonablyclever.com/Sketching
The website http://www.sketchswap.com/ allowed the user to create a sketch using their mouse. Once the sketch is finished the user sends it out into cyber space before receiving another sketch from somewhere in the world. On the left is the image I sketched and on the right is the image I was sent:
I think this site may be unsuitable for Primary school use as you have no idea what sort of sketch may come back! Something very inappropriate may be received. I would not use this site as a teacher, but I would use another program like MS Paint for sketching. I believe the process of sketching is creative and refines motor skills. Students could create a sketch or a draft of an object they would like to create. The sketching is useful for the design process.
Lesson Plans
During the workshop we also found a website which allowed users to view step by step instructions on how to design and create items such as puppets and toys. At http://www.ziptales.com.au/ I was able to go to 'classic kids safe minimizer' to find activities I could use in a classroom under the domain of 'Design, creativity and technology'. Below is a picture of steps in making finger puppets:
Other sites
Some other sites we viewed included a cartoon making website http://www.toondoo.com/ and a site developed by the government called http://www.catchmentdetox.net.au/ . This government site allows the user to become in control of an area of land. The user is able to learn about how the land is controlled by finances and industry. This would be a great game for students to play in later primary school years when learning about the environment, economy, geography and politics.
EDUCATIONAL USES
I think showing the students a variety of these short videos would be a great engagement tool. In my experience I have found that students love to watch videos especially on Interactive Whiteboards. I would definitely use a video such as this to introduce a new topic in the curriculum. They would be a great way to tune students in during a 'tuning in' phase of an Integrated Unit of inquiry. I think they would also be useful to explain procedures to students. For example, I could play a short video on 'how to make an animated clip' to inspire creative ideas without students having to listen to my voice all of the time!
Having students design their own video from scratch would be a great way to encourage higher order thinking skills. Students would brainstorm ideas for a film and ideas on how to make the film. They would then use a storyboard to design the full clip. The next stage would involve creating the animations or clay models and background settings involved in the clip. Students would then go about filming it and finally evaluate the end product, make changes and edit before presenting it to the class or others in the school community. As a starting point prior to developing their own video, students could use websites with movie templates to make a short film. By doing this, students may gain ideas and a better understanding of each element involved in a short film.
I think having students make their own short film would make a great assessment piece that students could really get interested in. It would be a great way to integrate 'Design, creativity and technology' through the curriculum. I think the films could be related to almost any of the domains within VELS and would encourage interpersonal learning. It's also a great activity for those students who perform really well when they get to use hands-on materials. Students are also exposed to skills that are used out in the real world such as teamwork, designing, creating and filming. Students artistic sides can also be involved through the creation of sets and characters. Students may end up in a career in which these skills are quite valuable due to the enormous amount of video games, advertising and films developed these days. I think the skills gained from practicing and learning these skills is very valuable and will hold students in good stead for future job success. A project such as this allows students to work on their own or as a group over a period of time, encouraging interpersonal and leadership skills as well as developing responsibility within a team. Greg also mentioned during the lecture that these short videos may be useful for teaching students about life issues such as bullying and mental health. Students could watch or make their own films that encourage openness associated with the issues.
The DEECD website gives some great ideas to teachers on how to incorporate ICT into their curriculum: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/elearning/default.htm and
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/primary/pages/Default.aspx
Some examples of how technology is being incorporated into classrooms can be seen at: http://epotential.education.vic.gov.au/showcase/index.php?showcase_id=41 . I found this website really inspirational because there are real teachers educating real students. I would use this website to show my future students exactly what they are capable of.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
I think that before any student begins using any of these websites to design a video it would be wise for the teacher to check the site thoroughly for inappropriate content. Not all of the sites used in our workshop were appropriate for children. Time available within the school curriculum would also have to be considered when children develop their own video. It may take a whole term or even longer for children to develop these from the beginning design stage to the end presentation stage. The teacher would have to weigh up the benefits of spending time on one activity as opposed to spending that time on a variety of activities. The final practical consideration would be the type of resources available at the school. The quality and type of film may depend on what types of recording equipment and animation materials are available within the school. Schools in certain areas may not have access to the range of resources another may have. Schools may also have subscriptions to certain websites and not others which limits or expands the teachers access to resources.
Another consideration I would have to personally make in regards to using films is my own level of technological skills. I am not the greatest user of these devices and I feel that I would be unable to teach the intricate skills that students may require. However, I won't let this stop me from using technology in my classroom. I will encourage peer to peer mentoring in order for those students who are highly skilled in technology to teach others. After all, I don't have to know everything and students can help.
MAJOR ICT ISSUES
Listening to Ken Robinson at http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/ speak about divergent thinking and creativity was quite inspirational. He described a research project which tested children for levels of divergent thinking from Kindergarten to 15 years old. At the Kindergarten stage prior to any formal education, levels were at an all time high with 98% of children displaying high levels of creativity. As the children grew older and were formally educated at school these levels dropped to below 40%. Ken Robinson blames the current set up of the Education system for this decline which is based on the Industrial age. I was horrified to see such a drop in creativity and I remembered back to one our first lectures this year where it was stated that 'creativity is educated out of us when we go to school'. I have to say that I agree with this idea. In order to cope in the future I believe students will need to have their divergent thinking levels at an all time high. These days people are living longer, in larger populations with high pressure on resources. We do not know how to cope in such circumstances that the world has not seen before. Therefore, we must gather as many ideas as we can in order to develop ways to cope. Without divergent thinking the future generations will be unable to do this. Therefore, it is up to us as teachers to ensure we allow students to improve and develop their creativity and thinking skills.
This weeks lecture and workshop has encouraged me to use short animated films as a way to facilitate students creativity and thinking skills. An article in the Herald Sun (Author Unknown, 2010) describes the use of digital films at a local Primary school. Teachers at the school use digital films to practice 'Habits of mind'. 'Habits of mind', developed by Americans Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick, are used to promote students' creative and critical thinking skills. The 'Habits of mind' include persisting, thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, striving for accuracy and finding humour. Using 'Habits of mind' is a great way to incorporate the divergent thinking that Ken Robinson is promoting. I believe that without a focus such as this on technology we are reducing the chance of success for many of our future generations.
REFERENCES
Author Unknown (2010) Clay animation is fun, but its education impact is also far reaching. Downloaded on 21/10/2010 from http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/learn/yarraville-west-primary-school/story-e6frf7ox-1111113232320
