Cartoons and Animation in the Classroom

Many of us still remember (or watch) our favorite cartoons from our childhood. There were classics like Tom and Jerry alongside shows like Spongebob Squarepants and now Dora the Explorer and Handy Manny. Some of these were/are educational and some were/are not. Even if they do have a lesson imbedded in the program and children pick up on it, the level of thinking involved is very low. How could cartoons and animation possibly be useful to teachers, then, you ask?

Thanks to a free online tool cartoons and animation can have their place in education. MakeAGif is a web tool that allows anyone to create their own animation for free. There is no registration needed but you may log in through Facebook or Twitter, however, it is not required. Simply upload photos straight from the home page using the “add pictures” button. When you have chosen and uploaded them they will be displayed just below the first step instructions. In this area you may order them the way you would like them to appear in the animated rotation. Then, click continue. Finally choose the speed at which you would like the images to change. Because of the simplicity of the program all of the images will be displayed for the same amount of time so if there is text, make sure to slow it down. In the third step you will also be able to resize images and choose a category.  To finish click “create your gif”. You can then watch and download the finished product.

MakeAGif has extensive implications for the classroom. Children will have to use higher level thinking to create any projects. Their animations could be a representation of an event in history or the process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Students will have to take the concept of sequence and step by step process in order to convey ideas without sound. Through MakeAGif they might be encouraged to learn about the history of cartoons, especially silent films. This tool has even more potential when used in conjunction with other software such as Photoshop. There students could add text to images to add to the effectiveness of their project.

Cartoons and animation can come to the classroom with MakeAGif. Enjoy!

This tool was originally selected as one of the best free tools to create animated pictures by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning and referenced in the blog Technology Bits, Bytes, & Nibbles.

Animoto.com

When I was in the early grades of elementary and middle school, if a presentation required a visual aid or I needed slides for one reason or another PowerPoint was the program for the job. Now, though, it seems the trend is to find ways to improve and enhance the idea of pages, slides , and effects. Animoto.com visual creator is just such a web tool.  It allows users to add images, music, and text to create an engaging project presentation. A basic version of the tool is free to everyone with an email address, but more advanced versions will cost money.

There are just a few easy steps for using Animoto to create a video presentation. First, set up an account. Then select “create video.” You will be shown several styles for the presentation, but most cost money so most free users will want to skip this step. When you have selected a style or skipped that step you will see the workspace where you can view the elements of your video. Begin by choosing photos. These can be taken from files on your computer, Google images, Facebook profiles, or other digital editing and social networking sites. When these are added they will appear in the workspace and you can edit the order in which they will appear in the video. The site suggests about twelve images for the free thirty second video. Next, select music or background audio. Animoto provides a variety of songs and sounds if you do not have available MP3 files on your computer. This would be a great place for students to record their voices narrating the images by recording in an audacity MP3 file. Finally, finish the product with text and credits. When all of your elements are in the correct place and order in the workspace select “Produce Video”. This may take a few minutes. You will receive a notification email when it is finished.  From here you can view, download, or share your creation on nearly any social networking site or Youtube.

Animoto is a web tool with extensive educational potential. Gone are the days of PowerPoint and posters. Students can now produce quality presentations and videos online for free. The simplicity of use does not take away from the higher level thinking and creating needed for an Animoto project. From Historical events to short stories, Animoto is an easy to use tool for students to show what they have learned and apply it. Enjoy!

This tool was originally reviewed by Ed Tech Central on July 28, 2011