Reflection Five: Animations and Simulations

Introduction

This week we looked at animation and simulations.  I have chosen to look at ZooBurst an online 3D pop-up book creator and GoAnimate an online program that allows people to easily create animated videos.

Safe, ethical and legal practices:

Teachers need to ensure that students are using safe, ethical and legal practices.  As pictures can be uploaded onto both of these digital tools teachers need to ensure that students do not put pictures of themselves or their peers on their creation.

ZooBurst

Technical Aspects:

ZooBurst allows users to create ten page 3D pop-up books.  Users can add images (backgrounds, props, characters) onto the page and adjust their size accordingly, with users being able to upload their own images as well as using the sites, and add text as both the actual story and dialogue of characters in speech bubbles.  The background colours and the page colour can also be edited to suit the story.  This tool is a good basic book creator, with the 3D aspect of it making it appealing to younger readers.

Uses:

-Students can create a ZooBurst as a class project for their younger sibling/s or a buddy in a younger grade

-Students can upload story images that they have drawn themselves as the only image on the page and then type in their story text

-Teachers may create a ZooBurst to engage students, it may or may not be related to a topic they are working on as it could be a book about a topic that gives information about something that they are studying in a fun way (narratives, medieval history, famous Australians [being able to add your own images will help with this], animals, inventions, etc.) or it may just be to get students attention and focused.

-Students may make a book with facts about what they have learned in class, or a narrative with facts interspersed within (a penguin trying to find it soulmate, waiting out winter, or hunting, feeding their baby penguin, the story of Ned Kelly, facts about something historical or about animals, etc.)

-Students have to create a narrative as a part of an English assessment and then make it into a ZooBurst to make it more engaging and be a Technology assessment as well

-Students must find their own image to create a ZooBurst as a research and technology task

-Students or the teacher make a ZooBurst to showcase work samples to the students’ parents by uploading images of work to be the images in the book and writing where the storyline would go what it is and how they created it (would make it private if the students created it and then they could just log on and show their parents, or password protected if the teacher made it).  Several could be made for the variety of subjects or some could be combined as it only allows for ten pages to be made.

-Students upload work samples as the images and then write reflections in the text section.

-Students can create a pop-up book on what they did on the holidays as long as no-one is in the pictures (would be a good activity at the start of the terms to get them back into work while being interesting for them)

Plus	Minus	Interesting
· You can use images from your computer · Fairly easy to use · Can search for images · Online storage and access · Can change the size of the images and move them around · Has a section for the story text underneath the book page meaning that there is more room to add things to the book page · There are speech bubbles that you can put dialogue in that may or may not be written in the book text · Can access other books created on the site · Only displays your nickname for your books helping with internet security and safety · Can set who can view the book as only you, public, or people can only access it with a password, making it safer for students	· There are boundaries to where you can put the images · The images are not of the highest quality · Only ten pages can be made · The background and page colours can only be block colours and there is not access to a gradient of colours to get the exact right shade · Need internet to access it	· It is a 3D pop-up book as opposed to just a regular one

SAMR Model
Redefinition	Students write their stories in the text section and add images from ZooBurst as well as images from other sources online or ones stored on their computer to create a pop-up story book including dialogue in speech bubble from the characters in the story.  They can make their book public so that they can get feedback (comments) from their peers and others and then edit it accordingly to improve their storyline.  Students could also peer edit by viewing the finished copy and making notes to give to their peer on what needs to be corrected.
Modification	Students write their stories in the text section and add images from ZooBurst to create a pop-up story book including dialogue in speech bubble from the characters in the story.
Augmentation	Students upload images of pictures they drew for a story and then write the story in the text section.
Substitution	Students upload images of pictures they drew for a story with the story written on the images.

GoAnimate

Technical Aspects:

GoAnimate is an online tool that allows users to create videos.  There are four different types of animations that can be made; business friendly (normal, coloured animations, range of backgrounds and props that aren’t just related to business), whiteboard animation (each animation is drawn in a whiteboard style onto the video), business as visual (graphs) and common craft (which users need to subscribe to use).  For each scene locations (business friendly), backgrounds (whiteboard animation) or backdrops (business as visual) can be chosen.  Alternately, the user can create their own by adding characters and props.  There are a large variety of props, characters, actions, expressions, poses, music, sounds (mic recording, uploading a file, adding text to speech and noises), transitions, vidgets (graphs, only in ‘business is visual’) that can be added to each scene that are accessed in the program, as well as being able to add you own images.  When creating a new scene the user can either add the previous scene again or create a blank one.  GoAnimate is a great program to create animations simply and effectively.

Uses:

-Students can create advertisements for technologies that they have had to create as class projects.

-Students can create videos showing important graphs and data researched relating to assessment (geography, math, science and history reports and speeches)

-Students can create videos for assessment pieces that talk about/show facts about the topic of study

-Teachers can create videos as an alternate way to share information on a topic with students

-Students can create a video as part of a Technology assessment piece

-Students can create a narrative for an English assessment piece and make an animation out of it

-Students can upload pictures that they drew for a story and then do a voice over telling the story or type in the text

-Teachers can make a short animation as a starter for a story that the students have to write in class as an inspiration (or they have to include the scene somewhere in there story)

-Students or teacher s create a video including what the class has been doing, work samples of a particular student (for students to look back on, for students to write reflection in in the video or in a book, for students to show their parents, etc.), excursion photos (no pictures of students) and holiday pictures ((no pictures of students or private)

-Students can create a story video to share with their peers, siblings, parents, buddies, etc.

-Teachers create videos as a way to engage students

-Teachers create videos to show the students how to do something, or rules for an activity

-Teachers create a video instead of/additional to using a poster (what need to be included in a narrative story, what should be included in an informative report

-Students create a video as a fake business pitch for an assessment piece

-Teachers create videos to show routines

Plus	Minus	Interesting
· You can use images from your computer · Fairly easy to use · Can search for images, actions, emotions, etc. · There are dozens of backgrounds/locations/backdrops that can be chosen meaning the user can just use that if it is fitting or just add one or two characters or props, or change the wardrobe and accessories of the characters · Having pre-made locations or backgrounds can give users inspiration on what they want to make the video about or an extra scene that they can add · Has a large variety of props, characters, actions, expressions, poses, music, sounds, transitions, vidgets (graphs), etc. · Can change the size of the animations and move them around · Can add text · Can add voices or voice overs by using a mic recording, uploading a file or adding text to speech (can change the accent and person) · Has links to websites where you can hire someone to record dialogue for you · Can participate in a free trial if you only want your students  to use it for one class activity/project · Having a range of different types of animations means that the online tool can be used for a variety of things · Can set it as public or private · When you add a new scene it automatically adds the new scene as exactly the same as the previous unless you click add blank scene meaning if you just want to add, remove or change a few thing in the next scene it is much quicker and simpler than starting all over again · Users can also copy a scene and use it in a blank slide further along in the video if they want to use the same setting · AutoSaves to ensure that work is not lost and then lets you choose if you want to edit from the auto save or what you personally saved · Online storage and access	· May be too complex for young users · Need internet to access it	· The ability to use the exact same scene when creating a new one is great and a time saver

SAMR Model
Redefinition	Students create an animation by adding locations, characters, props, actions, poses, emotions, noises, maybe music, transitions and adding voice overs so that it is now an animated video as opposed to essentially a slideshow.
Modification	Students upload images of pictures they drew for a story, adding additional props, some sounds and then telling the story by creating a voice over.
Augmentation	Students upload images of pictures they drew for a story and then write the story by using the text feature.
Substitution	Students upload images of pictures they drew for a story with the story written on the images.

Comparison:

GoAnimate has much better visuals than ZooBurst and you can add sound in numerous ways to it to enhance the animation and engage an audience.  Both programs are online animations that allow people to tell a story by adding visuals/images/animation and adding text.  They both allow the creator to use their own images.  GoAnimate allows for moving images though as opposed to stationary objects that just pop-up when the page is turned.  GoAnimate already comes with backgrounds/locations and while you can use images as background in ZooBurst the quality isn’t the best and it is a lot easier to scroll through the ones on GoAnimate.  On GoAnimate these backgrounds/locations are also already made up of several props and characters that you can choose to keep or diminish, then build upon.  GoAnimate is more of a diverse animation tool as opposed to ZooBurst.

Evidence of Technology:

ZooBurst book: http://www.zooburst.com/zb_books-viewer.php?book=zb01_55cdfdb23a678

GoAnimate video: http://goanimate.com/videos/01Ntrug9B6ps?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=usercontent