Tech Tools: Stop Motion Animation

Stop motion animation is a tool for visual storytelling that uses still images to create a moving image. Stop motion movies can be as simple as a few consecutive frames that form a story-board to an intricate film with thousands of frames a minuet. A classic example of stop motion that many may be familiar with is claymation: forming characters from clay and photographing them through a range of positions to create action. The popular series Wallace and Gromit is an example of this technique.

Of course, Wallace and Gromit is stop motion created by a studio of trained technicians, but the same stop motion principles apply to this film as would be used by students in the classroom. A camera is set up in a fixed place and the characters are moved around in front of it with one photography being taken at selected intervals (the smaller the interval the faster the action) to create motion. The characters that create motion can be either 3D models, or can take the form of an image that is developed in front of the camera and sped up to create a progression.  Here is an example of a stop motion video I made with drawing and painting. This video combines portions of stop motion with video to create a more dynamic experience.

 

The flexibility and creative potential of stop motion make it an excellent tool for students to express them selfs and show their learning. Because it is often an in depth process to make a stop motion film, it also lends itself well to collaboration between students, with individualized roles such as camera person, director, cinematographer etc within a group. Below is an example of a stop motion animation made by a whole class at Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay Secondary School in Haida Gwaii. The animation uses readily available materials like cardboard and paper and tells the story of Taaw, a local landmark on Graham Island. This video is an excellent example of the power of stop motion animation. It is simple, creative, collaborative approachable and fun way to breath life into any story. These students have made it relevant by using it to tell the story of their own place and culture in their own language. With the right tools, training access to equipment and time I think all students could tell their story in this medium.

Augmented Reality, 3D Printing and Sketchnotes

Today we looked at several tech tools including sketch notes, augmented reality, QR codes, Tinker Cad and 3D printing. Of the multiple tools, I found augmented reality the most interesting and potentially useful for my classrooms. I can see a clear connection between augmented reality and social studies classes. The example Rich shared at Kitsilano High School showed how augmented reality allowed students to embody the history they were learning about. This seems like a good tool for developing empathy. As students move through the same spaces that events happened in they can connect  to events through experience rather than conceptualizing them. This is a form of embodied knowledge that I think is critical for empathy. I think this learning may be even more meaningful if students help create the augmented reality with their peers. I can see applications of this technology for learning about recent history as well as Indigenous territories and history.

We also played with Tinker Cad and 3D printing. I was able to make a keychain model of my name and export it in a form apropriate for 3D printing. This is a great tool for students who want to explore model building or a specific art project that may need a tool or multiple reproductions. Tinker Cad seems intuative in a way that other programes I have used have not been. I would like to use it as a starting point for a diorama project in socials class for students who may not feel creative with traditional physical media.

My experiment with 3d printing. It’s my name!

We also learned about sketchnotes. This is funny for me because I have always taken notes that way. It was validating to hear how it connects specific synapses we may miss by taking notes on a computer. I look forward to sharing that information with my students when I ask them not to do everything digitally. I think it’s important we try both methods before deicing what helps us process information best. For me, sketching and drawing is most useful. However I know some students find it an obstacle to their learning. Learning about multimedia learning theory, how information is best absorbed when it is presented in multiple formats, confirms the importance of including the visual with the written. Modelling a way of learning that uses the visual to process information will be important for me to balance with providing concrete written options and information for my more linear learners. We are all different and it’s great!

my sketch note

Virtual Reality

A few days ago I tried virtual reality for the first time. A friend showed me the ropes at the UVic digital commons and I was able to enter a new world. I was most interested in the applications of virtual reality to visual art, which is my primary teaching area. Drawing in virtual reality is already exploding, and now I can see why. The experience opens up a new understanding of how a line can function in space. There is a famous quote by painter Paul Klee. It goes: “Drawing is like taking a line for a walk”. Drawing in Virtual Reality allowed me to literally take a line for a walk, and walk over around and through that line.

me drawing in 3d

I started with drawing by making a room around myself, and furnishing it with objects. I could move around the room and the objects because they occupied the same space as my body. My drawing was therefore as physical as a sculpture, but permeable as it was still depicted in contour.

I could see this technology being hugely useful in secondary art class – and very very good fun. Drawing in 3d would be a good way to teach students about perspective, which can sometimes be dry and challenging. This technology could also bridge the gap between drawing and sculpture, as the product is experienced as both. This program could also allow students to draw new worlds in a way that is more immersive than every before experienced. I love how intuitive the technology was, complete with haptic responses to the marks. This would be easy for students to learn and would open doors to new art forms we likely cant even comprehend.

Tech Tools: IMovie, Screencast and Garage Band

It is always useful to learn more about video and audio editing. Today we looked at some of the basic skills we use in video and audio editing software such as IMovie and Garage Band. I have worked with IMovie often and used it to create a video for my EDCI 352 class, which is posted on this blog here. I had not had a chance to play with Screencast or Garage Band however, and found them both fun and useful tools.

Thinking about my own teaching, I think I will use screencasting much more than garage band. I think screencasting would be particularly useful for art classes. I can imagine introducing a technical concept such as shading a sphere and providing a screencast as guidance for homework. For fun I have made a sample with some free software called Screen Recorder:

 

This is just a fun start. However I think this technology would be very useful for demonstrating all kinds of techniques in art class to students who may not be able to attend class.

This Is Me

This Is Me, a project introducing myself and what I bring to teaching. Made with IMovie.

Jesse Miller

Jesse Miller’s presentation was very useful. I agree with his feeling that technology must be used appropriately in schools rather than banned outright. Students should be educated on responsible digital citizenship, and teachers should be modelling the same. The most authentic portion of the conversation for me was a point made by Chris concerning mental health and technology use. Students that I have spoken to at Vic High about tech use have expressed how stressful it can be to be plugged in at all times, and several had elected out of social media sites. With this in mind, I think it is important to provide methods for students to use their devices positively in school however I don’t think its useful to require students to engage digitally if they prefer a manual format.

Jesse’s comments about teacher behaviour also resonated with me. I think that we teach through our actions more than our words. Speaking with learners at Vic High, they expressed frustration when teachers don’t comply with the guidelines for phone use that students are expected to follow. As a younger educator, I am conditioned to express myself through my online platforms, and have a significant digital footprint. I appreciate the guidelines for navigating my social media use put forward by Jesse. I look forward to sharing them with my students and having a productive conversation about consent and it’s importance.

DITITAL CONSENT GUIDELINES

did you ask for permission?

are you sharing information without informing the person it may impact?

are you the type of person to screenshot for selfish purposes?

leveraging information over another person may be illegal

illegal content on your device may impact you in a variety of ways

sharing with care.