How to embrace animation in preschool learning today

A number of years ago, I decided to pursue one of my ambitions and completed a Diploma in Screen and Media (Animation). It was something that I really enjoyed as I have been creative with my own artistic talents in my younger years.

Animation was also something that I used to promote learning in my former career as an ICT teacher and while it was challenging it was all worth seeing at least some productions from students being completed.

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Benefits

When initiating projects of digital animation in the classroom, it can boost learning in the following ways:

• Benefits visual learners to attract and engage students;
• Keep students concentrated through storytelling;
• Simplify knowledge for better understanding;
• Help store information for better remembering and recalling of knowledge.

(flearningstudio.com)

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Digital video production can:

• Increase child engagement with the curriculum;
• Promote and develop a range of learning styles;
• Motivate and engage a wide range of children than traditional teaching methods in early childhood education, so providing greater access to the curriculum.

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Digital animation productions in the early childhood learning environment also adds another aspect to using digital cameras. Additionally, it can offer opportunities for young children who are more comfortable and competent with the visual mode to succeed (Marsh, 2008).

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What do you need?

When using digital cameras for filming you can find a number of affordable devices that you may already be familiar with such as video recording using tablet computers such as iPads or even smartphones (note: never use personal devices), digital still image recording such as those just mentioned and stand-alone devices, webcams can also be used for recording and digital blue cameras.

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Computers (desktops and laptops) are useful, of course, for uploading digital still images into editing software such as Adobe Premiere, iMovie, Kartouche and Windows MovieMaker.

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Data projectors are a great way to project and display the films once they have been completed.

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Examples of skills attained

In the early childhood learning environment, it is important to understand that many children will not develop the following skills and that unless there is curriculum guidance children can repeat the same experiences in the future years. As a consequence, it could lead to them failing to address particular aspects of editing. It is important that there is a developmental sequence included that can be applied to children’s work.

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• Technical skills?– these are typically obtained through actions such as controlling the mouse and using the digital camera in addition to using editing software. The knowledge, skills and understanding would include for example, move cursor to desired space; use left-hand button to select; click and drag; find appropriate button for taking photograph; use various functions appropriately (timeline, stop/replay buttons, adding sounds).

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• Visual skills?– when children learn to frame shots, they will develop skills such as positioning characters and artefacts appropriately; use close-ups, mid-shots and long-shots.

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• Understanding of narrative?– when young children create stories, they do so in three parts – beginning, middle, end; they also create stories with more than one character; they create the setting.

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• Understanding of multimodality?– young children will use different modes and, in the process, develop skills such as understanding the affordances of different modes; becoming aware of the differences in affordances of various modes; and understanding the processes involved in transduction across modes.

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• Awareness of audience?– when children create films that reflect the interests of their peers they will identify themes which will interest the audience as well as identify props and soundtracks which will attract the audience.

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• Critical skills?– reflection will be a very important part of their learning and young children think about making future changes where necessary. The skills attained will include identifying aspects of the work which need changing. For example, shots which included their own hands. Also, they will identify features where are particularly successful in meeting the audience’s needs and repeating these.

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• Understanding of genre (animation)?– the type of animation which most young children in preschool use is stopmotion animation. At the end of their production, they then should have a better understanding of the principles of stopmotion. Principles such as it is actually a series of still images portraying small changes in movement can, when placed together, create the illusion of larger movements. Additionally, they should be able to comprehend the importance of principles such as continuity.

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These are just an example of the types of skills that young children can attain through the various actions undertaken in the production of their animation.

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Ideas for using this digital media

Slow motion or stop motion animation is a great way to incorporate digital technology in early childhood education. Planning will be essential to ensure that children will learn from this context that digital media like is a tool that is designed for a specific purpose. You will be able to plan using a thematic approach or an approach which is based on the breadth and depth of the Early Years Learning Framework.

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Here are some ideas for you to get started:

• Children could create a short stop motion animation with plasticine figures and sets using animation software;
• Watch Claymation videos like ‘Wallace and Gromit’;
• Retell a page from one of their favourite stories;
• Produce non-narrative films;
• Represent the growth of a bean as an animation.

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To see some case studies of this working today, click this link now.