Animation take two!

  On Monday my group and I created an animation, which related to our chosen topic of 'People Who Help Us'. There wasn't any new plasticine therefore we had to use plasticine people had used before to create their own models. This was useful because it meant we did not have to spend lots of time creating new models, instead we adapted models to suit our requirements for our animation. We decided that our animation would include various scenes on the various people who help us and situations in which they help us. By looking at the various models in the box, we were able to come up with a variety of characters and situations. We all worked well together to adapt the models and ensure everything we needed for our animation was ready. A member of the group collected paper from the Art cupboard, which we used for our backgrounds. One member took up the role of operating the computer while the rest of us set up the scenes and moved the characters and cameras. The process of filming was very time consuming because it required the characters and objects to move very slowly to ensure the animation looked fluid. We took it in turns to move the characters although found it worked better if one person did it at a time because they knew how far to move it. Communication within the group was vital in ensuring the success of our animation. As a group we worked well to communicate who was moving what and where it should be moved. Unfortunately the communication between the members of the group moving the models and the member operating the computer was not effective. This was due to them thinking the scene was ready to record so would start recording but would end up recording someone's hand in the background. As a group, we should have stated when we were ready for the recording to begin and stated when the recording was going to begin and finish. As a result of this we had a few hand shots in our animation. We ran out of time so only got to shoot two different scenes but managed to add a bit on the end introducing other people who help us. Upon reflection I think we should have managed our time better. We did not have enough time to create our own sound effects therefore had to use the ones we were provided with on the software. I benefited from this activity because it gave me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of how to use the software and what strategies need to be adopted in order for the animation to be successful. As a result of this experience, I now feel more confident to teach this lesson to a class.


People Who Help Us Animation

ICT Elective

  The use of ICT within teaching in schools is on the increase. It is an effective strategy teachers use to engage pupils in their learning as it is fun and active. As a result of this, I decided to study ICT for my chosen elective. I understand how to use ICT at a very basic level. Therefore I hope the elective will provide me with various ICT based teaching strategies, develop my understanding of how to use these strategies and build up my confidence to enable me to use them in my placements.


  In first year, we learnt how to create our own avatars using "DoppelMe". These are cartoon representations of ones self. The use of avatars is a successful way for teachers and pupils to protect their identities when using blogs and social networking sites. We also created voki's using 'audacity' - talking avatars. Within the Modern Foreign Languages module, we created wiki's which are collaborative websites. We also participated in some game based learning in which we experimented with a Smart Board, Wii, DS, Ipod and an Ipad. This gave me the opportunity to identify how game based learning can enhanced childrens' learning. My favourite ICT activity was when we created animated films. This was great fun and would require the pupils to use a range of skills to complete. First year helped develop my understanding of why ICT is important to the children's learning and how it can create a more effective learning environment.


My Animation






  The first week of the ICT elective provided me with an insight to what I will be learning throughout the module. I am looking forward to creating another animation in the hope that I can use my previous knowledge and experience to create a better one. The 'bear exchange' is really exciting because it will provide me with the opportunity to see what other teaching students are doing in other universities in other countries. Hopefully through this experience, I will gain the confidence to practise this within a classroom of my own. I believe the children will benefit from this because they will be able to learn about children's lives and cultures who are from different countries and are the same age. We are also going to create projects within small groups in which we will create a movie and a wiki space. The topic my group has chosen to create a project on is "People who help us". I am looking forward to working with my group to develop this project. We will also be looking at game based learning in greater detail. I feel I will benefit from this because I still do not know how to use the different types of technology in order to enhance children's learning. Lastly, I hope this elective will support and develop my reflections, as I will be writing these within my blog at the end of every week.