Introduction to Zu3D

Zu3D is a stop motion animation software designed to make it possible for children of any age to be able to make their own animations. The aim was to make the software easy to understand and use in a quick and effective way. Today Zu3D is being used in educational settings for all ages, from primary schools to adult education.

Before making our animation for our project we were able to experiment with the software. Using the software a webcam and mic. At first it took a while to get used to the controls, and the process requires patience. 

There is multiple features in the software which allows you to enhance your animation such as add sound effects. The software was made for children, however at my age I still found some aspects of the software difficult to master.

You can find more information about Zu3D at www.zu3d.com

Sound in animation

"Sound effects play an important role in conveying action. Music helps express emotion."

          Michael Geisler

Sound was first introduced to films in 1920's by the Warner Brothers. Since then sound and music has become an important part in assisting telling a story in films and animation.

 The music and sound adds to set the mood and atmosphere, helping the audience to convey whats happen and help them connect with the characters emotions.In some animations sound is used  to help bring the characters to life. Today if cartoons lacked sound, I think it would be hard to keep the audiences interest as it could be perceived as boring.

In groups of two's or three's our task was to create a podcast using audacity. Personally it took a while to understand the controls and settings, and I found the program rather confusing. However, we were able to make a podcast based on a topic of our choice, entertainment news.

Working with Rhodri and Caroline we created a podcast called "Global News". Whilst making the podcast we experiences some issues, stopping and starting the recording at the right time caused a few problems and took a few tries to perfect.

Within the app there's multiple features which ables you to change the voice by changing the tone and pitch. However, this takes time to master and can become frustrating as you could end up sounding like a chipmunk.

You'll be able to find the podcast on Rhodri's blog by following the link below.

http://educationfutures9.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/global-news.html

You can download Audacity by following this link  audacity.sourceforge.net/

Animation for learning?

Since the early 1980's animation has been used in learning, with the continuous evolving of technology and learners ability to use the software, education through animation has become increasingly popular.

One of the reasons as to why animation has become so popular is the belief that it can help learners understand and process difficult topics or subjects easier than the traditional teaching.(Ainsworth, 2008) But does animation help learners? If so how?

Today more and more schools are using animation within education and learning as an alternative method. Learning can be seen as a complicated process by some and can find the process of understanding and obtain the knowledge difficult. Every individual is different and unique which means we all learn in different ways, therefore having their own preferred learning style. 

Visual learners who 'show me and I understand' will benefit from learning a topic through animation. Using diagrams, images and charts will help them with the knowledge.

Auditory learners tend to benefit from the most traditional teaching styles.

Kinesthetic learners tend to be 'more hands on', they learn through experimenting and doing so animation can be used to help these type of learners too.

The way an individual absorbs, processes, comprehends and retains information is important. The Educational theorist Neil Flemmings explains the learning styles in his VARK theory. 

References

Ainsworth, S. (2008) 'How do animations Influence Learning?', in D. Robinson and G. Schraw (eds.) Current Perspective on Cognition, Learning, and Instruction: Recent Innovations in Educational Technology that Facilitate Student Learning

Lowe, R. K. (2003) Animation and Learning: Selective Processing of Information in Dynamic Graphics. Learning and Instruction

Stop-Motion Animation

Today, stop-motion animations are as not as common as they were, due to other forms of animation such as, computer generated animation becoming more popular technique to create animations. However, with its particular realistic effects stop-motion is not due to be completely replaced anytime soon .

 Shaun the Sheep 

Made by Aardman. This stop-motion animation is a spin off from well known animation 'Wallace and Gromit'.

So, why use Stop-Motion Animation?

Stop-Motion animation is technique used whilst making animations, to make an object to appear to be moving when actually it's not. The process involves moving the object slightly and capturing them in frames, when the frames are played in sequence it gives the illusion of motion.

Characteristics:

• Due to its uniqueness, a stop-motion animation can give a realistic effect to its story.
• For the animation to work effectively, it encourages a great amount of teamwork, resources and equipment.

Advantages: 

• Can animate inanimate objects
• Encourages team work and communication
• Unique and different - gains viewers attention

Disadvantages:                  

• Time consuming
• Requires a great amount of patience on the creators behalf
• Difficult to get the correct speed to give the animation a fluid movement
• Difficult to get an consistent quality throughout the image
• Requires a lot of equipment and resources

Stop motion animations can be expensive to make. Not only do material  and resources takes money, but then the studio time and employees hired will cost.

References
http://www.aardman.com/

What's the Latest Animation You Saw?

Animation has seemed to evolved since the first animated film was created in 1906. From the two latest animations I've seen it is obvious that a high technical expertise and top of the range software and technology is being used now, compared to the pen and paper when it first started. 

Advert

Film

Today animation is large part of marketing, whether its for tv adverts, latest films or tv cartoons, we are surrounded by animations. But what makes them so popular?

Is it the fact it engages it's audience?

Compared to the majority of adverts,shows and films an animation stands out. Watching the same thing over and over again can become boring, so when something different comes along it catches the audience attention and intrigues them 

Does it tell a story?

By relating a story through the animation, it attracts the audience attention drawing them in, usually making it easier to understand. Adding character to the animation helps build the charisma, it will lead the audience into the story giving them a greater awareness and better involvement in what's going on. 

But why do companies use them for advertising? Is it the same reason as film and tv networks?

Money!

According to box office figures,as of March 2014 Frozen in cinemas world-wide alone made a total of over a billion dollars, that was without releasing the film in Japan. 

As of 2012, the compare the market intriguing meerkat characters had earned the entrepreneur inventor over £200 million. 

So there's no denying that even though the animations are expensive and time demanding, the out product makes up for it in the profit made by companies and networks.

References

http://www.dreamworksanimation.com

http://www.disneyanimation.com

What is a learning environment?

Learning environment is referred to as the diverse physical, context and cultural location a person may learn. Since students are thought of the as the most typical learner, which have numerous learning environments but the classroom being the main environment. It is a classroom which is most commonly thought of when referring to a learning environment. But is this right? 

What is a good learning environment?

I personally believe a good learning environment is place which stimulates and engages children. Whilst at the same time is encouraging children to learn by making them feel comfortable within the environment.

Where do people go to learn? What do those places look like?

Anywhere! Home, classrooms, community centres, outdoors, peers etc.

A learner can constantly be learning new things. 

Learning takes place in multiple settings and the learning environment can be structured or unstructured. Learning in different environments can complement each other. 

Formal and non-formal education occurs mainly in structured environments in the form of institutions. Informal education on the other hand takes place in both structured and unstructured environments.

How does the arrangement of a learning space contribute to—or detract from—the task of education?

It's important for the learner to feel comfortable within their learning environment. If the learner is not engaging and stimulated they will lose interest.
A reason for this is all students are unique and learn in different styles which hellos them absorb and process the information and knowledge being taught. Responsibility for this falls upon the educator, it's up to them to find what works best for their students as what works for some, may not work for others.

So how important is the learning environment?

The learning environment is very important to a persons learning and education. However, it's not the only factor which contributes to a persons education and learning but is important.

References

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/quality-framework/core-resources/learning-environment/