Animating Science
Science and animation go hand in hand. Animation can show students how the circulatory system works and how to pump a tire. The article "Computer Animation used to Bring Science to Life" talks about how using animations in science classrooms can "engage and motivate students and , make unseen worlds visible, and impart and intuitive feel for absract concepts". The article talks about how effective animations can clarify scientific phenomena, but uneffective models can distract students. The article says that there have been a lot of hits and misses with animations. In fact if they are not constructed correctly they can distract students. The article gives some key points in creating clear and concise animations: place text close to the image, use simple langauge, synchronize naration, use conversational narration, and include on-screen narration cues.
Animations can be used in asynchronous classrooms. Facilitators and teachers can use an animated presentation to demonstrate an online lesson. Animations can be used to recreate various science concepts. For instance, teachers can show learners how photosynthesis, the water cycle, and tornadoes form by using animated models. Animations can also be made into videos that can be broadcasted in the classroom. The teacher can narrate the film and create an interative experince for students.
Using animations in science classrooms is especially useful. Science employs a lot of processes and seeing a process in action makes it clearer for learners than just hearing it in theory since the majority of learners are not auditory learners. Though the article states that animations are distracting teachers can have their students create animations of their own. Students can construct a projoct on the parts of the human body or an animation on the solar system. This allows learners to use what they have learned, and it familarizes them with the technology.
Other researh can be done to see how animations work in improving students understanding of certian science concepts. Does seeing the various processes help them to grasp the concepts better? Also, research should be done to see if animations in lessons improve test scores. Are these visual teaching techqniques more effective than auditory ones?
If you would like to read the article "Computer Animation Used to Bring Science to Life" follow this link: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=18&hid=103&sid=0ea8ec6d-489d-4fce-84f3-5ef68b6e4234%40sessionmgr106
posted by spot4 @ 5:47 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I enjoyed reading your blog Elizabeth about incorporating animation into learning. After reading my article I too agree with you and your post about how this type of technology can be distracting if not used in the right way. I like how you pointed out that not all students are auditory learners and animation can bring life to complex ideas normally taught through lectures or textbooks. I also like how you said that "The teacher can narrate the film and create an interative experince for students". This course and doing these blogs are really opening up my eyes to all the technology we're gonna have at our fingertips when we get in teh classroom. The best part is is that we'll only be limited by our own creativness....and budget. Good post!
Hey thanks for checking out my blog. I think that you did an excellent job as well. I definitely agree that students and teachers can use animation to incorporate learning. However I think you touched on something that I didn't mention in my post, and thats how this could be distracting if it's not used properly. And of course you showed some other great examples of what we can do with this technology, it's actually pretty amazing the things we can do nowadays.
I too enjoyed reading your blog. You gave me some insight on using animation in the classroom. I think animation is a great way to incorporate teachers and students in a different view setting of learning. Yes, animation could be distracting but it is entertaining and a way to keep students from not falling asleep in class. I enjoyed reading your examples too.
I enjoyed your article, I found it to be very accurate and educational. I think that seeing and hearing the processes is critical. It really depends on the student, some will benefit from audio and some visual. I personally am a visual learner but sometimes hearing and seeing is the best method for me. Great Post!
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