Readings on Animation.

This week we were asked to read these two journals talking about animation and the benefits and set backs of it. These were the names and the links of the two readings:

• Animation and learning: selective processing of information in dynamic graphics
• How do animations influence learning?

They were fairly difficult readings to read but the main focuses of them that I gathered were that there are good and bad things about animations and can be used for a variety of reasons, across a whole range of topics.
The first reading looked into different types of animation:

1. Chemical
2. Agent
3. Weather Map
4. Geological

The readings explained that many people believe that animations can help learners come to understand complex ideas more easily. Also that some people believe that animations can help people learn because they are especially motivating (Rieber,1991).
The look and appearance of a animation can influence learning - e.g. the colour red attracts the eye, the shape and size of an animation can influence learning also.

However, learning with animations are not all that beneficial according to the second reading. One comment that I found interesting was that there is some evidence to show that animations may produce an illusion of understanding that can actually interfere with successful learning. By this, is that we get distracted by animations which can move us away from learning.
This could link in with learning styles, which means it could depend on the learners' needs. Some people may benefit more from learning with animations, as it keeps them engaged and interested, while maybe others prefer to learn in the more standard way as it is what they know best.
However, there has been evidence that learning with animations can actually increase satisfaction and motivation.

Zu3D - Stop Motion Creator

Today, we attempted to produce a animation of our own using a stop motion creator called 'Zu3D'. The official website defines it as a 'stop-motion animation software has been developed to give children (and adults) of all ages the freedom to create amazing animated films quickly and easily, in school and at home.'
I thoroughly enjoyed using this type of software as it fairly easy to grasp as a beginner. They made the tools and applications of creating an animation a lot more simple than I thought it would be. However, my first animation could be a lot better if I had more time spent using it but I think it is a relatively good start!

References:

• Zu3D - Stop motion animation software (for children) | Animation Software | Stop Frame Software . 2014. Zu3D - Stop motion animation software (for children) | Animation Software | Stop Frame Software . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.zu3d.com/. [Accessed 10 November 2014].

Padlet - Animation for Learning

At the start of today's session, we were asked to answer the following question, 'How do you think animations can be used to aid the learning process?'. We used a website to answer this specific question and it was called 'Padlet'. It was set out like a bit of a pinboard, you could say, which showed everybody's own answers.
My answer to this question was as follows:

'Using animation can be seen as an interesting way to learn new things, as it can keep the learner interested and focused. It also expresses an individual's own creativity and originality, when producing their own animations.'