Hope Myles Scott

Creating animations for this week was a little taxing.  First I searched for free animation software.  I decided to use the software found on http://scratch.mit.edu.  I had to download the program to my computer, which I hate to do ... I have so many programs on my computer that I am not using.  I then viewed some of the tutorial available on the scratch site.  After looking at the tutorial, which seem to have been created by kids and made me feel even more stupid because I could not create such dynamic pieces as they did in the tutorials. I thought out my plan for my animation.  What I had in mind and what I finally created are two different things.  I envisioned my 'sprite,' as it is called, moving through many scenes.  I could not figure that out, but I think it is possible.   
I attempted to create two animations.  The first was a crude attempt I named "Bad Kitty."  The second I simply named "Myles Travel."  Even though there are drawbacks to the program, I feel students will enjoy creating!
What are the implications for using animation in the K-12 classroom? Our students are digital natives, plain and simply. Animation holds everyone's attention, even older people. My grandson had to be shooed away from me so that I could concentrate on the animation I was creating. I think that, if used properly, animation can be used to teach many disciplines. Case in point, Compass Learning Odyssey. We use this at the high school to help students with math and English last school year, it has yet to be implemented this school year. The program uses animation and live action to teach students important concepts. Just think, when our students create their own animation, they can use it to teach others while learning themselves.
How can animation bring the “real world” to the classroom? Online programs, like Compass Learning Odyssey and Study Island, are examples of real world learning being brought into the classroom. Our high school students felt that the programs helped them understand concepts that they did not grasp with just paper and pencil. Again, I feel that students can create animation to explain and teach. Older students can create lessons for younger grades or even for students who need a little help with subject matter.
How can you use Bloom’s Digital taxonomy with your co-workers? Bloom's has been a mainstay in classrooms for many years. Teachers may need to understand how to apply it to technology. I like the revised taxonomy. I also like the phrase "LOTS" for lower order thinking skills. Technology classes must operate at the "HOTS" or project driven level. I think that all disciplines can have students create. When it comes to animation, students can create lesson to review what they learned. I can imagine a high school student creating an animation of Beowulf or the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Less Traveled," or of math, science, and social studies concepts. If teachers are introduced to the revised Bloom's, there is no limit to what they can have students create. Plus, as instructors, we can use Bloom's at the creating level to create wikis or to blog about things that are being covered in our classes. Teachers can also create wikis for their students.
Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8670 December 15, 2010.
Multimedia Applications in the Classroom. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/output_pages/printDefault.aspx?page_id=106 December 15, 2010.
Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating multimedia in the K-12 classroom. (September 2008) Retrieved from http://www.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/76/76426_BrainPOP_White_Paper-20090426.pdf December 15, 2010.