It is absolutely essential to keep in
mind that every student’s attention must be grabbed when conducting a lesson;
therefore, teachers should always remember to keep lessons relevant and interesting.
This week, I was introduced to a website called “Go Animate,” which I definitely
plan on using in my English classroom.
In a matter of seconds, it is absolutely easy to create a FREE account with minimal information. Once registered, my students will have access to create animated videos. The students can select from several different characters, scenes, songs, and texts. For example, if I were teaching my students a novel or play, I could have them select a chapter or scene and create a video based on their interpretation. I would be able to assess the students’ comprehension of the text based on their portrayal of the characters, setting selections, and diction used in the dialogue.
On the homepage, there are several videos created by other users. This is a great way to show students an example of what their video might look like. Students are able to learn from each other’s videos. The homepage of this website resembles the homepage of YouTube, because users are able to access the top videos, recently added, most watched, most shares, etc. Since several students are already familiar with YouTube, this website shouldn't be too default to navigate through. Under the “Explore” tab, there is an option entitled “blog.” Here, anyone can access tutorials on how to create videos and use the website. This is particularly helpful for new users.
I like this website because students are learning without even recognizing it. Also, since it is online, if the students do not finish working in class, they can easy pick up from where they left off from their home computers. Not only would this website be helpful in an English classroom, but it could definitely be used to teach any content area.
Website: http://goanimate.com/
In a matter of seconds, it is absolutely easy to create a FREE account with minimal information. Once registered, my students will have access to create animated videos. The students can select from several different characters, scenes, songs, and texts. For example, if I were teaching my students a novel or play, I could have them select a chapter or scene and create a video based on their interpretation. I would be able to assess the students’ comprehension of the text based on their portrayal of the characters, setting selections, and diction used in the dialogue.
On the homepage, there are several videos created by other users. This is a great way to show students an example of what their video might look like. Students are able to learn from each other’s videos. The homepage of this website resembles the homepage of YouTube, because users are able to access the top videos, recently added, most watched, most shares, etc. Since several students are already familiar with YouTube, this website shouldn't be too default to navigate through. Under the “Explore” tab, there is an option entitled “blog.” Here, anyone can access tutorials on how to create videos and use the website. This is particularly helpful for new users.
I like this website because students are learning without even recognizing it. Also, since it is online, if the students do not finish working in class, they can easy pick up from where they left off from their home computers. Not only would this website be helpful in an English classroom, but it could definitely be used to teach any content area.
Website: http://goanimate.com/
Although I'm not an English major, but your idea sounds great. You make me want to check that out too, and see if I can use it in Math. I totally agree with you that learning without recognizing it is the biggest benefit of this website. Not every student is a motivated learner, and if you give them something totally different to do, they will definitely enjoy learning even more. I wish I had done something like this in high school. In addition, I think that you can definitely use this with something more abstract such as Shakespeare's work. If you use it well in your classroom, your students will definitely have a different attitude toward reading Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like fun! I've never heard of GoAnimate, but after looking at the site, I can see myself using this both inside and out of the classroom! While I don't necessarily see how it can be used in many other classrooms other than maybe a history class, I think this a fun and creative way to get your students to think outside of the box.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this website before, but this post has peaked my interest in it. The idea of creating a video can be helpful to me as a History Major, as students can record their interpretations of a certain person or event, showing both what they think of this person or event, and how much they understood what had occurred. It can be a very useful tool in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great technology to use. Many educators seem to think that we can only have our students express their understanding of readings by answering questions or writing an essay. However, as we know from going to Montclair State University, we have to also educate students with diverse learning needs. Students classified under Special Education who do not write well can benefit by using technologies such as GoAnimate because it gives them another way to demonstrate their grasp of the content area. I managed to talk about something similar by writing a blog post about how we can use the video game Minecraft in the English classroom. I say that we can have students create sets that are like the scenes, and then film their characters walk around and put voiceover audio on it. I think what the internet manages to teach us is that learning can take place in different, more untraditional forms. Most importantly, it is free. Programs like this can cost so much money, but I like how the internet is facilitating access to innovate education in the classroom. I like how this can serve as a good modification that will help to bring in learners who may be reluctant or would find this to be a better way to express their content knowledge. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! It is definitely useful for all content area. I am not an English major, but I see this as a good collaborative project. Say you ever wanted to cover a whole book quickly, you could switch things up by assigning small groups to each cover one chapter. When everyone is done, they could watch it as a movie. It would be a rewarding experience for the kids to see what they had accomplished
ReplyDelete