Animation tools Visual displays are often the most effective way to get a message across, particularly if there are numbers involved. As well as charting tools for numeric comparisons and predictions, available in Google Documents, one aspect of presenting information effectively is often overlooked or considered too challenging. That is the creation of cartoons or animations. If characters can be seen to act out a scene related to the topic, have a discussion or demonstrate a process then that visual display will have a much greater impact for many learners of staff than just a text explanation. There are several on-line tools that can make the creation of such animated scenes and graphics quite straightforward and even fun. Go Animate! provides a cartoon-like scene background and sets of characters that you can have speaking your text and acting out a limited range of movements. Cartoon Creator will enable a strip cartoon, or just a single drawing to be made with text balloons of your own making. Again, this will be seen as something different that can bring tedious documents to life instead of just an image or two. You may even be able to replace a complete set of instructions with this. There are also some tools like Xtranormal which permit considerable flexibility in the way characters interact, with expression changes and slight movements. These can be more timely to produce but can look very professional and feature a lot on the web these days. You or your staff may not be familiar with them but many students will be and by using these techniques some of the gaps between tutor and learner can be bridged and the training programme or promotional activity viewed as more modern and technologically aware. Using Go!Animate Start by making an account at goanimate.com Then hit Make A Video
The free stuff is in the short video section. Click on More Quick Video makers to get the complete set of characters you can use.
Pick a character and you ll be given a choice of scenes to use (maybe only two or three in the free selections). That scene will be the background for a conversation that two characters will have. Next choose the characters from the free ones available. Now it s time for the dialogue. You have up to ten lines. This can be recorded or there is an excellent (and actually quite suitable for this type of display) automatic text to speech function. You just type in the lines for each character. Assign who speaks first and what emotions you require from the short list of options. The voices can be changed with a couple of UK alternatives available. Once the text is in and the characters emotions set all you have to do is save the animation and give it a name. There is an option to save to YouTube which makes sharing it easier or you can use the code to embed the video in a blog or website that you have editing access to. The animation will be stored on your Home page for use later if you wish.
Suggestion for use Marketing Communications - Online video Organisation can quickly make attractive sequences to promote their activities and get attention. Some of the most effective promotional advertisements can be animations with characters discussing how helpful a tutor has been or how enjoyable their experience was at a particular place or doing this or that course. Whereas filming real people can be difficult with varying conditions, the need for good equipment and, of course, reasonable acting skills by the participants if it is not to have a negative impact, animated characters sy what you want them to sy, look like you want them to look and the whole thing can be done in the warm and dry! Teaching & Learning Presenting information - Audio video Learners could try to create a new version of an instructional poster in animated form for use on screen or on a web site. Alternatively they could promote a particular message or concept related to their studies through an animated discussion between characters or short movie.