More than just knowing stuff!

Inside Claymation

Yesterday I was fortunate to take part in a guided tour of Adam Elliot’s Claymation studio in St Kilda, Melbourne. For those who do not know Adam Elliot, he is the Oscar® winner for Best Animated Short Film, HARVIE KRUMPET, in 2004.

HARVIE KRUMPET is a story about an ordinary man and his challenges through life. It is a story, which gives an insight into the inner beauty and simplicity of this character.

Adam has been working on his latest feature length Claymation, MARY AND MAX, which is about a friendship between two very different people from diverse walks of life – suburban Melbourne and a contrasting New York bustle.

My interest in Claymation has come from working with the medium within the context of my classroom over the last 6 years. I began in 2002 after my class and I were involved in a workshop run by Paul Shaw, a Queensland educator. He introduced the basic concepts and helped us unpack the elements that make a great Claymation. The PD was run like an inquiry and finished with lots of hands on fun!

In my 6 years of working with Claymation, the process and the product has improved. Like all movie making, the story is central to the success of the film. A lot of time was spent brainstorming, storyboarding, scripting, animating and editing, and generally learning and exploring the art of language.

In the last 3 years I have been lucky to have Anthony Lawrence working with my students. Tony is a professional animator who has created a series of animations called PLASMO. He has played a key role in fine-tuning our animation methods and story telling skills.

Tony is at the moment working with Adam Elliot on MARY AND MAX. And of course when he told me, I asked, “When I can I drop in?” I was surprised with the magnitude of the project, the props, puppets, and numerous people needed. However, I should not be too surprised because I have seen the detail and effort that goes into making a student created Claymation.

After my husband and I took the tour, we were invited to the local pub for a few drinks with Adam Elliot and the crew. Melanie Coombs, producer, was willing to discuss the project in depth and answer all of my questions without any hesitations. Adam was just as gracious and spent time talking about his work and the dedication of his team.

If I wasn’t a teacher, and if my kids were not part of that very early experience with Claymation, then I don’t think this meeting would have taken place. I don’t think that the students would be creating animations themselves, such as REPORTABLE, that have been picked up by international film festivals, like LITTLE BIG SHOTS. There is power of education that is taken for granted. I am overwhelmed at times with its possibilities and where it can lead.

2 comments January 26th, 2008

ICT – Integrated or Integral?

Do we integrate technology or make it integral to learning?

When I first returned to teaching after having my family leave of 8 years, I was blown away with the technology that surrounded me.  I was working at a Navigator School and the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was expected, applauded and supported.  That was great for me because I loved using technology and wasn’t afraid to ask hundreds of questions.

At that time (year 2000) I made many attempts to integrate ICT into my lessons.  I would get kids to publish their work in Word or PowerPoint, use Excel to create graphs for Maths and create pictures and slideshows in KidPix.

However, was I integrating ICT or making it integral to learning?

Over the years I planned for more uses of ICT for learning, such as using Kidspiration for brainstorming ideas, Comic Life for recounts of excursions or camps, claymation and movie making for story telling, information projects and making short ads, and so on.  I was thinking about reaching outcomes, as well as taking into account the students’ learning styles, their backgrounds and linking all this to the thinking curriculum.

Over time the students became more proficient users of a range of technology tools and I became less focused on thinking of ways to use it.  We were finding that the tools were just there – laptops, cameras, video cameras, iPods, microphones, a range of software such as Comic Life, iStopMotion, iMovie, GarageBand, EdCube and so on.  The Internet was always available to us.

We began to naturally use the technology just as we would a pen and paper.  It started to become integral to our learning. If we began a new inquiry topic the technology was used.  As we got into our inquiry we used it some more. When we sorted and shared our new understanding and skills the technology was there again.  Not to mention reflecting in our digital portfolios and using iPods and iSight cameras on the go.

No longer did we have to ‘think’ of ways to integrate ICT.  ICT was just a part of the classroom, part of the norm and part of the pedagogy.

However, with Web2.0 I feel I’m back on the merry-go-round.  I am consciously thinking about ways to use the new tools.  I am reading, exploring, thinking, devising and trying wikis, blogs, avatars, RSS feeds, book marking and a plethora of free apps.

This is an exciting time for me and hopefully for the teachers and students I will be supporting in their journey, where ever they may be on that merry-go-round.

If you get a chance, read – “Engaging with the transforming possibilities of ICT: a discussion paper by Sarah Prestridge, Griffith University. Published in Australian Educational Computing Vol. 22, No 2.

What are your thoughts?  Integrated or Integral?  Or does it just mean the same thing?

2 comments January 21st, 2008

Voki avatars in the classroom

Over the last week I have been playing with Voki.com to create my own speaking avatar to embed into my blog or ning pages. The avatars can be customised by choosing the character heads, eyes, mouth and even make up! I chose my outfit and then changed my mind at least 10 times! This behaviour has no resemblance to me in real life!!! I chose a background, a photo of one of my classrooms which I uploaded, but you can choose from the backgrounds that are already supplied. I recorded my message so my avatar had my voice. If you are a bit shy or don’t have a mic you can use the computer voice for your message. I like to personalise the voice.

I have been interested in finding ways that these speaking avatars can be used to in the educational context of a classroom.

Here are some possibilities (from discussions in Classroom2.0) :-

1. Students can create avatars that are similar in looks or personalities and record a message that tells about themselves.
2. Students can exchange these avatars with e-pals either within their own setting or anywhere in the world.
3. Students can generate questions to ask their avatar e-pals.
4. ESL (English as a Second Language) students can use the speaking avatars to practice and listen to their speech. They may use the computerised voice first then record their own voice when they feel more comfortable. Writing, reading and pronunciation are all practised.
5. Students can create an avatar that resembles a character from a story, add a setting and give it speech. The speech could be from the story or a creative point of view (POV) from the character on an event.

I guess it is the way the technology is used. If used creatively and linked with what the kids are learning at the time (rather than a stand alone lesson) then there is greater chance of it being a meaningful experience that can generate discussions and reach learning outcomes.

Have you used the Voki avatar in an interesting and purposeful way?

17 comments January 19th, 2008

RSS feeds – What are they, how are they used?

Today I listened to a broadcast of EdTechTalk with a topic on RSS. Still feeling very new to many Web2.0 technologies I have spent a lot of time these holidays becoming more aware of the vast range available these days.

I had heard about RSS feeds mid year in 2007 but really didn’t get it at that time – at all! It was only addressed briefly as part of a blogs and wikis workshop and there was so much going around my head that I was unable to comprehend one more thing.

However, since then I have taken the time to explore and press those orange buttons to see what they do. I started subscribing to feeds mainly as widgets on my iGoogle home page. Then I pushed my boundaries and explored iGoogle Reader and viewed the explanation video. I learnt that RSS was a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Still I was not too sure what this all meant in the big picture of learning and teaching.

Today when I listened to EdTechTalk things started to fall into place. I heard how teachers use RSS feeds in their classrooms. Some of these were –

For Students -
To follow other classroom pages
To follow their interests
To follow teacher pages
As reading material to respond and comment on
To support collaborative projects with students subscribing to each other’s pages, such as in pageflakes

For Teachers -
For professional reading
To find appropriate classroom resources and content

For Parents -
To follow student and classroom pages

Now to explore and learn further. Thank goodness for holidays!

(Thanks to the team at EdTechTalk for the heads up on RSS)

Add comment January 16th, 2008

Not bad for PD during my holidays!

I’ve been on summer vacation now for 3 weeks and have had some wonderful learning happening in this time. Ever since I attended a workshop on blogs and wikis mid last year, I have been fascinated by the power of Web 2.0. Attending NavCon2k7 in September fuelled my curiosity even more when I listened to a presentation on all things Web 2.0.

Now I have to say that the networks on Classroom 2.0 and Twitter have been major players in introducing me to a world of Web 2.0 apps. Where do I start each day? I read my tweets in the morning, follow links to blogs and apps, and touch base with Classroom 2.0.

So even though I have been on holidays and relaxing, I have found the time to explore the many, many apps out there. I have loved seeing what’s new (for me anyway!) and giving them a go. I have played, created, book marked and shared so much already. I’ve read people’s blogs and left comments, listened to live streaming and podcasts, and become a part of a global network.

Not bad for PD during my holidays!

1 comment January 12th, 2008

Not just about knowing stuff!

Welcome to my new blog about learning. Here is where I am hoping to reflect and gather some great ideas that support my philosophy of where our education should be going. To me learning is not just about knowing stuff, but being part of a global world and being able to communicate, think and solve problems independently and with others.

2 comments January 5th, 2008