BP14_2009113_Researching&Blogging. Web 2.0 tools

Wow!

GoAnimate.com is one of the best applications online. It is a free online platform. Now here is a Web 2.0 tool that I discovered and I can use in my art classroom with my students. My cartoon animation titled; Web2.0, New Technology in the 21st Century by virtualvirtuous

is on my iGoogle ETC page, http://www.google.com/ig?source=gama&hl=en

The two cartoon screenshots were taken from my animation I created using GoAnimate.

How I would use this tool in my classroom and the educational benefits this tool provides is explained below. Many students use the Internet in schools regularly. As an interactive animated site you do more than just create cartoons. You create multimedia presentations that are impressive. There is also the capability of creating a slideshow using your own photos, artwork and images downloaded from the Internet. This provides more opportunities for students to learn how current technology is used and how art techniques influence all areas of the design fields and job market. Using Flickr and Facebook, images can be imported into GoAnimate and you can have your own slideshow of images that have a special meaning to you. When you visit this site, there are many tutorials to help you get started with creating your cartoon animation. The first tutorial I recommend to help you understand the features on this site is called; how does it work? When you are finished viewing the tutorials and feel confident you are ready select the tab labeled create. You are given four options to choose from. They are, Animation Studio, Character Creator, Animated Slideshow, and eMessages. Students can also create music videos. There are different themes, props, music, backgrounds, speech bubbles, and special effects to choose from. My students could also compare and contrast this tool with another Web 2.0 tool called Kerpoof, I found and will be showing them how it works in a similar way to create animation and cartoons. This tool in my opinion is better and more advanced with its creative resources. Students would still need to be monitored while they are creating their own images and animations. Students must use technology wisely and for a creative purpose rather than just fun. Anyone can use this tool, and with clear directions and instructions my students can create funny or serious animations to share with others for fun or discussion in the classroom.