Sunday, June 20, 2010

Flash Animation - Making E-Learning Easier

I attended an animation seminar recently and it was quite a fun and informative event. Various animators and animation enthusiasts have attended the prestigious event. Luckily I was part of the guest list, the animation seminar started from where animation originated, from the ancient times to the first time Gertie, the dinosaur, was able to move on its own. Later modern animation was discussed.

Flash animation is one of the elearning tools used in creating learning content. It is now being used as a platform in producing animated series. From what I have observed, more and more people are acknowledging this new medium for animation. Knowing this, I asked myself, "Would an animated learning content be a better education course?"

Dora the explorer became a cartoon sensation with the younger generation. From toddlers to kids aged 7, every kid knows the Spanish speaking girl. The cartoon is basically about the adventures of Dora and her boot wearing monkey friend. They solve different problems in every episode.

The treatment of the cartoon is similar to an interactive flash game. Dora will ask a question then a cursor similar to a personal computer's mouse cursor will guide the viewers in choosing the right answer. The show is very educational and since it involves the audience in the problem solving parts, it makes the show interactive and engaging.

My 5 year old kid really likes to fiddle with my computer so I bought preschool game software. The game has animated clips and an animated character that guides him throughout the game. He loves it so much because he really loves cartoons and when I am doing paper work, I let him play with it. The result was quite impressive.

There was a time when I have to show him how to solve a certain puzzle and when he encountered a similar puzzle like the one I'd solved, he solved it on his own effortlessly.
Nowadays people are seeing animation as more than just shows for children. Filmmakers now use animation as a medium in their movies. In the virtual classroom, animation is a great tool for teaching elearners through the use of flash animation.

Real life situations can be animated for students to study. For example, in medical and health education courses, the human anatomy is animated and even though it is a simulated version of the real thing, the details of it are very accurate. It is like seeing the real thing as well. Online medical students can watch how medicine works on certain ailments through an animated clip which shows how the medicine is applied.

Ordinary and boring quizzes can be spiced up by converting it into a more animated and interactive game rather than presenting it in a simple question and answer form.
By using animation in producing learning content, students become more interested in learning because they are learning their lessons but at the same time they are entertained as well.

Elearning tools like flash animation makes online learning content and education modules become easier to understand and user friendly. A computer graduate and loves to travel. Reading current news in the internet is one of his past times. Taking pictures of the things around him fully satisfies him. He loves to play badminton and his favorite pets are cats and walk with them in the park with some dogs. Add to Technorati Favorites Bookmark and Share

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