Using Animations To Foster Understanding in Class

Technological advancement has prompted a paradigm shift in delivering education and teaching methods. While some learning modes are conventional, others are unconventional and entail art; hence, they foster creativity. Go through these details as they debunk the ins and outs of animation for education.

What Is Animation?

An animation refers to any graphic object that moves on a surface. It is a preferred way of storytelling that fosters a better understanding of a concept. On most occasions, animations tend to be more memorable and often evoke an emotion in the consumers of the content. It is interesting to note that creating an animation is also called animation.

Types of Animations

These are some of the different types of animations. Their use depends on how you would use them:

2D

As the name suggests, 2D animation explores two dimensions. It is among the easiest to create. It is also one of the most affordable ones to develop and is simple to use. 

2D animation represents two-dimensional characters. Even though it is one of the oldest animations invented, it is one of the most popularly used animations. 

3D

3D animation explores three dimensions to create more immersive and realistic animated experiences.

Other types of animations that you are likely to encounter outside the classroom setting include:

• Claymation
• Typography animation
• Mechanical animation.

The animation creation process focuses on three main components:

Creativity

Creativity involves coming up with original and valuable ideas. It also entails compressing information into graphical bits whose meaning you can understand.

Media Literacy 

Media literacy entails the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to interpret media.

Culture

Culture focuses on creative and critical behavior.

Even though these features look promising, parents and guardians often express concerns over learners and the risk of getting addicted; it is safer to understand how it works. 

What makes it an uprising trend?

According to research, more than 30% of teachers believe that video content influences a learner’s concentration. This study also confirms that video content stimulates learners’ creativity and motivates them to participate and learn new concepts. It is also an effective way of cementing concepts.

However, like anything, there are two sides of the coin. Therefore, it is essential to explore both sides of the divide. Consequently, we will debunk them into bits.

Advantages of Using Animation for Learning

These are the pros of adapting animation in teaching:

1. Makes Learning Faster

Even though animation takes so much time to produce, using it as an additional teaching aid makes it easy for learners to master concepts. It has been proven that 90% of information transmitted is visual, and the brain processes visuals faster than text. 

Animation fosters faster learning in two ways,

• It encourages the learner to create mental representations of the concept being taught.
• It replaces the cognitive process, which would otherwise be complex.

Besides making it easier for learners to decipher concepts, animation also makes retrieving information easier. Therefore, it is a worthwhile experience.

2. Fosters Better Understanding

Animations promote a better understanding of concepts, regardless of their complexity. For instance, you can comfortably compress a concept that would require you to utilize over 1 million words to decipher in a one-minute video. 

The time spent creating the animations varies depending on the subject being taught. For instance, using an animated clip to explain a Science-based concept might require more time to create. However, these animations could also come in handy in making the idea easy to decipher and visualize. 

3. Better Engagement in Class

According to a 2019 study, animations encourage learners to participate in class work actively. This positive attitude towards mastering a concept also translates into their performance in the class. Therefore, it enhances their learning experience.

Another study showed that students were positive toward using animation for their presentations. The high visuals and audio features foster entertaining learning sessions. It also encourages learners to buy essay samples from online academic providers on occasions when creating animations is a challenge.

4. Better Understanding of Real-Life Problems

Animations replicate real-life scenarios in the most palatable manner. As a result, it is easy to establish and foster a better understanding of real-life concerns. For instance, you stand a better chance of understanding the challenges heroes face in their operations by watching short clips reenacting their lives. Picking up real-life lessons from these animations is crucial.

5. Fosters the Value of Relationships

Animations do more than help learners understand a concept better. Non-academic anime series expose learners to the value of fostering relationships among themselves, making it easier for them to understand the need to maintain them.

6. Encourage Learners to Delve Deeper Into Concepts

Using animation to explain concepts is an intelligent way of making learners more interested in exploring an idea. Furthermore, sharing these animations with the learners increases their chances of reviewing them when going through the concept. This way, the learner gets more interested in the topic, making it easier for them to develop a positive attitude toward wanting to delve deeper into the subject or concept. 

7. Fostering Problem-Solving

Using animations to explain concepts fosters a learner’s self-learning and problem-solving skills. It encourages them to go over the idea severally, develop a positive attitude towards wanting to explore the topic further, and sharpen their critical thinking skills.

Disadvantages of Using Animation for Learning

Even though the pros highlighted above make it look like using animations look like a trend everyone should get on, these disadvantages water them down;

1. Animations Can Be Distracting

According to a study, extraneous animation details can distract learners from keeping up with their tutors. Another study highlighted what most learners might term fun, although the lack of context in videos can cause them to switch off or lose their train of thought.

Therefore, it is important to note that a beautiful design does not guarantee that your message will effectively be communicated. Therefore, when creating the animations, it is important to go the extra mile to ensure it meets the video’s objectives. All the other elements of the video also contribute to helping the learner understand the concept.

2. It Is Not Beginner-Friendly

Using animations to create academic content requires some level of expertise. There are beginner-friendly software that are straightforward and can make simple animations. However, their use is limited to general topics.

Topics that require in-depth explanation require more time and expertise to create animations. Even though you can use earlier production processes, which entail storyboarding and scripting, animating is a complex process requiring extra time and expertise.

In these instances, reach out to buyessay for tips on how to create animations. Alternatively, they will take you through the most appropriate software to generate the animations. 

3. Slow Loading Speed

Another reason that makes animations unpreferred for use is sometimes they take a long time to load. The size of the file will determine the amount of bandwidth needed to load them.

Even though video streaming platforms might come in handy in solving the issue with the loading speed, the learners need consistent Internet speeds to access the animations.

4. Time-Consuming to Create

Another reason not talked about enough is the amount of time that goes into customizing animated videos to convey the intended meaning or concept. Unfortunately, you cannot download customized animations from the Internet.

Besides the time spent creating animations, you might need to dig deeper into your pockets if you insist on purchasing animations online. For instance, it costs at least $1000 to create a 5-minute animation.

Another concept that might contribute to additional costs is that educational animations come as a series. Therefore, they could be several hours long and cost an arm and a leg since their prices are set for one animation.

Try out animation software such as VideoScribe to bypass these costs. These software are available at a significantly affordable price. They also make your work easier since they have a massive library with assets like backgrounds, objects, and characters. These features make it possible for anyone to animate.

Even though you might be tempted to consider this option, it is essential to note that some DIY software do not have specialized details. Therefore, they might not create your intended animations; hence, you might have to change your approach and delivery of the concept.

If you are looking for recommendations for software for creating animations, these are the options you could explore:

• Toonz
• Moho
• Adobe Animate
• Adobe Character Animator
• To Wind Up.

In Conclusion

Animations for education are the new revolution taking the learning sphere by storm. Even though they require a lot of time and thoughtful consideration to create, they help learners better understand concepts.

Animations also foster a better understanding of concepts and help learners review previously shared material. As a result, these effects translate into a better learning outcome. On the other hand, using animations for education comes under high criticism. Some users claim it is expensive, limiting, and time-consuming to create. Even though these disadvantages are equally as important as the benefits, there are two sides of the coin.