Animation

The article I chose for this week is called, The effectiveness of web based, multimedia tutorials for teaching methods of human body composition analysis, by Paul R. Buzzell, Valerie M. Chamberlain and Stephen J. Pintauro. Thirty-two students were taught in three different ways, soley web-based, lecture based, and a mixture of both. They also took a pretest and posttest. They found that web based instruction was just as effective as lecture based for these topics.

The students in certain health fields have a hard time getting into labs with equipment that is already in high demand. Web based tutorials make this easier for them to learn with a somewhat hands on approach but still free up the labs.

Four multimedia tutorials were created for the health field focusing on the human body.

The rest of the article goes into detail about the specific programs.
I personally think that this is a great way to teach, not only in this situation but in general. The computer tutorials in classes such as biology and anatomy were always a great help, they always showed animation of things you would not normally be able to visualize.

http://advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/26/1/21

Digital Imagery

I chose the article Technology in your Classroom: How to Use Digital Images and Video from the website teachingk-8.com. It talks about using different programs such as Microsoft Movie Maker or iPhoto for the Mac to use video in the classroom.
Reasons for using video and other digital imagery in the classroom are, for use for online classes, to use for projects, and for tutorials.
Tips for giving assignments using digital imagery are, make sure that the assignment clearly shows what the learning goals are, to start with a small assignment to get the students acquainted with using this new media, and make sure that all of the students know the basics of using the equipment.
The rest of the article is about people’s experiences with using this technology and how the prices have dropped in recent years giving it availability.
This technology is a great way for teachers to make projects interesting for their students. Students will find projects using virtual imagery fun and also informative.
I personally think this is a great idea. As a student I have always loved doing projects using video or cameras. Learning came much more naturally and it did not feel like work. I think that teachers like this also because of the fact they are not stuck grading papers all day, they have the presentation right in front of them.
Further research in this area would include new types of cameras. A cheaper form for all students to have, like the cameras made specifically for children.

http://www.teachingk-8.com/archives/how_to/how_touse_digital_images_and_video.html

Storyboarding

The article I chose to write about this week is called Storyboarding Comes to Visual Studio Team System by Doug Barney.
This article is about a company getting a particular storyboarding tool that they have found very useful. This program helps them create and edit storyboards and put them all together to show what the final product might look like. This program helps “mainstream” everything together.
Storyboarding can also be a great way for children to learn. Storyboards simplify things to make learning a difficult concept more understandable. Visualizing abstract idea with a storyboard can also be helpful. It promotes the desire to get involved and can be something a teacher can prepare or a student. By having the student prepare a storyboard, they can work on prediction and presentation skills. With this they can also improve vocabulary, and speaking skills.
I do not really know how this can be improved upon. I have already heard of many new programs that help this process already.

http://reddevnews.com/news/devnews/article.aspx?editorialsid=110