Animation Videos
What is it?
Animation videos are dynamic cartoon-style videos that synchronize fluid animated actions on screen with synchronized animation. Animation videos are often in the explainer format which means that they are brief and fast-paced.
Why should I do it?
Instructor Presence
Instructor presence is an educator's ubiquity in a classroom via three modalities: cognitive, social, and teaching. At times, the lack of a physical space can make the online classroom feel devoid of an presence. Using an animated video can help establish your presence in the classroom because you will be heard by learners.
Engagement
The animated medium encourages educators to incorporate storytelling and examples into their teaching.
Cognitive Load
Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort used in working memory. As students work to learn new information, we can help them manage cognitive load by adhering to the principles of multimedia learning. Learn more about Designing for Learning.
What tools do I need?
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webcam/microphone
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an animation application
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free video hosting
Free Applications for Creating Animated Videos
Moovly Education
Moovly allows .edu users to create animated videos and download them in standard definition with a watermark. This is a freemium product that allows users to have more features for a premium.
Check out this example Moovly for education:
Animaker
Animaker allows all users to create videos that are up to two minutes in length for free. Users are capped at five free downloads per month (with watermark). This is a freemium product that allows users to have more features for a premium.
Check out this example Animaker:
PowToon
PowToon allows .edu users to create videos that are up to five minutes in length for free. This is a freemium product that allows users to have more features for a premium.
Check out Renee Kowalchik's PowToon video 5 Ways to Use Powtoon in the Classroom:
References
Clark, R. C., Mayer, R. E. (2011) e-Learning and the science of instruction; Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3). Hoboken, US: Pfeiffer.
Mayer, R. E. (2012). Multimedia learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mayer, R. E. (2014). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. (2nd ed). New York: University of Cambridge.