ABCYA Animations

As I was visiting a local school yesterday, I got the chance to work with a group of 3rd-5th grade students.  I introduced them to time-lapses and animations.  These two types of video can be a very powerful tool in the classroom where students are actively engaged in creating their own video.  To make these kid friendly animations, I was using the free/login free site at ABCYA Animate. With no more than 5 minutes of explanation, the students were off and running.  Because this was their first experience with this program, students just made a generic video not tied down to any standard or assignment.  If I were to use this in the classroom associated with content, standards, or an assignment, here are a few ideas:

• Book Reports - Have students summarize the book with a short animation.
• Math Explanations - Give students a math problem where they have to show their work.
• Science Experiments - Show a summary of what happens in various experiments which are being investigated in your classroom.
• Spelling Words and Definitions - Instead of having your students create flashcards for their words, have them make a video.
• History or Geography - Make a short historical video with facts and dates, or create a fast-paced geography  video with objects and icons of certain locations.

There is also an iPad app, but this will cost $1.99.

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