Final Projects: Intersexuality using GoAnimate

Another student had done a lot of research on intersexuality, but wanted to present the information in a non-academic manner that might reach more of a general audience.  She chose to use GoAnimate.com to create her "movies."  Since free movies are limited to under 2 minutes at GoAnimate, she had to create two movies to cover all the material.


GoAnimate.com: Intersexuality Part I by ashleemoz23

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Intersexuality Part 2

GoAnimate.com: Intersexuality Part II by ashleemoz23

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Final Projects: "Hooking Up" at Xtranormal

For their final projects, students were asked to create something of use beyond the classroom.  Many chose to create educational projects using visual media.  One student explored the phenomenon of "hooking up" using Xtranormal.com's free movie making facility  (pictorial backgrounds and characters provided, you add the dialog via typing).

Here I have used the Embed Code from Xtranormal.com, but one can also upload the "movies" one creates at Xtranormal to YouTube - useful on websites that only embed YouTube videos.

What is hooking up?
by: ware0701

Sex Trafficking in Nepal via GoAnimate

Students have been experimenting with many different Web tools, including XtraNormal.com and GoAnimate.com - both of which allow you to create "videos" by choosing from the backgrounds and characters they provide.  You type the text you want the characters to speak.

There are limitations on what you can do with the free tool.  At Go Animate, length is severely limited so student has to make 3 separate videos.  I discovered that I could combine them into one movie using the free Debut Video Capture which I downloaded and installed.  Then I could capture each of the student's videos while they were playing and use Windows Movie Maker to combine them into one movie, which I then uploaded to YouTube.

Using Cartoons/Graphics to Convey Info

I've always been struck with some of the creative uses of graphics to convey information. I was particularly impressed by the way Global Kids at Holy Meatballs used graphics to present qualitative research data. The teens had conducted an open-ended survey of other youth about how they use and relate to digital media. Instead of a text only summary of replies, the Global Kids prepared a much more interesting results report by using illustrative graphics to accompany each survey answer. Kept me reading in a way that text-only reports might not have.

I assigned my students to experiment with similar graphical approaches when summarizing an article about the obstacles facing inner-city teens trying to navigate the online financial aid application process. (See “Low-Income Urban High School Students’ Use of the Internet to Access Financial Aid" by Kristan Venegas)

I suggested the students might try using PowerPoint in a graphically intensive manner (not the traditional bullet points) or they might try making a "comic book" using the ready made cartoon elements at Toondoo.com.



Above is the first panel of one student's cartoon rendition. Check out the complete cartoon/comic book on our class wiki.

Non Traditional PowerPoints for Digital Storytelling

To show students what I mean by a non-traditional PowerPoint, I created a presentation about Ada Lovelace in the style of the classic children's Golden Book series.

Draft Ada Lovelace Picture Book from cronegeek

For those interested in learning more about Ada Lovelace and George Babbage or comparing with a more traditional Powerpoint, I am including another slideshow here.

Babbage & Lovelace: The designer of the analytical engine and its programmer from Carsten Ullrich