Tech Sharing: Stop Motion Animation in Makerspaces



Today I bring to you one of my favorite blogs to follow, the Teen Librarian Toolbox, written by Karen Jensen and a post about one instructional strategy to use in Makerspaces.

Makerspaces have transformed the library scene from a world of just books to a world in which the possibilities are endless; technology has provided a bridge for so many students and so many teachers to take learning to the next level. A lot of schools are able to make maximum impact with smaller budgets by creating Makerspaces in the library rather than providing expensive technologies to every classroom.

But what do you do with all those nifty gadgets and tools? You’ve still got to teach the standards, your teachers still have end of course testing at the end of the year, the curriculum still stands. Melissa Johnston says it well in her article in School Libraries Worldwide:

The key to technology integration in education is that technology is used to enhance the learning experience and develop learners’ thinking skills, but it must also be aligned with the curriculum of the school and integrated into instruction, not as an add-on or afterthought (Hew & Brush, 2007). Students cannot be expected to benefit from technology if their teachers are neither familiar nor comfortable with it. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to utilize technology through professional development opportunities. Ongoing professional development is necessary to help teachers learn how to use new technologies, but this must go beyond just using technology, expanding to learning the instructional strategies needed to integrate technology into their teaching, including practical applications (Ertmer, 2005).
Johnston, M. P. (2012). Connecting teacher librarians for technology integration leadership.  School Libraries Worldwide, 18(1), 18-33.

I emphasize here the practical applications – this is where we come in! As librarians we can help provide for our teachers not just tutorials and explanations on how to physically use the technology tools the school is providing but also ideas of implementing those tools in the classroom.

Karen Jensen does a great job of showcasing ways to implement technology into her library and her presentation (found here) on Stop Motion Animation shows the potential that a handful of technology tools together can have – both in the library and in the classroom.


Stop Motion animation can easily to used by students to communicate complex concepts from English all the way to biology. It doesn’t require the use of a lot of expensive tech tools (although it could) and it is something that the students absolutely love. Karen provides in her blog a variety of resources that you can use in your library and/or classroom to create Stop Motion Animations. 

What are some ideas you have for using Stop Motion Animations in your library or school?



Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    I appreciate how you pushed past the idea of the school librarian as the "technology expert" meaning the school librarian knows how to use technology. Instead, you suggest that school librarians are also there to suggest relevant and useful educational technologies and resources.

    I think the Stop Motion application would be incredibly useful in helping students learn to write narratives since the application is in theory about storytelling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LADY M4CKSeptember 23, 2018 at 7:53 PM

    The first line of the larger quote you shared is so perfect for us to keep in the forefront of our thoughts as librarians. One of my library role models uses Makerspaces constantly and I know she'd love this idea, so your blog post worked! It's getting shred right now!

    Erica

    ReplyDelete
  3. KatieDSeptember 29, 2018 at 1:45 PM

    This is such a cool technology! You can really use this for any content area too. I feel it would be most successful in middle and high school libraries. I think using legos would be the easiest method for students. It is quick and easy to create and object and change it from frame to frame.

    ReplyDelete

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