Report – Learning Through Animation

Posted on: Thursday 06 July 2017 4:48pm by Tyler McRae

Kath Shackleton, Producer at Fettle Animation, headed this broad talk on the process of producing educational animation for children of all ages.

 Takeaways:

• Constant testing is needed for content to succeed.
• Make animation for kids, not their parents.
• Animation can greatly assist in further learning.

 Details:

Zane Wittingham, Creative Director at Fettle animation, began with an explanation of what animation is and how it can inform, entertain and educate. Animation can take you out of your comfort zone and make the viewer challenge their preconceived ideas about a topic. It can be perceived as a condensed form of communication that can easily change from one thing into another with differing stylistic approaches. It has the ability to break boundaries, using visual archetypes that cross language and cultural barriers. Your wildest imagination can be brought to life with very little limitations.

Rebekka Campbell,  Editor at BBC Bitesize, a website that supports students in out-of-classroom study. Students can find material to support them all over UK in every type of higher learning topic. It brings the curriculum to life through short form video content. The BBC includes a mix of animation styles tailored to differing age groups: Anarchic style for primary schoolers, simple and suave for those at GCSE level. They were ingenious to combine standard animation with photographic elements, live action recording and typography. Interactivity is crucial as within some animated content, puzzles and tools are integrated in order to further engage the learning process. Bitesize has received a lot of positive feedback from key and minor demographics and are jumping at the chance to work independent productions to commission more creative learning tools.

Content Manager & Education Specialist at Azomee, Luca Fiore, plugged the multimedia app that showcased short form content, interactive games and moral stories. A lot of research was put into digital permeance, constructive teaching and communication. The things Fiore found that made the app successful were the use of authentic dialogue in the scripting, gender-neutral labelling and direct contact with the audience.

With the consistent triumphs of educational animated content, it won’t be long before all media conglomerates seize this market and begin heavily investing in bolder, more dynamic concepts that benefit the next generation.