Animation and Digital Photography

The activities go on within the art courses at the ZUS, above all they take place in courses such as Animation and Digital Photograph. But also in smaller range on a regular basis in the course Drawings and Paintings.
During the Animation lessons the students are supposed to create short animated pictures. Therefore after few études in which the students get more familiar with the animation technique and they immediately start to work on their short animation film while being divided into several groups and some also on the individual level. They are going to go through the stages they would face if they were working on a proper professional film, such as:
Creating a subject matter, scenario-storyboard, artistic arrangement of the figures and scenes, animating, cutting, tumult recording and sometimes even dubbing etc.
Use of both hardware and software, whose abilities are continuously shown to the students who can immediately try the activity in practice. While doing something, we do not forget to take in account the actual age and knowledge of our students. The idea is to make them being able to create own film without my help.

While working on Digital Pictures we use them for making and editing photographs, which leads above all to realizing of how much it is possible to manipulate with the reality displayed through using the ICT.

Regarding the Paintings, Drawings, Graphics, the ICT is a part of every particular artistic line. Most of the times it regards a task, where using an animation clearly fits its structure, such as: bees and pollination, life in a stone country, grimaces and dancing.

2. Which methodology is being used?

It is more a sort of mixture influenced by Gnozeo-centrism, video-centrism and also by an art-centrism. I mostly care about the relating to the world, its recognizing and a deeper understanding through an art language across the wide range of techniques and media, developing a critical thinking etc.
When I do the Paintings, Drawings and Graphics, I put everything into visual lines. But while working on the Digital Pictures or animation, I do it on a partial basis.

3.What ICT aids do you use?

Hardware: PC, digital cameras, microwaves, scanner, copier, printer…
Software: Dragonframe, Photoshop, Sony Vegas, Flash…

4. What kind of materials do you work with?

We use many, such as paper, cartons, colors, textile and natural materials, even waste and plastic bags. In my opinion, every particular object has not only first but also a second purpose and therefore we may use all sorts of materials that might were thrown away but we use them again for dozens of purposes.

5. Which parts of the project do you consider as strategically important?

The preparations, during I am choosing a topic, content and its didactic transformation. While doing so, I always try to make it interesting and enriching either for the students and either for me because then it is going to be more real and I am will be able to really drag the students into what I do with them.
Furthermore the reflective dialog, which goes on during every particular lesson, looking for own solution to create own vision, getting to know each other through art creating and also solving a wide range of problems regarding art.

6. What do the students learn in your lessons?

Thanks to the ICT, the students can get to know many things, such as a language of an animated picture, how does a camera work and how to manipulate with a camera record, how is a tumult made up in films or how the actual screen cooperates with the music theme. But the key thing the students learn, is achieving a large scale of abilities via working on their own projects. Generally the ICT helps us to develop our knowledge within media etc.

7. What are the results expected and is it even possible to measure them?

Regarding the ICT the shift to its creative using within applying own vision in own art testimony. Furthermore, my objects is not to use apps not to distract from the reality through PC games but to approach the reality that is later being observed, interpreted etc.
The results can be observed within a reflective dialog that is going on among the students and also taking everything they have learnt outside of their school is a huge score.

8. How do you evaluate the skill coming out of using the ICT aids during lecturing?

The ICT is mostly really helpful due to its ability to make literally everything easier and there are some cases in which using the ICT is the only way to manage. But there are situations in which the ICT could easily complicate the lecture, such as when there is some kind of a technical problem I am not able to solve. Then I need to improvise a lot.
The important aspect is also the level of skills regarding the ICT. The more the students and teachers are experienced, the more we can avail the whole potential of the ICT.
Camera is enough to some composition exercising or to observing objects through for example the textures, but understanding the principals of a photographing role of the veil, time and ISA – an ability to manually work with the camera opens a lots of opportunities to enlarge the range of possibilities.
A common using of things such as smartphone, PC, camera is often seen the elementary instruments with which the students can make a creator out of themselves and the teacher is supposed to help them by showing them various ways of how to effectively work with the ICT either inside or outside of the school.
In my opinion, using the ICT how it is being used now is kind of inefficient, because it is used to replace something that is not necessary to be replaced. Sometime even using the ICT on the right purpose does not bring the desired results. The measure of using the ICT should also be more in accordance with the preferences of each of the students, because sometimes more individual approach is needed.

9. If the course of the lesson does not go on according to you expectations, how do you then deal with such a situation?

There is no such a universal key. It depends on each particular situation but I prepare an alternative work/improvisation for the students if necessary.

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

a. How was the project established? What needs did make you to put the ICT to teaching? What questions should be answered?

Using the ICT and new media in our projects always comes up from a need for continuity of formal and content aspects of the art pieces which are the elementary aspects of our art activities. Using the ICT might increase the attractiveness of the tasks and also enthusiasm of the participants. The participants have generally a great time and due to this factor, a successful development of their knowledge and skills is taking place.

b. Why do you consider your project innovative?

Our intention is always giving as much space to the participants as we can to support their creativity. We use basic and easily available aids. (PC, dataprojector, digital camera, smartphones, ordinary printer etc.).

c. What is the elementary knowledge for the students to successfully absolve your tutoring? How do they use this knowledge during the schooling?

We only demand basic skills in terms of using the ITC. Everything that is needed to know is explained later during the schooling. The actual task only follows the motivation and communication about the key aspects.

d. Is there anything that you noticed during the actual process and surprised you?

It was definitely the creativity of the participants which sometimes can move the whole task forward to a completely new dimension.

e. What is the connection between your project, medial competence and an active citizenship?

The connection can be seen in the creative use of the ICT, new media for artistic self-expression. The development of a visual and medial literacy and also of the perceptional sensitiveness is taking place. Also there is a connection between the classical art and the current art.