Improve Through Improv: ComedySportz Can Improve Your Individual Skills

Anyone who has witnessed the shenanigans at an improv show could tell you how entertaining, charming and all around wacky the experience is. However, when you look further into the entire idea of these silly charades, what is revealed is a team dedicated to constantly supporting one another in the hopes that they can get a few laughs from the audience. Like I'm sure many have encountered, these attempts can be embarrassingly bad at times. Nevertheless, the series of intense ups and downs as a team has improved every team individual's ability to work together and to think quickly as a unit. Sounds like a good idea for the classroom right? In high school, I was a member of the Comedy Sportz High School League and had the pleasure to participate in such hilarious activities. Every week we met for practice, which only required us to play fun improv games for two hours, and about once a month we played with other local high schools that also had the program at their schools. Improv was a good way for me, as well as the others on my team, to improve not only individual skills, but also social skills. This week I decided to take a look at the ways including an Improv program in schools could enhance a child's education by improving both individual skills and social skills.

Upon researching, I stumbled upon several businesses that have included improv workshops in their office training for the same reasons I have purposed including them in the classroom. In addition to individual and social skill improvement, Microsoft Online points out that it can also help with constructive criticism. "It provides instant feedback on what you're doing right and what you need to improve on." I think this is also an important part because it gets a person used to rejection and criticism - it teaches about failure and how to cope. One of the hardest parts of growing up can be the judgment and cruelty of others. By placing students in a playful situation that involves these lessons, it may be easier to learn to deal with the harshness of others.

In Comedy Sportz, my coach always reinforced the principles of a successful scene: who (are you; relationships), what (is the conflict), where (are you located), and, the most important, to never say no. The notion behind the last principle is that saying no to a teammate could hinder the progress of the scene. Unlike acting, which primarily focuses on the self improvement of one's acting, improv is focused on the team's improvement of their ability to create a humorous scene. Therefore, the team is not only constantly remembering the principles to a successful scene, but also about supporting one another. For me personally, this juggling helped me become a quick and alert

thinker, which has become an important life skill. Especially for students that are not as quick to improvise, it will help them fix this.

The most gratifying part of the experience (besides the moment when the audience roars because of a joke YOU just told) is the overall playful environment it teaches you thrive in. It reminds you to try and take the little things lightly, and to focus on what's important to progress. It also reminds you that success requires a lot of hard, constant work for a good pay-off. These are all positive tools that could seriously benefit students in the classroom, because it will instill principles that are not just important in the silly scene, but also in life.

Wii Music and Guitar Hero: Music Lessons or Video Games?

You can learn just about anything in front of a screen these days. Whether it’s in front of a television or a computer, learning new trades has never been easier. While virtual lessons, such as traffic school or even typing, used to be novel advances in education, this day in age it is hard to beat the current trends in instructional gaming. In my very first post, I discussed groundbreaking curriculum (in that case, animation) that was sweeping through classrooms around the country. This made me wonder what other kinds of developments will pop up as we get further and further into a technological future. But what can apply as too outrageous to consider as classroom curriculum? My initial reaction to my original curiosity was the successful phenomena of Guitar Hero and subsequently Rock Band and Wii Music. As if rock-stardom wasn’t glorified enough through music videos, being a musician has never been cooler, or more fun for that matter. We all remember the hilarious episode of South Park where Stan’s father is labeled “uncool” (though, I believed the term they used was “gay”) for playing real guitar instead of Guitar Hero. The days of devoting hours to intense music theory are quickly fading at the click of a few colorful buttons. However, many people, especially those musicians who have devoted long hours to practice, are disheartened by this classification of Guitar Hero, Wii Music or Rock Band as music lessons because it lacks a majority of the technique and skill that comes with playing a real instrument. Strumming the little grey “string” switch while simultaneously striking the colored buttons cannot help you with pitch or note knowledge. The only assistance I believe it gives you is rhythm, but even then sometimes your guitar controller is slightly delayed causing you to get off beat. In a recent blog from Destructoid.com, a classically trained pianist and video game aficionado offers his opinions of the advantages and disadvantages of rhythm games. Similarly, in a recent gaming and technology blog on Gameplayer.com, Clint McCredie applauds Wii Music for its ability to help the understanding of real music.

Comment #1
"Music and Rhythm Games: A Classically-Trained Pianist's Perspective"

Thank you for your recent post about this issue of whether or not you believe these music and rhythm games are actual music lessons. I think you have a lot of well-written, well thought out points on both sides of the perspective. I thought your comparison to shooting video games was especially interesting – that while you are using a fake gun and simulation, it does not at all teach you how to properly hold a handgun – a point that I never considered. (Similarly, though on a completely different level, Dance Dance Revolution does not necessarily teach you how to dance well.) I agree with you in that it is a great way to improve finger strength and sheet music reading, as well as rhythm. However, I do not believe that these video games were created for the classroom, and that is why they do not necessarily teach you real skill. Rather, they are a way for normal, non-musical folk to rock out in a way they have never been able to, even if it’s just for a virtual audience. Nevertheless, as a musician myself and with my understanding of your music experience, I understand the frustration of people attempting to compare these games to real music lessons which require much more talent.

Comment #2
“Wii Music Review”

Hi, Clint – Thanks for your words on Nintendo’s newest Wii game, “Wii Music.” I appreciated your clarification on the differences between Guitar Hero/Rock Band and Wii Music, because I have not played the latter and was curious (and I admit, presumptuous) myself. Your post was very informative about the video game, however there were a few details I have to disagree with. Mainly, the part where you discuss the way the game can help a person understand music. I am not aware of your musical background, so I will be careful with my words, but I do believe that any musician would quickly reject the notion of these games teaching any real musical skill. Yes, it helps with rhythm and a few other basics; however, it doesn’t touch some of the hardest techniques to develop as a student of music, that many struggle to (no pun intended) fine-tune throughout their music careers. While I understand your post was more of a review of the successful product that Wii Music is rather than an opinionated blog, I think an important aspect to remember is the devotion and hard work that is required in really understanding music theory.

The Civil Rights Movement: How We Learn About The Past Through Art

Today, November 4th, 2008, is THE day - by the end of it, America should know whether John McCain or Barack Obama will be our president. On such a historical day like today, my interest is taken much by the lengths it took for our country to come this far, when in the very recent past, our country was split black and white. Classrooms, restaurants, buses, etc. were all segregated. African Americans were being killed for merely trying to vote for president. Even in the 1980's there were parts of the country that did not sell property to interracial married couples. Although today for students my age it seems unbelievable to even grasp the tragedy of this kind discrimination, this is the world our parents and grandparents lived in. It is amazing to think that by the end of the day, if all goes well, our next president will be an African American man. In light of this election, I explored the World Wide Web for blogs dealing with art from or about the Civil Rights Movement. The first one I came across was by a multilingual art historian and museum curator named Homa T. Nasab, who used her blog for advertising an art exhibit at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta that has just closed last month in early October. The second, from an art writer, critic and professor from Washington D.C. named Tyler Green from his blog Modern Art Notes, who focuses on photographs taken during the Civil Rights Movement at elections or rallies in the south.

Comment #1

"The Civil Rights Movement At The High Museum Of Art"

Thank you for advertising what seems like an interesting and significant art exhibit in Atlanta. I only wish it could be open this month for the historical and relevant election we are experiencing today. The exhibit seems interesting because of its two parts - the first, photographs from the actual movement, and the second, the artists in the years after that were inspired by the movement. By including the image from the advertisement, I think it interests the reader more by giving them something to look at. I wish that you had done a little more research about the event after it opened. Perhaps you could have included people's feedback on the exhibit, or even your own if you were able to visit it. Additionally, some photographs or pieces from the exhibit could have enhanced the blog, and also inspired people by giving them a sneak peak of what they might see visiting the museum.

Comment #2
"Election Day, 44 Years On"

Your blog this morning about the election was very insightful and inspiring, thank you for your words. I liked how you opened the blog with the background on the murders of the three men who fought for a black man to vote, and how you connected it to the amazing election that is unfolding today. Also, your personal background allows the reader to see that many people are not as familiar with the subject as they may seem. The pictures you include are extremely powerful, and really provoke meditation on this day. Although I thought your introduction to the slideshow was very poignant, I would have loved to read more about the background of these photos that you have included – perhaps a more detailed caption. Overall, I loved your post and I look forward to reading more by you.

Prop 8 and Gay Marriage: Teaching Our Youth About Homosexuality

As November 4th quickly draws near, more and more our television programming becomes full of commercials for candidates and propositions that urge us to vote “Yes” or “No.” One proposition that is passionately discussed is Prop 8, which eliminates same-sex couples from marrying in California. While the state tends to be more progressive than others, the concern over the protection of marriage still causes a rift between the socially liberal and the socially conservative. Homosexuality is still a subject that makes many people, especially (though not exclusively) religious folk, uncomfortable because of its supposed violation of the biblical definition of marriage; however, by the looks of the current pro-Prop 8 ads, it seems like there is an underlying fear that it is some sort of infectious disease needing to be contained before it spreads. In one advertisement, paid for by ProtectMarriage.com, an excited little girl runs into the kitchen to show her mother the most recent book read in her classroom entitled, King & King. She begins rambling about how she learned in school that a prince could marry a prince, and she could marry a princess (close up on the mother’s horrified expression – jaw on the floor, eyes wide as saucers.) Then, a lawyer from Pepperdine University floats in on the left, and in a very serious and fretful tone states that “This is ALREADY happening.” The main argument of this commercial is that we must vote “Yes” on the proposition, otherwise our children will be taught about gay marriage. Gasp! Jokes and sides aside, the commercial presents the education of homosexuality as detrimental to children, which in turn teaches and encourages youth to discriminate.

What is it about marriage between same-sex couples that can be so threatening to our youth? In school, we learn about an array of things, both good and bad – from the layers of the earth to evolution to the Holocaust. Curriculum has always included subject matter, like evolution, that may be controversial or even “untrue” to some; still, the importance of including these kinds of topics is to provide students with a range of information so that they can decide what they personally believe is right and wrong. Additionally, taking this kind of material out of school curriculum does not eliminate it completely. It would be foolish to blind our children from real issues that are relevant to the present – this would encourage ignorance and promote discrimination. It is safe to say that a majority of Prop 8 supporters are so for religious reasons, but why are they looking past the bible’s “golden rule” that we all learned as children – “Do Unto Others.” As the daughter of an Episcopal minister, the bible has been a central part of my life, whether I liked it or not. To be honest, there is not one part in any of the teachings of the bible that I can remember that renounces homosexuality. Obviously, these points are in the bible, but my point is that as a child the only real rule I ever retained was the one they stressed the most, which was the golden rule. Likewise, the bible states far more about its views on poverty or basic shaping of character than it ever does on homosexuality. It seems like the bible has been manipulated for the chief purpose of justifying our ignorance and discrimination rather than teaching us what really is important, that we are all God’s children – gay, straight, black, white, etc., and we should be treating others the way we want to be treated. For those who object to the Prop soley based on the definition of marriage, I say to them what all my past English teachers have said to me about using a definition at the start of an essay: it is an overused ploy that contains little validity. The dictionary is a human edited text that is constantly rewritten. Even slang is included in the dictionary now.

Our schools and our churches have control over the bias they allow to express in the classroom, and Prop 8 will not take that away from school and Sunday school teachers. Though, as a teacher myself, I do not think it is our job to take advantage of our influence. Rather, we should present both sides and let the student decide based on his or her own beliefs. Prop 8 states that it wants to protect marriage – it wants to keep the traditional idea of family. According to people like the ones who are funding this campaign, education in the form of a book like in the commercial is threatening to that idea of family. I highly doubt that any school has presented gay literature in the form of a fairy tale, as shown in the King & King book that the little girl brings home in the commercial. On the other hand, there are texts that exist that are written by gay authors that glorify a strong family, and not so much sexual preference. One of my favorite writers, David Sedaris, is the perfect example of a successful, talented, gay man who uses his strong, and very American family, as his muse in many of his essays. I cannot deny that he has written about his experience as a gay man, and even as a gay child; however, the core of most his essays is his family and how they have influenced his own life and his art. Perhaps if we included in curriculum writing like his, which includes both strong family values as well as self-acceptance and awareness, the introduction of such taboo subject matter would not seem so contentious. Sedaris may be gay, but he does not write these essays in hopes that young children with undeveloped intelligence will join his homosexual movement. He writes more as a reflection of the wisdom he has gained from his Greek-American southern upbringing in a stable household.

Gay marriage is an issue that I believe we will look back on with similar guilt as we do when interracial marriage was frowned upon. As our society continues to advance its norms, it is obvious that we will face debates such as this. Nevertheless, the main problem I have with Proposition 8 is that encourages ignorant education. In order to shape our youth to be its best, we need to teach them about relevant history and news, which may include material that will upset some. Still, it is important to the awareness and intelligence of children to present them with information that may challenge their thinking. Furthermore, I do believe that if the Prop does pass, it is silly to think that this will be the end of the issue. Homosexuality, whether it is or is not taught about in our schools, will be a noticeable and persistent movement for years to come. 

Educational Exploration of the Web: Helpful Sites For Teachers and Students

My last two blog entries consisted of close examination of recent phenomena in the field of art and education - the first, a look at an alternative lesson plan and the second, a critique of the Education platform in the current presidential campaigns of both John McCain and Barack Obama. This week, I have explored the web for resources similar to those used to research my last two blogs that could be helpful for any internet user, primarily students and teachers, when desiring more information about curriculum or current events in art education. Using the Webby and ISMA criteria to pick and choose the good from the bad, I have thoughtfully sorted out the top twenty most useful, interesting and creditable web sites, and placed them in the Linkroll on the right. Sites range from charity organizations, to foundation web sites, to resource forums, all hoping to facilitate educational progress. The first group of web sites I'll look at are the resourceful ones that generally exist to assist teachers in finding fun, creative lesson plans either about art or incorporating art. The first, Art Junction, is described on its website as a "collaborative art space for teachers and students." It is one of the most aesthetically pleasing web sites I encountered, as well as easy to use. The main aspect of this website that sets it apart from the other is the "ATC" page, in which it introduces and explains Artist Trading Cards, miniature works of art made on notecards and traded between artists. Other sites similar to Art Junction in the Linkroll are Draw Space, specifically for drawing lesson plans, Teaching Palette, and KinderArt, which offers lesson plans for younger folk.

Listed on these resource web sites are also blogs that discuss the topic of art education as well. In addition to these blogs, I only listed one or two other outside blogs because most that I tended to find were teachers posting their students' artwork via blog (though, I think that is a wonderful idea). However, I did include the blog from the Smithsonian called "Eye Level," which seems to keep up with interesting and current events in mostly just art, but also sometimes art and education. Another art education news feed I found in cyberspace was Art Edge, which is also simultaneously a place for teachers to find resources similar to the sites l listed above. The site is run through Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. While it was easy to find visual art plans on the web, it grew more and more difficult to find resources for performing arts teachers. After some careful research, I found links through random blogs to other organizations' websites that are especially for theatre, music and dance. These sites include Creative Drama and Theatre Education Resource Site, Drama-education.com, Dance in Education Services and the National Dance Education website to name a few. Most listed are just the foundation's website, but a site like Creative Drama and Theatre Education allows its visitor to access ideas for classroom activities, books to read, and plays to perform. Still, I had a lot of trouble finding resources for music programs, which I think may have to do with the fact that music teachers already have their lesson plans in the music they teach students to play. Nevertheless, I included the site School Music Matters, which emphasizes the importance of music programs in schools.

The last of my discoveries on the internet include sites that promote awareness of the importance and benefit of art in education, and even provide outlets (whether it's a extra curricular program or a college's program) for students wanting to get involved. The first site, ComedySportz LA, I chose because when I was in high school I was involved in this improv group. I found it to be extremely rewarding in not only the educational sense, but also in the growth of my self awareness and self confidence. ComedySportz is a national Improv organization, that caters to adult actors as well as college and high school-aged actors. For high school students looking to continue their art education, a website like Find Your Art School is there to narrow down what kind of art institution a student is looking for rather than having to be limited to art programs in regular universities. Overall, I found my research on the web to be very insightful, and the sites that I discovered are great indicators that art education awareness is increasing not only in the World Wide Web, but in our daily lives as well.

The Future of (Art) Education: Obama vs. McCain

Today education is a social issue that is overlooked - put on the back burner while we boil over the war in Iraq, the economy, or even gay marriage. And while all these are valid and substantial concerns, Americans tend to hone in on what affects their pocket books or religious values rather than the shaping of those who will define the future. Truth be told, education is an issue that cannot and should not be downsized. It is just that - it is an issue. With the presidential election quickly approaching, it is unavoidable for me to research and critique the intentions (or lack there-of) of both Barack Obama and John McCain on the subject of not only education, but also specifically art education. One would think that because the U.S. Department of Education clearly advocates the importance of art education (though its last update was over four years ago), that both candidates would at least mention their stance on the subject. I decided to take a gander at other people's thoughts on the web about the education campaigns. Not to my surprise, people like Jerome Weeks for Art&Seek Blog in North Texas and Michele McNeil for Education Week magazine's online blog were also questioning the lack of priority education has in John McCain's campaign. While both Obama and McCain obviously find education to be a task necessary to tackle, McCain's focus seems more out of obligation that honest passion about the importance of education. It is evident in the accessibility of Obama's education plan that he intends to take on the matter progressively and proactively.

Upon googling "Obama art education" I immediately was directed to a PDF file available to download from his campaign website entitled "Barack Obama and Joe Biden: Champions for Arts and Culture." It stresses the support of expanding and funding art organizations and curriculum to teach students, and even teachers, how to think creatively, especially when in positions of leadership. Since 1992, the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts has been cut fifty million dollars, regardless of the fact that art education has proven to raise test scores and reduce crime in schools. On a side note, the U.S. spends over five times as much on the war in Iraq than on education. Those who suffer the most from this budget inbalance are low-income public schools whose art appreciation programs continue you get cut out. Imagine if the trend continues; if slowly music class, art class, drama class, etc. is taken out of the school day. Instead, the day is mainly filled with mathematics and composition. There is no longer that breath of fresh air between academic subjects - the rare fifty minutes to interact with classmates and stimulate creative thinking. Obama understands the crucial part that these lessons play in students' lives, and how it can pay off in the future. He sees the threat of this educational loss, and clearly states how he plans to improve it.

Unlike the ease at which I obtained Obama's art educational plan, when I googled the same, "McCain art education," not even his own web page came up as the most relevant search; rather, a list of slanderous blogs by people asking the same question as I am - How does John McCain view the importance of art education? Apparently, it is not a concern of his. His education campaign is primarily directed at the empowerment of students, teachers and parents. He talked a lot about having a choice of where people can go to school - "If a school will not change, the student should be able to change schools." To me, a school should be an environment that facilitates learning; therefore, it should be the responsibility of the school system to improve its program to make it easier for the mass amount of students. As someone who has had to change schools many times in my life, it is a stress that is not as simple as McCain nonchalantly proposes. Changing schools does not just entail changing curriculum - it is a completely differently environment to adapt to as well as survive in. The stress of having to find a new niche alone is intimidating enough, on top of the new curriculum. Furthermore, not every student has the luxury of mom and dad dropping him/her off in the family station wagon. The logistics of transportation in itself is nearly impossible for families to abruptly replan. Overall, I found McCains "plan" not much of a plan at all, but rather a generalized and vague summary of his awareness of a necessity to change something.

Whether Democrat or Republican, anyone can acknowledge that Obama's campaign puts much more emphasis on education than McCain's. The difference is in the urgency and passion at which these candidates approach this particular issue - and it is easily noticable that McCain lacks this zest. Though this is not to say that McCain is not a passionate man, just not about education. As Michele McNeil from Education Week magazine's blog points out, "McCain is a campaign-finance, foreign-relations, anti-abortion, tax-cut candidate. Education is not his thing. Depending on your perspective, McCain's relative silence on education may be a good thing. If you think the federal government has grossly overreached into the state business of education, then he may be your guy." Michele brings up a good point - not everyone sees a dire need to improve our education system. Education may not seem like an issue to those who vote, because most people who vote are educated. Many Americans feel strongly about keeping our money in our Department of Defense to keep us safe, because the media has reminded them that we are still at war. Also, many Americans have family members overseas, so it hits close to home. However, perhaps if there were images of the tragic state in which our nation's public schools are in, would we be more aware and more open to invest in them? How can the educated relate to the uneducated when the educated are the only ones with a real voice?

Jerome Weeks from a North Texas blog called Art&Seek is also disconcerted about the vagueness of the McCain education platform. He also looked at the website and said, "There is nothing of substance to be found, certainly nothing official." Like the previous blog mentioned from Education Week, he also states that some may not be as concerned about education as much as other matters, and that for those reasons McCain would probably seem like the preferred choice. This blog, on the other hand, goes more in depth about McCains history of funding art education. In 1999, he stated that federal funding for the NEA would be "inappropriate" for tax dollars to go towards material that could be viewed as "obscene" or "offensive." Weeks comments back on this quote by saying in his blog, "This, at least, is fairly plain. He actually indicates a support for art subsidies — only when directed mostly to arts education and with local-community restrictions in place. This is, more or less, the direction the NEA has been cautiously (and, arguably, successfully) pursuing since the overheated culture wars of the ’90s."

A person does not necessarily have to be liberal or an Obama supporter to see the benefits one gets from involvement in arts and culture. What I appreciate most about Barack Obama's stance on education is that it is very specific - he not only acknowledges the importance of arts and culture in creating an enlightened thinker, but also the importance of science and math "to compete in the global context." He can identify which aspects of education are valuable to each part of a person’s life. Without an art curriculum, students are limited to logical thinking, which is not necessarily how everyone's brain functions. Likewise, not everyone's brain thinks creatively. Nevertheless, it is still important to have both stimuli in order to exercise all parts of the brain. He does not see the incorporation of art education as a way to create more artists, but to create cultured, well-rounded individuals. When I consider my candidate for president, it is important to me to see that he has significantly thought about every one of the nation's issues, no matter where it may lie on a list of priorities.

Enlivening Curriculum: Animation in the Classroom

What child does not enjoy an animated feature film? With the technological advancement of computer animation, quick production of these family films has never been easier. When I was a child, I anxiously anticipated each year's animated Disney release, but because of the tedious time it took to produce a hand-drawn picture, the company could only release few at a time. Fortunately for kids today, many more production companies release several of these pictures a month. Even luckier is that now educators are beginning to incorporate animation in curriculum in schools all around the nation.

This past weekend, over four hundred international teachers met in Shanghai, China for the Learning 2.0 conference, a two-day event focusing on the incorporation of technology in education. In addition to the event, the minds behind it have appropriately set up an online forum for participating educators to discuss topics about the conference, as well as access material from each educational session. Issues explored at the conference varied from Internet blogging to digital storytelling; but the session that excited me, as well as the other participants and online users, was the integration of animation into lesson plans. Understandably, the task may seem daunting to students who are less artistic; however, while this activity may seem limiting to those who are apt to use their creative right brains, there are several different forms of animation that are more encouraging to the average student. By including animation in coursework, students are able to apply their knowledge visually and manually - which ultimately engages them with the subject matter and makes it even more comprehensible.

Whether it is for social studies or science class, teachers can utilize animation with any content he or she feels it can be successfully executed. Take for example; if a science class is learning about protein synthesis, they can animate the cell receiving the message, the DNA molecule unwinding, Nucleotides moving along the exposed strand, and so on. However, teachers usually only have a small block of time for each designated subject. So, for a concept like protein synthesis, which would require a lot of tedious sketching of RNA and ribosomes and such, it would be most time efficient to do stop-motion animation. This is when you film or photograph an object moving in small amounts frame by frame, which gives the illusion that the object is moving. Projects such as Gumby or the 1930's version of King Kong are examples of stop-motion with claymation - it is the same technique.

For a class like social studies, students can form groups to sketch a historical scene. If the scene is the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the project would require them to storyboard, write a script, record voice overs, etc., all the while locking into their brains key information and figures involved in the event. And to top it all off, they are having fun and learning to work together as a team to produce a cohesive project. The story could be told

through a simple flip book, or there are programs available such as FrameThief - an application available for download online that automatically captures each frame

rather than having to capture each single frame.

While animation may not be the most time-friendly classroom project, it is undoubtedly rewarding to both student and teacher. Through the process, students have learned about subject material hands-on, and are challenged to take each other's contrasting ideas and make it into one united concept. The teachers are able to work side-by-side with the students, and most likely will take great pleasure and pride in the product. Additionally, the inclusion of storyboarding, writing and directing improves the students' writing as well as listening skills. For those students who are geared more towards artistic expression, it is a creative outlet that is lacking in a lot of curriculum in today's school system. On the other hand, for students who are not as artistic, the planning and execution of the project enables them to get involved as a leader even if they do not have the artistic capability to make the actual animation. The overall experience of animation in the classroom energizes the students and the teacher, and instigates teamwork, creativity and understanding.