Program animation systems have not been as widely adopted by computer science educators as we might expect from the firm belief that they can help in enhancing computer science education. One of the most notable obstacles to their adoption is the considerable effort that the production of program animations represents for the instructor. We…

Does speed provide a "model for" rate of change in other contexts? Does JavaMathWorlds (JMW), animated simulation software, assist in the development of the "model for" rate of change? This project investigates the transference of understandings of rate gained in a motion context to a non-motion context. Students were 27 14-15 year old students at…

This paper reports the findings from an experimental study involving thirty three secondary school students (mean age = 15.5 years) in spatial visualization (SV) training through an interactive desktop virtual environment spatial trainer (iDVEST). Stratified random sampling was used to assign students into two experimental groups and one control…

Educational technology is seldom used to facilitate more active student learning in the classroom. Instructors who have mastered PowerPoint, however, could just as easily learn to create simple pieces of interactive multimedia that encourage student participation in learning tasks and that appeal to multiple intelligences and learning styles.…

Discusses how to use vector graphics programming on Apple microcomputers for creating animation. Secondary school students with programming experience should be able to master the essentials of the two-stage technique, especially if they have already worked with LOGO graphics. (JN)

Ten elements and techniques which can be used very effectively in a college level political science course are animation and enthusiasm; costumes; skits; motion; humor; perks; personality and mood changes; voices, puppets, and imitations; the personalization of material; and state of mind. (RM)

Film, like any other medium of expression, can be used for all of the same functions for which any art was ever praised: imitation, expression, impression, pleasure, play, escape, or intensified experience. A 16mm film/art filmography listing 53 films is included. (Author/CMV)

Argues that good film and television fantasy is not a retreat from reality but a means of expanding the imagination. (FL)

This study explored the feasibility of using a first-person narrative style for video description of an animated comedy, "Odd Job Jack." It found that viewers who are blind find the first-person style more engaging, entertaining, and preferable but less trustworthy than the more conventional third-person description style.

Human motion animation has been one of the major research topics in the field of computer graphics for decades. Techniques developed in this area help present human motions in various applications. This is crucial for enhancing the realism as well as promoting the user interest in the applications. To carry this merit to e-learning applications,…

When the character Yoda first appeared on the silver screen, his movements were due to the efforts of famed muppeteer Frank Oz. In "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones," Yoda returned to the movies but this time the character was not a puppet but a digital image within a computer. This paper discusses the role, or, more aptly, the force, of…

A research study was carried out to measure the effect of a computer animation as part of the assessment of conceptual understanding of second-semester general chemistry students. The major impact of the animation was observed to be in minimizing the difficulty students have in visualizing the particle motions for each distractor.

The dynamics model, which is based on L. Talmy's (1988) theory of force dynamics, characterizes causation as a pattern of forces and a position vector. In contrast to counterfactual and probabilistic models, the dynamics model naturally distinguishes between different cause-related concepts and explains the induction of causal relationships from…

In this paper, we present how creation and dynamic synthesis of linguistic resources of Greek Sign Language (GSL) may serve to support development and provide content to an educational multitask platform for the teaching of GSL in early elementary school classes. The presented system utilizes standard virtual character (VC) animation technologies…