This morning, I started thinking about the way GoAnimate works. The main reason for GoAnimate is for people to create cartoons. However, there may also be a great benefit of GoAnimate in the classroom on the reading end. As much as students like making GoAnimate cartoons, they also like watching them, and one of the aspects of the app I like is that the cartoons can be crafted to require reading. I am wondering if maybe this is an overlooked aspect of the app.
Maybe, just maybe, GoAnimate cartoons can be used for reading instruction. Setting up a cartoon might be a little labor intensive at first, but once cartoons were made, they could be shared and reused indefinitely. I just think that this might be a great way to engage young readers in looking at some words and making sense of them. I know that at the high school where I work, students are really into reading the graphic novels.
I used to think they were just long dumb comic books, but now that I have read a few myself, I am seeing a great value in this type of reading for our students. I don’t think that students should only read comics, but it might be a great gateway into reading, and let’s face it; we have a bunch of students out there that don’t like to read. Somehow we need to change this.
Now, I just need to find some time to make a GoAnimate and try it out with some students. I think if you watch this example, you can see how reading works with the cartoons. Let me know if you think this might work or how it might work in your classroom. You can also let me know if you think I am just plain crazy!
I realize this isn’t the best example, but it will still give you an idea. I am going to try and work up a better example of my own sometime this week.
