E. J. Otoo
ABSTRACT
Scientific concept animation techniques are carried out primarily by video, clips and flash formats. These do not generally allow controlled animation and interactivity in presentations. Tools for making presentation with controlled interactivity include: Microsoft PowerPoint; Java Programming; HTML5; CSS4; Asymptote, Animated Gif; MathML and Beamer built with LATEX with TikZ/PGF for animations etc. The ease and richness in depicting sophisticated mathematical notations, symbols, scientific and engineering drawings with the latter make them the appropriate tool for creating scientific concept animations. This paper focuses on an approach for generating presentations. The main contribution of this paper is the introduction and implementation of a new approach in capturing and embedding scientific concept animation in presentations. The basic idea is to translate sequence tagged diagrams in 2D and 3D produced with Inkscape into Beamer frames with sequence diagrams annotated with commands for animation. The output of Beamer frames is then compiled by LATEX to produce PDF files that can be used in a presentation. The applicability of this work is in the developing of contents for lessons in E-learning sites. The targeted domain for use is in developing science and engineering lecture presentations.
- Herve Franceschi. Use of animation director movies to teach CS1 programming concepts. Computing Sciences in Colleges, 20(3): 19--27, February 2005. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- R. Ausbrooks, S. Buswell, S. Dalmas, S. Devitt, A. Diaz, R. Hunter, B. Smith, N. Soiffer, R. Sutor, S. Watt, et al. Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) Version 2.0. W3C Recommendation 2001, Feb. 2001.Google Scholar
- E. G. Bakhoum. Animating an Equation: A Guide to Using FLASH in Mathematics Education. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 39(5): 637--655, July 2008.Google ScholarCross Ref
- B. Braune, S. Diehl, A. Kerren, and R. Wilhelm. Animation of the Generation and Computation of Finite Automata for Learning Software. In Revised Papers from the 4th International Workshop on Automata Implementation, WIA '99, pages 39--47. Springer-Verlag, 2001. Google ScholarDigital Library
- M. Brodie. Dijkstra's Algorithm, 2012.Google Scholar
- P. C.-H. Cheng. Unlocking conceptual learning in mathematics and science with effective representational systems. Computers & Education, 33: 109--139, 1999. Google ScholarDigital Library
- P. Faraday and A. Sutcliffe. Designing effective multimedia presentations. Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI, pages 272--278, 1997. Google ScholarDigital Library
- D. Flannagan. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide. O'Reilly & Associates, 2nd edition, Jan. 1997.Google Scholar
- K. Fletcher. Adobe Presenter, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Blackboard Vista: tools that work together for creating and presenting online instructional content. In Proceedings of the 37th annual ACM SIGUCCS fall conference, number 6, pages 243--248, New York, NY, USA, 2009. ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- B. Harper, J. Hedberg, R. Wright, R. Corderoy, et al. Interactive multimedia development and cognitive tool. Proceedings of the 1996 international conference on Learning sciences, 1996. Google ScholarDigital Library
- M. Hohenwarter, J. Preiner, and T. Yi. Incorporating GeoGebra into Teaching Mathematics at the College Level. In GeoGebra at the College Level, 2007.Google Scholar
- W.-J. Hsin. Animations for computer networking protocols. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 25(5): 245--250, May 2005. Google ScholarDigital Library
- G. U. Kulasekara, B. G. Jayatilleke, and U. Coomaraswamy. Designing interface for interactive multimedia: learner perceptions on the design features. AAOU, 3(2): 83--98, 2008.Google Scholar
- C.-H. Leung and Y.-Y. Chan. Knowledge Management System for Electronic Learning of IT Skills. SIGITE'07, 2007. Google ScholarDigital Library
- L. Lin, R. K. Atkinson, et al. Using Animations and Visual Cueing to Support Learning of Scientific Concepts and Processes. Computers & Education, 56(3): 650--658, Apr. 2011. Google ScholarDigital Library
- D. Maor. A teacher professional development program on using a constructivist multimedia learning environment. Learning Environments Research, 2: 307--330, 2000.Google ScholarCross Ref
- R. E. Mayer. The promise of multimedia learning: using the same instructional design methods across different media. learning and instruction, 13: 125--139, 2003.Google Scholar
- R. E. Mayer, P. Chandler, et al. When Learning Is Just a Click Away: Does Simple User Interaction Foster Deeper Understanding of Multimedia Messages. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(2): 390--397, June 2001.Google ScholarCross Ref
- R. E. Mayer and R. Moreno. Animation as an Aid to Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1): 87--99, Mar. 2002.Google ScholarCross Ref
- R. Mazza. The integrated eBook: the convergence of ebook, companion web site, and elearning. Proceeding of the 2008 ACM workshop on Research advances in large digital book repositories, 2008. Google ScholarDigital Library
- O. Pagliano, W. E. Brown, G. Rule, D. Bajzek, et al. Improving animation tutorials by integrating simulation, assessment, and feedback to promote active learning. Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, 2007.Google Scholar
- R. Pinter, D. Radosav, S. Maravi Cisar, et al. Interactive Animation in Developing e-Learning Contents. 33rd International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics, pages 1--5, May 2010.Google Scholar
- J. Polewczak. Latex, MathmlL, and Text4HT: Tools for Creating Accessible Document. Mathematics, CSUN, Northridge, http://www.csun.edu/hcmth008/mathml/acc_tutorial.pdf, May 2005.Google Scholar
- U. M. Reddy, B. N. Sripada, R. Kulkarni, et al. How to Teach Medical Concepts Using Animations by Designing Multimedia Instructional Application. Systems, Man and Cybernetics, 2: 1778--1785, July 2007.Google Scholar
- B. Salzberg, T. Murphy, et al. LaTeX: When Word Fails You. In SIGUCCS'05, page pp. 241--243, 2005. Google ScholarDigital Library
- C. Shaffer, T. Naps, and E. Fouh. Truly interactive textbooks for Computer Science Education. 6th Program Visualization Workshop, pages 97--103, 2011.Google Scholar
- F. G. M. Silva. Teaching animation in computer science. ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA, (2): 2: 1--2: 6, 2009. Google ScholarDigital Library
- T. Tantau. The TikZ and PGF Packages, volume 2.10. http://sourceforge.net/projects/pgf, Oct. 2010.Google Scholar
- M. J. Taylor, D. C. Pountney, and M. Baskett. Using animation to support the teaching of computer game development techniques. Computers & Education, 50: 1258--1268, Aug. 2008. Google ScholarDigital Library
- B. Tversky and B. Morrisony. Animation: can it facilitate? International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 57: 247--262, 2002. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Y. Zhao, J. Lowther, and C.-K. Shene. A tool for teaching curve design. SIGCSE Bull, 30(1): 97--101, March 1998. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- A scientific concept animation tool for content implementation in e-learning
Recommendations
Animations in PDF
Proceedings of the 8th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science educationThis paper describes a technique to create interactive teaching materials as animations that are stored and distributed in PDF file format. PdfLATEX with small macropackage, Maple and Javascript are used and allow the development of interactive ...
Animation collaboration with depth compositing
SIGGRAPH '17: ACM SIGGRAPH 2017 TalksIn this talk, we describe the use of depth based compositing to accelerate collaboration between multiple artists on single shots. This workflow allows for increasingly complex shots to be finished in shorter timelines, even when dealing with large ...
Animations in PDF
ITiCSE '03: Proceedings of the 8th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science educationThis paper describes a technique to create interactive teaching materials as animations that are stored and distributed in PDF file format. PdfLATEX with small macropackage, Maple and Javascript are used and allow the development of interactive ...
Reviews
Barrett Hazeltine
Otoo and Osikoya describe how to prepare animated presentations to be used in e-learning. The abstract states: "translate sequence tagged diagrams in 2D and 3D produced with Inkscape into Beamer frames with sequence diagrams with commands for animation." The Beamer frames are then complied by LaTeX into PDF files. Several animation examples are given: max-heap data structure development, numerical integration of a sine function, proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, and Dijkstra's algorithm for calculating the shortest path on a weighted graph. The animations do appear to be helpful for students learning online. They would be useful in a lecture also. The preparation process appears manageable, although less detail is given on that aspect. Convincing arguments are given for the value of animation in teaching abstract concepts. The tool looks like a promising approach to an important aspect of online learning, although the paper does not include an evaluation of its effectiveness with students. Online Computing Reviews Service
Access critical reviews of Computing literature here
Become a reviewer for Computing Reviews.
Comments