Stop Motion Animation for Digital Storytelling

Ok, who doesn't love ridiculously simple technology?  Well, this week I have just that for you.  A ridiculously simple stop motion animation tool that is web based and FREE. Parapara Animation from Mozilla offers that on their site. Using stop motion animation in digital storytelling isn't new, but the ease of how quickly you can develop a digital story was compelling enough to make me want to share this with teachers immediately. Of course, you won't have all the bells and whistles other programs offer you, but that's almost the best part. The creativity comes straight from the users... your students.

Parapara Animation's simple interface

After I discovered the tool via Twitter, I immediately introduced it to my 9 year old daughter.  She created a stop motion animation in less than 5 minutes and that included learning how stop motion works. Check out her creation here. So with almost no learning curve, can you envision the possibilities? Did I mention it was ridiculously simple?

This is a great tool for any age, since no registration is needed to use the site.  What a great way for Pre K students to practice their letters and numbers.  No age is too young. Simply choose a crayon and begin drawing your first frame.  Then, click the "+" to add a new frame.  When ready to view your frames in an animation, click on the play button.  Click the large OK button in the bottom right hand of the page to get a shareable link and QR code of your animation.  Simple as that.

Challenge your students to develop a story without using words or have them complement their written story with an animation.  Comment and share your ideas below.  I'd love to hear how you would use it in your classrooms.