Working with Flash
Flash is a great tool for “getting the message across”. So is a word processor, web authoring package, dtp, art program, whatever - but Flash has the features that make it available to all from an extremely low level, up to ActionScripting where extremely elaborate programming can make something truly magical.
Working at Grove today training staff in using Flash from the ground up. I think that there are some concepts to cover first - things like the differences between behaviour of Symbols (Movies and Graphics - buttons are best left until later) and Shapes, the fact that you are working on the Stage and that Layers make your Life Easier. After these are understood we look at Strokes and Fills in shapes, and then we start Tweening.
When teaching young learners it’s important to get their attention first. They need to take ownership of the work early on so that they can see what can be done. Let’s face it, the fun part of Flash is creating animations, making things move and morph, so giving them a prepared library of symbols might help to engage them sooner. This gives an opportunity to look at sequencing timelines; different movie clips need to have their timings synchronised manually.
Once they’re hooked on movement and morph they might want to develop their own symbols, so then they can learn to use the drawing tools and the library. Importing bitmaps is then only a short step away and bingo! “I think we got a show, Ma”.
But back to my intial point; Flash is only the medium, not the message. Yet just as we all had to develop the mechanical skills in learning to write for communication, we need to develop some contemporary technological literacy if we want to communicate in a contemporary world. On-screen movies can give so many opportunities in passing information that we’d be crazy to ignore it, even if we don’t have time to develop materials with it. Even worse, it could be considered awful if we didn’t give our learners the opportunity to develop their skills with it. Marc Prensky might be right - their Twitchspeed of thought might be different to those who are only starting to come to terms with always-connected digitally-aware generations, and those without the skills required for communication will be seriously disadvanteged in the digital and information era.
Wouldn’t it be nice if exam boards (apart from the obvious ones) accepted coursework in media other than paper? Surely learners in the 21st century ought to have the opportunity to choose the medium for their coursework submission? Maybe one day Flash could form part of the development of rich-content coursework… just a thought.