Software to start animation careers early

There is a paradigm shift in the teaching-learning process and technology is at the centre of this change. Not so long ago children used clay modelling and 'lego' blocks in their learning process when they started schooling.

Today, in this digital age, it is only the imagination of the child that sets the limit. The creativity is enhanced by softwares that help children create animation graphics.

Today there is software that can help children move away from playing games to creating them. In the process it also helps speed up the learning process, says Peter Maggs, head of New Media, The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF).

ACTF, backed by the government of the state of Victoria in Australia, has developed a software for children in the age group 5-16 years.

The educational software helps children learn by creating animation sequences.

Kahootz, the 3D multimedia set helps a child build and his or her own 3D world.

Two schools in Bangalore, the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Malleswaram and an international school, have already started using this software.

Thus, a story told by a child tomorrow may be backed by animation created in part by the child himself.

It won't be just pictures like in the days of yore. This is helped by many schools introducing their students to the world of computers early. It is not surprising to find children below 10 years of age working on computers routinely.

With early computer familiarity and the new software, graphics designers are growing younger by the day.

In a few years animation movies like 'Shrek' and 'Toy Story' of the future may be made by school children.

Making this possible are many of the softwares that are easy enough even for children as young as five and six to work on.

The 3D (three dimensional) construction tools gaining popularity today help children with subjects like archaeology, astronomy, zoology, botany among others.

The software is also said to have helped in making learning interesting for students with learning disabilities.