USING ANIMATED GIFS IN THE CLASSROOM

Students can use animated GIFs to explain concepts. Why use animated GIFs instead of a movie or a slideshow? Animated GIFs are very small files (<250kbs) and typically last less than 30 seconds. It’s a way to pack a lot of information into a quick easy “sound bite.” Students could make gifs and display them on the SmartBoard as they give a verbal presentation explaining the concept. If you have a class webpage or blog, you could upload the GIFs for other students to see/learn from. GIFs are great for presenting:

• Data that changes over time. Make a GIF of a plant growing (similar to a time-lapse photo)
• Simple information becomes more complex. Break big ideas into small pieces like molecules combining to create an element.
• Multiple steps in a process. How to form a letter (you could make a gif and show it on the smartboard as you walk around and help students with their handwriting), how to complete an equation or the life cycle of a plant…
• Multiple sides of a three-dimensional object. What does it look like from the back? Or the side?

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