Recent Animation

Sofia the First
‘Disney Princess’

       

                     

Moving forward with our education futures module; we have been asked to document the last animation previously viewed.... 

As the title states, the last animated media I watched (or rather was made to watch by my niece) was 'Sofia the first'; probably the most inspiring and popular Disney series watched by millions of young children across the globe. 

Sofia the First is a popular television series, which has been 3D computer-animated, the series encompasses characters from the Disney Princess franchise. Sofia the first was piloted on the Disney Channel on November 18^th 2012 making its first debut; following such success it was officially premiered with it’s first half-hour episode on January 11^th, 2013.

The film introduces the adventures of Sofia, a little girl from the kingdom of Enchanica; Sofia once lived a commoner’s life before becoming a princess over night as her mother marries the King. The story unravels as Sofia tries her best to adapt to her new life as a princess and with the help of her stepbrother and sister and many other Disney characters that have previously been animated. Sofia learns that looking like a princess isn’t at all that hard, however behaving like one must come from deep within the heat. The story concentrates on the internal characteristics of Sofia such as kindness, courage, generosity, loyalty, honesty and grace, all qualities that mimic a moral individual and in this case a princess (Disney Wikia, 2014). 

Both series and film were created by Craig Gerber, and directed by Jamie Mitchell; Craig Gerber has written a blog which explains his rationale for the creation of Sofia the First, he describes how he sought to bring a modern perspective of a family unit to an age-old fairy tale by creating a blended royal family, in which modern children can relate to. Gerber (2012) also recognised the role of fantasy and make believe in children’s lives and thus wanted to emphasise this element in an all time classic princess fairy tale. Gerber's (2012) blog is an interesting read and provides more detail in this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-gerber/sofia-the-first_b_2093816.html. 

The animation developed for Sofia the First is produced in a style of Computer Graphics (CG) this meaning that the pictures are created using computers and the representation of image data by a computer, specifically with help from specialised graphic hardware and software. According to Ehrbar (2013), the CG style compliments the animation and the cel-like look that isn’t quite as “rubbery” as most CG animations. Ehrbar (2013) suggests that this animation is a compromise between contemporary and traditional styles that has a pleasant sparkle to it. The use of CG brings 
flexibility to the animation, which is not feasible for 2-D animation (Ehrbar, 2013).

Whilst researching and discussing this blog post, it came to my attention that animation is not restricted to films; when the word ‘animation’ is bought to mind, most people generally refer to the obvious and classic types of animation, however many television series, advertisements, and graphics all use various forms of animation, all of which will be discussed in future posts throughout this assignment. 

This small youtube clip illustrates the 3D animation of 'The Floating Palace' series of Sofia the First.




Reference List 

Disney Wikia (2014) Sofia the First Retrieved 17th October 2014 from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Sofia_the_First

Enrba, G (2013) Retrieved 17th October 2014 from Review: Disney Sofia the First. http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/dvd-review-disneys-sophia-the-first 

Gerber, C (2012) Retrieved 17th October 2014 from Why I created Sofia the first. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-gerber/sofia-the-first_b_2093816.html

What is a Learning Environment?

Learning Environments Revealed.... 

A learning environment is a place that stimulates the mind so that people can gain knowledge and skills in order to progress in life. It is also a place to encourage socialisation and communication with others. A learning environment is subjective and refers to diverse locations, contexts and cultures in which people learn.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; 2014), learning can occur in manifold settings with the learning environment being either structured or unstructured; these various methods can complement each learner in their own individual ways. Structural or organized environments are establishments such as schools, community centres, and multimedia centres. These establishments use formal and non-formal education; formal methods are explicitly designed for learning in terms of objectives, time or resources; it is a method that is intentional from the learner’s perspective therefore leads to justification and certification (UNESCO, 2014; Harvey, 2004-2014). Non-formal however refers to learning, which is designed to embed important educational elements into various activities. 

Conversely, according to Harvey (2014) informal education takes place in both structured and unstructured settings, for example learning from the environment such as daily activities relating to work, family or leisure. Informal education is not an organized or structured method in terms of educational aims and therefore is mostly unintentional from the learner’s standpoint.

The term ‘learning environment' has been defined by The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (no date) as a ‘place and space’ or physical location, such as schools, classrooms, libraries etc., all of which the majority of learning in the 21^st century takes place. Nevertheless, in today’s globally interconnected and technology-driven domain, a learning environment can be so much more than a physical place; virtual, online, remote are all terms or better still support structures which portray the conditions in which us as individuals practice in unique ways (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, no date) in order to suit our own individual learning styles.

These tools and structures allow educators of all ages to broaden their breath and depth of knowledge; whilst inspiring us to comprehend the vast skills and experience that is required of us in today’s society.

As a consequence of the increase in change to the 21^st century learning environments, it is crucial that the focus is shifted from ‘education’ to ‘life-long learning’ according to Brown (2005). Students today will no longer have a permanent, solitary career; instead they are most likely to shadow a working trajectory that comprehends multiple careers. As they move from career to career, much of what they require to learn will not be as a result of traditional school environments, therefore will require versatility in the many methods of learning currently available (Brown, 2005). 

Reference List 

Brown, J., S. (2005) Retrieved 14th October 2014 from New Learning Environments for the 21st Century. http://www.johnseelybrown.com/newlearning.pdf

Harvey, L (2004-2014) Retrieved 14th October 2014 from Analytic Quality Glossary. http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/formallearning.htm

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (no date) 21st Century Learning Skills Retrieved 14th October 2014 from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/le_white_paper-1.pdf

United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2014) Education Retrieved 14th October 2014 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/quality-framework/core-resources/learning-environment/