Stop Motion and KOMA KOMA

Hey there!

I had a wonderful time Friday at the Integrated Arts Conference at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. It is so fun to connect with other teachers and create. In case you didn't get a chance to check it out, a colleague and I presented about digital storytelling and shared a TON of info and links to get started (check out the post here).

The attendees only had about 15 minutes to play with stop motion animation, but had fun with clay, Lego, and drawing as they created their masterpieces.

I wanted to do a little post about the stop motion APP I chose to use on Friday. KOMA KOMA is a neat stop motion app I was introduced to about a year or so ago. It's an easy-to-use app that only has four buttons. Yep, FOUR. So it is easy to use and a great introduction to animation for even your youngest kiddos (or hesitant grown-ups).

Never done stop motion animation before? No problem! No money for software and digital cameras? No problem! KOMA KOMA is free and uses the digital camera in the iPad! The KOMA KOMA website is fascinating--those folks are designing some very cool things! 

How To Use It:
Just do it! Here's a quick screen shot from the KOMA KOMA website that explains how to use the APP. Click here to see it larger and to get additional tips on the KOMA KOMA website.

Image Source: KOMA KOMA
(http://komakoma.org/en/?page_id=671)

Some Examples:
Check out the Digital Storytelling folder on my GoogleDrive to see what the attendees created. Remember, we didn't have much time, but you'll get the idea. The sky's the limit here! This is what grown-ups did with only about 15 minutes of time and no prior experience with KOMA KOMA. With more time and scaffolding, your students could really excel! So, check out KOMA KOMA and see what you come up with.

Another feature I LOVE about KOMA KOMA is that you have the option to create a printable flip book from your animation--instantly! That is really cool as a takeaway for the students since animation doesn't always give you a lasting product for the students to take home to share. Just print out the flip book on card stock, cut out and assemble--the pages are already numbered (hint: use a binder clip to hold the sturdy pages together for flipping).

Here's a screenshot of one of the flip books the attendees created from their animation
(it was a short animation, so the flip book is short as well).

A Student's Perspective:
I usually teach stop motion animation with another app called StopMotion Studio by Cateater, LLC. It's also easy to use and students like the fact they can add sound to their movies. I thought KOMA KOMA might be a better solution for us, since it was easier to use. Here's what one student said:

"I like Stop Motion better since you can add sound. I don't think it's that hard to use [Stop Motion]. It just does more than KOMA KOMA."

SO, perhaps KOMA KOMA would be good for younger students or students who are new to using APPs and doing stop motion.

How do you do animation?
Do you do stop motion animation with your students? What programs do you use, or are you old school and use a digital camera? I'd love to hear about it! Comment below or email me!