animation

Free Sites for Back to School [Restifo]

On 07/19/2024, in animation, art, career development, chemistry, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, data related items, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, educational games / serious games, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, Google, graphics, history, ideas, K-12 related, languages and translation, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, legislatures / government / legal, mathematics, multimedia, music, new media literacies, online media, passions, pedagogy, platforms, play, productivity / tips and tricks, science, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, web-based collaboration, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Free Sites for Back to School — from techlearning.com by Diana Restifo
Top free and freemium sites for learning

An internet search for free learning resources will likely return a long list that includes some useful sites amid a sea of not-really-free and not-very-useful sites.

To help teachers more easily find the best free and freemium sites they can use in their classrooms and curricula, I’ve curated a list that describes the top free/freemium sites for learning.

In some cases, Tech & Learning has reviewed the site in detail, and those links are included so readers can find out more about how to make the best use of the online materials. In all cases, the websites below provide valuable educational tools, lessons, and ideas, and are worth exploring further.

Two bonus postings here! 🙂

Where Is K-12 Enrollment Headed? Population Trends, by the Numbers — from edweek.org by Mark Lieberman
America is projected to have 3 million fewer K-12 students attending public school by 2031 than it did in 2013.
How to Kill Student Curiosity in 5 Steps (and What to Do Instead) — from edweek.org by Olivia Odileke
The unintentional missteps teachers and administrators are making
I’ve observed five major ways we’re unintentionally stifling curiosity and issue a call to action for educators, administrators, and policymakers to join the curiosity revolution:

How Much Do Voice Actors Make? [elevenlabs.io] + other items re: creating multimedia

On 03/28/2024, in animation, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Augmented Reality (AR), career development, digital audio, digital storytelling, drama/theater, multimedia, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, UK, United States, vendors, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

How Much Do Voice Actors Make? — from elevenlabs.io
Learn how much voice actors can expect to make and how to create passive income streams with ElevenLabs.

If you’re considering a career in the voice acting industry, you may be wondering how much do voice actors make?

A voice actor’s salary is based on many factors, from talent to type of voice work, and the ability to market yourself. Voice actors can experience massive earning potential, and a voice actor salary can range from tens of thousands of dollars to six figures a year.

In this article, we’ll explore how to make your voice talent work for you, whether you’re an entry-level voice actor or an experienced voice actor, the kind of voice actor’s salary you can expect, and what the highest-paid voice actors earn.

Also from elevenlabs.io see:

How Do Video Game AI Sound Effects Work?
Learn how AI tools are transforming the world of video game sound effect generation.

Have you ever wondered how video games create those immersive and dynamic sound effects that react to your every move? From the satisfying crunch of footsteps on different surfaces to the realistic reverberations of gunshots in various environments, game audio has come a long way.

Now, AI is revolutionizing the way video game audio is produced and experienced. AI algorithms and machine learning techniques are being leveraged to power real-time sound effect generation, creating more realistic, adaptive, and efficient sound effects that respond to player actions and in-game events in real-time. For example, ElevenLabs’ upcoming AI Sound Effects feature will allow video game developers to describe a sound and then generate it with AI.

What Are the Best AI Video Game Tools?
Looking to enhance your video generation process with AI tools? You’ve come to the right place. Learn all about the top tools and their specific use cases.

From generating realistic assets and environments to crafting compelling narratives and lifelike characters, AI is revolutionizing the way video games are designed and developed.

In this article, we will explore the different types of AI video game tools available and highlight some of the best tools in each category. We’ll delve into the key features and benefits of these tools, helping you understand how they can streamline your game development process and enhance the overall quality of your game.

Whether you’re an indie developer or part of a large studio, understanding the AI landscape and selecting the right tools for your project is crucial. We’ll provide insights into what to look for when choosing an AI video game tool, ensuring that you make an informed decision that aligns with your project’s requirements and budget.

Tools and Apps to Bring Augmented Reality into Your Classroom — from techlearning.com by Steve Baule and Dillon Martinez
These digital tools and platforms can support the use of augmented reality in the classroom, making a more dynamic and engaging learning experience

AR allows virtual 3D models, animations, and contextual information to be overlaid on the real world through mobile devices or AR headsets. The Franklin Institute provides a good overview of what constitutes AR, as does UK’s Talk Business and Tech & Learning. This immersive technology provides unique opportunities for interactive, experiential learning across numerous subjects.

For example, in a science class, students could use an AR app to visualize the 3D structure of a molecule they are studying and interact with it by rotating, resizing, or even building it atom-by-atom. For history lessons, AR can transport students to ancient archaeological sites projected on their desks, where they can explore 3D reconstructions of ruins and artifacts. Google’s Expeditions tool can allow students to take a virtual walkthrough South Africa and learn about its geography or visit the Seven New Wonders of the World.

London's Frameless is the ultimate immersive art experience. With 42 masterpieces in 4 different galleries, it's the largest permanent multi-sensory experience in the UK.pic.twitter.com/13OPRCLH2E

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 27, 2024

NVIDIA just released FREE online courses in AI.

Here are 9 courses you can’t afford to miss: pic.twitter.com/4vkwX6SU07

— Shruti Mishra (@heyshrutimishra) March 22, 2024

How Early Adopters of Gen AI Are Gaining Efficiencies — from knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu by Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe and Scott A. Snyder; via Ray Schroeder on LinkedIn
Enterprises are seeing gains from generative AI in productivity and strategic planning, according to speakers at a recent Wharton conference.

Its unique strengths in translation, summation, and content generation are especially useful in processing unstructured data. Some 80% of all new data in enterprises is unstructured, he noted, citing research firm Gartner. Very little of that unstructured data that resides in places like emails “is used effectively at the point of decision making,” he noted. “[With gen AI], we have a real opportunity” to garner new insights from all the information that resides in emails, team communication platforms like Slack, and agile project management tools like Jira, he said.

6 YouTube Channels to Stay Up to Date with AI — from heaigirl.substack.com by Diana Dovgopol
Here are some cool AI YouTube channels.

Here are 6 YouTube channels I watch to stay up to date with AI. This list will be useful whether you’re a casual AI enthusiast or an experienced programmer.

1. Matt Wolfe: AI for non-coders
This is a fast-growing YouTube channel focused on artificial intelligence for non-coders. On this channel, you’ll find videos about ChatGPT, Midjourney, and any AI tool that it’s gaining popularity.

Top AI mobile apps, Stable Video 3D, & my AI film workflow — from by Heather Cooper
Plus 1-Click 3D animation and other cool AI tools

#3 Photomath
Photomath is a comprehensive math help app that provides step-by-step explanations for a wide range of math problems, from elementary to college level. Photomath is only available as a mobile app. (link)

Features:

Get step-by-step solutions with multiple methods to choose from
Scan any math problem, including word problems, using the app’s camera
Access custom visual aids and extra “how” and “why” tips for deeper understanding

Google researchers unveil ‘VLOGGER’, an AI that can bring still photos to life — from venturebeat.com by Michael Nuñez

Google researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence system that can generate lifelike videos of people speaking, gesturing and moving — from just a single still photo. The technology, called VLOGGER, relies on advanced machine learning models to synthesize startlingly realistic footage, opening up a range of potential applications while also raising concerns around deepfakes and misinformation.

Google just dropped VLOGGER and it’s insane

This is ChatGPT for Image to Talking Video

Here are 7 Powerful AI features you can’t afford to miss out pic.twitter.com/84gcWbQ4cG

— Poonam Soni (@CodeByPoonam) March 20, 2024

What We Risk By Automating Tasks We Loathe — from marcwatkins.substack.com by Marc Watkins

I’m fascinated by the potential of these tools to augment and enhance our work and creativity. There’s no denying the impressive capabilities we’re already seeing with text generation, image creation, coding assistance, and more. Used thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful productivity multiplier.

At the same time, I have significant concerns about the broader implications of this accelerating technology, especially for education and society at large. We’re traversing new ground at a breakneck pace, and it’s crucial that we don’t blindly embrace AI without considering the potential risks.

My worry is that by automating away too many tasks, even seemingly rote ones like creating slide decks, we risk losing something vital—humanity at the heart of knowledge work.

Nvidia Introduce AI Nurses — from wireprompt.substack.com | Weekkly AI Report from WirePrompt

Nvidia has announced a partnership with Hippocratic AI to introduce AI “agents” aimed at replacing nurses in hospitals. These AI “nurses” come at a significantly low cost compared to human nurses and are purportedly intended to address staffing issues by handling “low-risk,” patient-facing tasks via video calls. However, concerns are raised regarding the ethical implications and effectiveness of replacing human nurses with AI, particularly given the complex nature of medical care.

A glimpse of the future of AI at work:

I got early access to Devin, the “AI developer” – it is slow & breaks often, but you can start to see what an AI agent can do.

It makes a plan and executes it autonomously, doing research, writing code & debugging, without you watching. pic.twitter.com/HHBQQDQZ9q

— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) March 15, 2024

16 Changes to the Way Enterprises Are Building and Buying Generative AI — from a16z.com by Sarah Wang and Shangda Xu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Resourcing: budgets are growing dramatically and here to stay
Models: enterprises are trending toward a multi-model, open source world
Use cases: more migrating to production
Size of total opportunity: massive and growing quickly

10 Free AI Tools for Graphic Designing — from medium.com by Qz Ruslan

With the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), designers now have access to a wide array of free AI-powered tools that streamline their creative process, enhance productivity, and add a touch of uniqueness to their designs. In this article, we will explore ten such free AI tools websites for graphic designing that have revolutionized the way designers approach their craft.

Generative Art in Motion — from heatherbcooper.substack.com by Heather Cooper
Animation and video tools create an explosion of creative expression

World’s first AI cinema opening in Auckland to make all your Matrix fantasies come true — from stuff.co.nz by Jonny Mahon-Heap
Review: My HyperCinema experience was futuristic, sleek – and slightly insane as I became the star of my own show.

AI That Alters Voice and Imagery in Political Ads Will Require Disclosure on Google and YouTube — from usnews.com by Associated Press
Political ads using artificial intelligence on Google and YouTube must soon be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered

Google will soon require that political ads using artificial intelligence be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered.

AI-generated election ads on YouTube and other Google platforms that alter people or events must include a clear disclaimer located somewhere that users are likely to notice, the company said in an update this week to its political content policy.

Animation Tips for eLearning [Brandon]

On 07/14/2023, in animation, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital storytelling, elearning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, story, storytelling, tools, training / L&D, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Animation Tips for eLearning — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Excerpt:

Why use animation in eLearning? Many people may think of animation in terms of entertainment value alone. Animation is far more valuable for its ability to engage learners, explain or illustrate ideas, and improve recall of complex relationships, such as cause and effect.

Look up these specific animation types for use in your projects:

Whiteboard animation: Not necessary to be able to draw the characters. Multiple brands.
Stop-motion animation
Animation programs for beginners
Free animation software

Also relevant/see:

Be an eLearning Storyteller With Style and Confidence — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Excerpt:

Humans are good storytellers, and humans respond well to stories. We know this from our own experience. Not only that, people remember stories for a long time, far longer than we remember a lot of teaching. Do you recall stories that someone in your family told you? Why don’t we remember lessons from school as long or as vividly? Stories are powerful if we know how to use them. In this article I will introduce you to a way to use stories to achieve outcomes.

Any time you are designing a course, a learning experience, or just pitching an idea to your boss or an L&D stakeholder, it’s a story. Even if it does not seem like one, a successful production—whether it is an animated presentation, a virtual supporting example or other content—is based on some fundamental storytelling tactics. It doesn’t have to begin “Once Upon A Time,” it just needs to be constructed the right way for your purpose – To make it a memory.

For the Peanuts and Yes fans out there! “Peanuts Sing Roundabout”

On 06/29/2023, in animation, art, creativity, digital audio, digital video, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, media/film, multimedia, music, by Daniel Christian

Peanuts Sing Roundabout — from theawesomer.com; I hadn’t seen this yet…so for those of my generation, you might like this as well! 🙂

Poetry writing about Flint murals allows for ‘creative freedom’ in this high school classroom [Goetz]

On 04/28/2023, in animation, art, creativity, education, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, history, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, Learning Experience Design, Michigan, society, sociology, student-related, teachers, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Poetry writing about Flint murals allows for ‘creative freedom’ in this high school classroom — from mlive.com by Dylan Goetz (behind paywall)

Excerpt:

It’s a new tradition in the curriculum of the senior-level English class, where teacher Carrie Mattern asks her students to seek out a mural in Flint and write poetry about it.

This year, there was a focus on writing around cultural grief and the process of healing.

It’s become a favorite assignment for the students who’ve worked on the project, who say it allows them to use “creative freedom” in a way that other classes don’t.
.

Also see:

Generative AI from Adobe | Meet Adobe Firefly!

On 03/21/2023, in 3D, Adobe, animation, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, creativity, design, digital audio, digital photography, digital video, experimentation, graphics, media/film, multimedia, photography, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Meet Adobe Firefly. — from adobe.com
Experiment, imagine, and make an infinite range of creations with Firefly, a family of creative generative AI models coming to Adobe products.

Generative AI made for creators.
With the beta version of the first Firefly model, you can use everyday language to generate extraordinary new content. Looking forward, Firefly has the potential to do much, much more.

Also relevant/see:

Gen-2: The Next Step Forward for Generative AI — from research.runwayml.com
A multi-modal AI system that can generate novel videos with text, images, or video clips.

No lights. No camera. All action.Realistically and consistently synthesize new videos. Either by applying the composition and style of an image or text prompt to the structure of a source video (Video to Video). Or, using nothing but words (Text to Video). It’s like filming something new, without filming anything at all.

Did We Just Change Animation Forever? [corridordigital.com]

On 03/07/2023, in animation, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, digital storytelling, experimentation, graphics, media/film, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, story, storytelling, by Daniel Christian

For people who would like to explore their creativity more, check out these FREE resources from Adobe

On 01/09/2023, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Adobe, adult learning, animation, art, career development, collaboration, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, design, digital audio, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, homeschooling/homeschoolers, interaction design, photography, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, project-based learning, remote teaching and learning, simulations, skills, social learning / networks, social media, story, storytelling, student-related, tools, training / L&D, United States, vendors, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

behance.net/live/ <— Check out our revamped schedule!

Join us in the morning for Adobe Express streams — If you are an aspiring creative, small business owner, or looking to kickstart a side hustle – these live streams are for you!

Then level up your skills with Creative Challenges, Bootcamps, and Pro-Tips. Get inspired by artists from all over the world during our live learning events. Tune in to connect directly with your instructors and other creatives just like you.

In the afternoon, join creatives in their own Community Streams! Laugh and create along side other Adobe Live Community members on Behance, Youtube and Twitch!

For weekly updates on the Adobe Live schedule + insight into upcoming guests and content, join our discord communities!

Watch Adobe Live Now!

Californians approve big funding boost for arts education [Watson]

On 11/17/2022, in animation, art, design, drama/theater, funding / grants, graphics, legislatures / government / legal, multimedia, music, United States, vision/possibilities, writing, by Daniel Christian

Californians approve big funding boost for arts education — from apnews.com by Julie Watson; with thanks to Goldie Blumenstyk for this resource

Excerpt:

SAN DIEGO (AP) — California voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure backed by a celebrity lineup that included Barbra Streisand and Los Angeles-born rappers will.i.am and Dr. Dre that could pump as much as $1 billion a year from the state’s general fund into arts education.

Supporters said it would benefit public school programs that go beyond the traditional art, theater, dance and music classes to include graphic design, computer coding, animation, music composition and script writing.

Also from Goldie Blumenstyk:

@CeciliaOrphan and I have a new article out in @ChangeHigher on expanding our understanding of "value" in higher education to better capture the full contributions of regional public universities as broadly accessible anchor institutions. https://t.co/iY5eIP5uzb

— Kevin R. McClure (@kevinrmcclure) November 15, 2022

“Using Virtual Reality for Career Training” + “AI interviews in VR prepare students for real jobseeking”

On 11/03/2022, in 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, animation, Canada, career development, communications, education, education technology, Europe, human-computer interaction (HCI), immersion, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, multimedia, participation, pedagogy, platforms, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, real-world assignments, simulations, skills, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, vocational / trades, workplace, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Using Virtual Reality for Career Training — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indiana have had success using virtual reality simulations to teach students about career opportunities.

a Woman with a virtual reality set on occupies one half of the screen. The other shows virtual tools that she is controlling.

Excerpts:

Virtual reality can help boost CTE programs and teach students about potential careers in fields they may know nothing about, says Lana Taylor from the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
…
One of those other resources has been a partnership with Transfer VR to provide students access to headsets to participate in career simulations that can give them a tactile sense of what working in certain careers might be like.

“Not all kids are meant to go to college, not all kids want to do it,” Taylor says. “So it’s important to give them some exposure to different careers and workforce paths that maybe they hadn’t thought of before.”

AI interviews in VR prepare students for real jobseeking — from inavateonthenet.net

Learning Ecosystems

Animation Tips for eLearning [Brandon]

For the Peanuts and Yes fans out there! “Peanuts Sing Roundabout”

Californians approve big funding boost for arts education [Watson]

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