Animation Course in Minecraft: Create Fun and Refined Animations (5-Session)
Become a Minecraft animator through the Mine-Imator animation program and learn the basics of how to create basic animations in this week-long course (Mine-Imator for PC Only. NO Mac, iPad or Tablet).
Connected Camps
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(4,017)
Popular
What's included
5 live meetings
7 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
This class does not require any out-of-class work. We do offer optional challenges that students can work on as an extension of what is taught in class. We provide guidance and instructions for students who are inspired to delve deeper into the topic. The purpose of these challenges is to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning with additional material that aligns with their passions and goals. Students may then integrate their learnings into their project and showcase their accomplishments to their classmates. With this approach, students can explore the subject on their own. We give students the opportunity to share what they’ve explored independently with the class.Assessment
At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By building in Minecraft and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades. In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.Grading
includedClass Experience
PLATFORM: (Mine-Imator for PC Only! Not compatible with Macs, Ipads, Kindles, Tablets, Phones, and Game Consoles.) SKILL LEVEL: This program is meant for Intermediate level players. This program requires Moderate reading comprehension, Moderate proficiency with computers, and some prior experience with Minecraft. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Animation is the art of directing the movement of objects to create compelling visuals and tell a captivating story. In this course, you’ll bring life to Minecraft models and environments by creating your own animated shorts with the Mine-Imator program. Like all Connected Camps programs, this class offers a project-based, exploratory classroom environment that sits at the intersection of learning and playing. After all, kids learn the most when they're having fun! This is a repeatable course that will have a different animation aspect each time you attend. We’ll show you how to create and animate 3D objects in Mine-Imator to produce a detailed animation Over the course of the course, you will: — Discover the power of Mine-Imator to create basic animations in Minecraft. — Refine animations and create realistic movements for your 3D models. — Combine the different elements you’ve created to develop an animation reel. Our first goal for this course is to install and have the Mine-Imator program ready to go so you can start animating. At the beginning we’ll learn how to create basic animation loops then work on refining them into more realistic movements. You’ll then add in backgrounds, props, and details to your animations. After, we’ll talk more about the importance of lighting, camera movements, and interpolation. At the end, you’ll get to export your animations, present, and share with the class. PARENTS: Animation is the art of manipulating still images and objects to create a sense of movement. Our course teaches the fundamentals of animation by using Minecraft as a point of interest and Mine-Imator as a tool to facilitate these lessons. Your child will design, animate, and create a custom animation. NOTE: The Mine-Imator program only works on Windows and you will not be able to participate without a Windows Computer.
Learning Goals
— Day 1 - Set Up and Mine-imator and Keyframes: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Mine-imator and to familiarize kids with our course’s objectives. As an introduction, we’ll show students how keyframes and timelines work before they get to apply animation cycles to their Minecraft models.
— Day 2 - Refining Animation: Students will learn how to use more complex and refined animations instead of simple ones. We’ll also introduce kids to Minecraft models with multiple pieces that can be animated.
— Day 3 - Schematics: Students will learn how to add in large props and buildings to their animations. They will also learn how to change the background such as the sky, ground, and weather elements to further enhance the animation.
— Day 4 - Lighting & Camera: Students will learn how to add in special camera angles to make their animations more dynamic and learn how lighting affects their scenes.
— Day 5 - Sharing The Project: By combining props and their animated models, students will be able to complete a short animated video clip. We’ll all then share our creations with the class as a final presentation!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Internet safety is a top priority for us and our goal is to create a safe, connected community of learners that is moderated by our instructors. Throughout our programs we strive to educate our learners on internet safety and best practices for connecting online.
In our programs, our learners are often making friendships and connections with others in class. While we encourage positive online friendships, we think it’s important to practice these principles of internet safety:
— Do NOT ask others to connect online outside of our programs without first confirming with your parents. Our programs are a safe, moderated space for learners to engage but we can’t moderate connections outside of our classes.
— Do NOT give away personal information which includes but is not limited to: your name, address, phone number, passwords, location, email address, and parental information.
— If an individual asks for personal information, you should inform a counselor or your parent for guidance.
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Common Sense Media Resources for Parents:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/keeping-games-fun-and-friendly
Keeping Games Fun and Friendly: learn how to keep your child's experiences positive and fun when communicating in online games with others.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/video/modal/4141366#
The Power of Words: help your child learn that words exchanged online are indeed powerful, and offer strategies to use when confronted with cyberbullying.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/private-and-personal-information
Private and Personal Information: learn the difference between what personal things your child can safely share online and private information that should not be shared.
Supply List
You will need the Mine-Imator program available for free at https://www.mineimator.com/download. Please note this program only works on Windows. A pair of headphones and microphone are also needed for communication with the class.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved or associated with Mojang.
Joined June, 2020
4.7
4017reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/
One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.
The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.Reviews
Live Group Class
$135
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
90 min
Completed by 22 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
3-8 learners per class
