Public Domain (wikimedia.org)
For a long time people avoided using animated GIFs on the web. They were considered to be simple, annoying, like the tacky cousins of the more sophisticated flash animations, javascript and videos. A snobby web designer might have said that they were so Web 1.0! However, after a decade long dormancy they are back!
And the good news is that there is still room for GIFs in education. As you can see from these 20 educational GIFs, and this well designed example, that when used thoughtfully GIFs can be quite effective to communicate ideas and concepts. They can have an impact in a PowerPoint presentation, or in HTML pages for online course delivery. Note that using a simple rollover image in combination with the animated GIF in an HTML page can add some interactivity.
Don’t worry if you are not a Photoshop wizard, there are many easy to use online tools to help you create gifs. Here is a list of a few of them:
- http://gifmake.com/
- https://imgflip.com/gifgenerator
- http://gifmaker.me/
- http://makeagif.com/
- http://giphy.com/
References
Douglass. (2014, April 24). These 20 Educational Gifs Will Teach You More Than A Textbook Can. Bored Panda. Retrieved from: http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-educational-gifs/
Taubman, Matt. (2013, February 20). A New Riff on the GIF: Why the Animated GIF is Back in Style. Team One. Retrieved from: http://teamone-usa.com/2013/02/a-new-riff-on-the-gif-why-the-animated-gif-is-back-in-style/
Thompson, Clive. (2013, January 3). The Animated GIF: Still Looping After All These Years. Wired Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.wired.com/2013/01/best-animated-gifs/
Happy to see the GIF is still going strong after 29 years: https://blog.hootsuite.com/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-of-gifs-a-history.