Goanimate is a free online cartoon tool. You can sign up for a free personal version which has restricted features and functions or you can sign up for a schools version which gives you access to lots of features for free.GoAnimate4schools allows you to create accounts for pupils and teachers.
For the schools version you will need to use an email account that is associated with your school, such as info@school.ie. With the school account you have access to a number of preloaded characters and if you are not happy with these you can create your own. There are also preloaded backgrounds and props for you to use in your cartoons. If you want new backgrounds or props you can upload them to your GoAnimate account from your own computer.
For my own account I have set up just one teacher account which I have used to create cartoons with my second class pupils. The pupils created two cartoons in irish. They wrote the scripts themselves and then we recorded their voices using a microphone connected to the computer. After we saved the cartoons we posted them on our blog. Check out Siopa Bia and Cartun as Gaeilge.
Getting started is fairly easy. Once you have set up your school account follow the steps as outlined below to create a simple cartoon.
Step 1: Choose create animation
Step 2: Choose character and scene
Step 3: Click on character and insert voice
Step 4: Record voice using microphone and insert
You can check out the online tutorial for more information. It is fairly easy to follow. You do need to have good broadband when you are recording the voices. If you do not have good broadband then you can choose text-to-voice. This option will convert typed text to voice for you. Once you have saved your cartoon you can embed it in your blog or on your school website using the HTML code provided for you.
