Part of Lesson Plan: Animating Objects Programmatically-Animating an Analog Clock face: Part1

Activity Overview / Details

The "Hook"

The static Clock

Students will begin by observing a simple, layered analog clock face in Photoshop. This image is static and contains no animation.

The teacher will ask the students: “Have you ever wanted to animate an object such as animate the hands of the clock?”

Then, the teacher will display an animation to the students…

Students will observe the exact same clock, but this time, it will contain moving parts such as the hour, minute and seconds hands; animated using action script 3.0.

Tying in Mathematical Variables and explaining how they relate to the animation

Ask students what they know about variables in math.

they might say: "x", "y", "z", "equations"

Have a student volunteer to write a variable on the board. The teacher will then take that variable and write a simple equation with it on the board (placing the variable on one side of the equal sign as demonstrated below)...

x = 3/4

Then, explain that the clock’s arms animate via. Mathematical variables. Explain that students will eventually learn variables in a future lesson

Why an animated clock?

Ask the students why they think it might be useful to learn how to animate a clock.

Then explain that the desktop clock widget is a very popular application on the Window Vista and Windows 7 desktop. While explaining this, flip through a couple of screenshots of the Windows Vista and Windows 7. These widgets utilize scripting language and the computer's system time, as well as some artwork.

A designer, no doubt, designs these clocks and either they themselves or someone else who understands programming technology, takes the artwork and makes it into a functional, usable application for all to use. This is how technology and the arts are interrelated in the development of applications.

Resources to Download for this lesson...