Why use animation for digital storytelling?
Because students hear their writing performed. A line that reads well on paper can land flat when a character says it, and students notice straight away. Writing dialogue for a cast makes them think about voice, character, pacing and audience, and the finished film gives the work an audience beyond the teacher.
Blabba takes the drawing out of animation. Students write the script, choose who says each line, and put a gesture, a facial expression, a pause or a camera cut on the word where it should happen. The characters do the acting.
What can students make with Blabba?
- Interviews with history. A reporter questions a historical figure, with the answers drawn from their research.
- Debates. Two characters argue opposite sides of a persuasive writing task.
- Retellings. A scene from a set text, rewritten in modern language or from another character’s point of view.
- Explanations as conversations. One character explains a science or maths idea to another who keeps getting it wrong.
- Role-plays. Online safety, careers interviews, or a difficult conversation handled well and badly.
- English practice. Dialogues for language learners, in British and American accents.
A one-lesson plan
- 10 minutes: show a finished example and agree what makes a scene work (a want, an obstacle, an ending).
- 15 minutes: students write a script of six to ten lines on paper, two or three characters.
- 15 minutes: they type it into the studio, pick characters, voices and a background, and add gestures and expressions.
- 10 minutes: export and watch each other’s films. Ask what one line they would change now they have heard it.
The step-by-step version of the studio is in how to make an animated video.
Do students need accounts?
No. Students can make and download films without signing in, and nothing they write, design or export is sent to us: drafts and films stay in the browser on that computer. On shared computers, a draft stays in that browser until its data is cleared, so ask students to export before the end of the lesson. Signing in is optional and adds cloud saves, so work can continue on another device.
How old do students need to be?
Blabba’s terms require users to be 13 or older. With a younger class, the teacher can run the studio: the class writes the script together and the teacher types it in front of them.
Can we show the films in school?
Yes. The free export, called a Rough cut, is for personal and non-commercial use, which covers showing films in class and sharing them with the class. It is a 540p MP4 with a small Blabba.app mark and a short closing card. Captions can be switched on, and they are burnt into the film, so every viewer can follow the dialogue.
What do we need to run it?
A recent web browser on a laptop or desktop. There is nothing to install. The first time the studio opens on a computer, it downloads its voice models once, so open it on each machine before the lesson. A mobile editor at blabba.app/m works on phones and makes upright videos.
Is Blabba a replacement for GoAnimate for Schools?
It does a similar job. GoAnimate for Schools closed on 30 June 2019, when GoAnimate had already become Vyond, a business product. Blabba is a new tool built around typed dialogue rather than a copy of the old one. There is more on what happened in our GoAnimate alternative page.
Is Blabba the same as Blabberize?
No, though the names are close. Blabberize makes a single photo talk with a voice you record. Blabba builds a scene with several cartoon characters who speak a typed script in text-to-speech voices, move, gesture and are filmed with camera cuts.