Digital arts operator holds animation training online
Published:Tuesday | May 12, 2020 | 12:19 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
David Martin is staging online workshops to help persons learn a new skill in animation and the digital arts as they spend more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Martin, a Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) lecturer and former HEART/NSTA Trust instructor, hosts the training sessions through his Schooltoonz digital creation company, which he started in December 2018 and got officially registered this month.
The workshops focus on the concept of flexible online modality, where participants can attend online classes from any location and complete a curriculum without worrying about deadlines.
“Many years ago as a HEART instructor, I participated in workshops on flexible online modality, which were put on by their educational technology management unit. As a result of that training, I always have flexible online modality in my regular training sessions, and it has always been welcomed by my students who work full time,” Martin told The Gleaner.
“The main objective of my workshops is to introduce beginners to the fundamentals of animation and digital arts. It’s good for people who want to pursue a career in animation and who want to get an idea of what to specialise in,” the Brown’s Town, St Ann, native added. “Because of the flexibility of the workshops, the participants – who are mostly nine-to-five, working people – welcome the opportunity to develop their creative side.”
The workshops take place every three weeks and last 10 hours per session. They consist of a live online seminar and provision of online resources for students to learn the basics of animation. This is especially useful at a time when persons are required to be at home as much as possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 500 persons and claimed nine lives locally.
“In the era of ‘tan a yuh yard’, I’m strongly encouraging people, in general, to equip themselves with these portable skills that can bring in significant income and foreign exchange from the comfort of their own homes,” said Martin.
“I use various tools to conduct face-to-face sessions with my trainees, and they are able to access resources and assessments in an online learning management system. As a rule, these tools must be free, mobile-ready, and must have an easy learning curve,” he added.
Persons who wish to participate in Martin’s workshops can send the phrase #iwanttogetanimated to him over WhatsApp at (876) 802-3286.