MP: The animated gif

In this second post about Mapping Pedagogy, I’m realising that I’m focusing on an almost atomistic view of the technologies. Part of this project is to take all of the things[1] we use or have used (and maybe forgotten) and see what they can contribute to a flexible learning environment. I think we have much potential to do some things simply. There seems to be a tendency towards the more complex solutions as that is, apparently, what students want.

The animated gif is probably one of the first multifaceted image technologies that we have. While single images give a good display, a single snapshot of a state, the animated gif provided our first glimpse into process. The potential was there (although I cannot remember an instance) to show the steps involved in a process for achieving an outcome. These have mostly been replaced by the video, but the simplicity of the animated gif provided a glimpse into possibilities.

Animated gifs could tell a story in a few short images. Take the image in this post. It tells the story of the evolution of the computer interface. The original image showed Bill Gates leaning on a Windows machine that had the word “Windows” written on it [2]. But over his shoulder was a Mac Plus. Bill had one before the rest of us. The animated gif focuses our attention on just a portion of the original image, giving some control over perception and understanding.

I like animated gifs, although many of them are distracting rather than focusing.

1. The technical term [↩]
2. The image is allegedly for Teen Beat magazine, but listed at ‘Rights managed’ at Corbis.com [↩]

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