Today's blog is about cartoons and comics. What do you think of when you hear these words? I remember waking up super early on Saturday morning to watch cartoons and if I were lucky and my dad bought the Sunday newspaper; read the comics. I will be discussing three sites I used to create comic strips. I will also be giving ideas as to how to use them in the classroom.
ToonDoo
ToonDoo was easy to use. It guides you as you create your comic. First it gives you options for your comic strip layout. Then it gives you templates of characters, backgrounds, and items you can add to your strip. I liked the amount of images that were available, I was able to create the strip I wanted. Saving the comic strip was simple. I think students will enjoy creating their comic strips using ToonDoo. They can get very creative and it is very user friendly even for younger kids. They can explain their life story and then as an extension write they story based off the images.
Pixton
Pixton was also very simple to use. It takes you step by step , displaying all the available images, backgrounds, and texts. I was able to create my comic in a jiffy. I liked how you were able to change and facial expressions on the characters. It was very fun to play dress up..lol. Pixton offered a huge variety of characters and items to choose from. Saving and sharing my comic strip was a breeze. I think students will find it easy and fun to create a comic strip using Pixton and all the options it has to offer. They can create a summary of a story using beginning, middle, and end.
MakeBeliefsComix
MakeBeliefsComix was another site I used to create a comic strip, this site does not ask you to create an account which is a plus for those who don't like to give out their information. Crating my comic strip was simple, although it doesn't have many images to choose from, the variety as opposed to the other two sites is limited. I had to use different types of images to create my strip. Some images were in color others were black and white. Some were only available in stick figures, while others were cartoon like. Saving was simple, I just saved to my disk and then attached it as an image to my blog.I think students will not enjoy this site as much as the other two. But given the chance to express themselves using technology they will take it. They can use it to practice using the spelling words of the week.
Plan to Share Comics with teacher-colleagues:
I would like to collaborate with teachers and ask what they are teaching for the week and create a comic strip that will help aid in their lesson. I can also help by creating a comic strip based off an intervention plan and they can use it to make intervention time a little more fun. I would also try to create a screen cast so they can learn hoe to access and create their own comic strips that go along with their lessons.
Source
Zimmerman, B. (2017). 25 ways to use makebeliefscomix in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/
I like your comment about reading the Sunday comics from the newspaper. That makes me think about how many students might not have had that experience. As an introduction to learning how to create a comic, the teacher or librarian could bring in comic strips from the newspaper. Compare and contrast them. Discuss what is being said, what talk bubbles are, etc. I think this background mini lesson would help elementary students understand how to make a comic that truly makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful idea Sarah, thank you for sharing. I understand when you say students don't have the experience of reading a newspaper, I remember when I brought the newspaper to class and had the students look up current events, they asked what is that can't we read it online?
DeleteI liked ToonDoo the best, but I would probably use MakeBeliefsComix in the library because the students don't have to register to use the site. I can't remember the last time I picked up a newspaper, but I have fond memories of reading the comics. I think comic strips would be a great way for students to identify important parts of a story or you could use them as a writing prompt.
ReplyDeleteI remember waking up early on Saturdays to watch cartoons as well, one of the highlights of my childhood. I really enjoyed your comic strips, Congratulations on your coming graduation and new baby. I think students would really enjoy the comic strips in the classroom as well. Thank you for sharing the article on how to use comics in the classroom. The article provided many great ideas that I will be sharing with my collegues. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteMesmi,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about creating a screencast on how to create comic strips...two great technologies showcased in one setting. Walking the teachers and/or students through the process is a great time-saver and may help avoid frustration when they are trying to figure things out. By the way, I am impressed that you have a teenager, a baby, AND you're a grad student!!