Cartoons and Comics

Creating cartoons and comics can be a great way to learn something new. Whether it be the educator relaying information to students in a captivating way, or students showing what they have learned by taking their knowledge and creating their own comic. I have been exploring various websites to help us do just that.












My first comic was created using Pixton. I found this website to be pretty easy to manage. After registering, I was immediately prompted to create an avatar, which I thought was pretty fun. That allowed me to include myself (a very younger looking self) in my comic, if I chose to. The tabs to create new pages, add and edit characters, and include text, were all pretty straight forward. And once I was done, saving and sharing my comic was simple. The students would definitely be able to utilize this website, and honestly I think they would have so much fun creating with it. The only drawback was the big fact that with the free subscription, you really don't get too many choices with backgrounds (2 to be exact), poses, or facial expressions. The monthly membership of $4.99 might be something worth investing in.

The second comic strip that I created was done using ToonDoo. I think it's pretty obvious that there was a better selection.  After signing up, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get started. After a few dud comics, I finally got the gist of how it works. I really love that there is so much variety with what can be added. There is a large selection of characters, backgrounds, props, and more. A few changes can be made to the characters expressions and postures as well. Once I had the idea of what I wanted to create, it was pretty simple after that. I was able to easily figure out how to save my comic, but when it came to sharing or downloading, I actually had to Google it! I was also excited about being able to create my own Toon or upload an image of my own, but was sadly disappointed when neither object ever loaded into the selection box. I was never able to use my Toon or the image I uploaded. However, I really think the students would enjoy using this website because of the wide selection it already contains, without having to pay for a subscription. If they are guided through the basics, the rest will be a cinch for them. 

My last comic was created with MakeBeliefsComix. I found this site to be fairly easy to maneuver. I was immediately able to start creating my comic without registration. The tabs found on the cite were pretty clear with its directions for adding characters, backgrounds, text, and more. The selection included was a decent amount of choices. I didn't find an option for including my own images, though. Once I got the hang of the process of editing, it was pretty simple to create the comic. I'm sure the students would be very capable of creating something awesome. 

Sharing the Wealth

Creating comics is a great tool for fun learning in any educational setting. Sharing this information with my teacher-colleagues could prove to be fun! I might just create a comic strip to share the info. There are some great ideas for incorporating comics in learning. 

The three that I created:

• Breaking the ice with an introduction comic for students to create and share.
• Sharing information about things happening in the library.
• Or creating an exit ticket by sharing what students have learned.

Or some ideas shared by the MakeBeliefsComix Website:

• Create autobiographical comix
• Teaching digital citizenship and social media etiquette
• Family bonding during Literacy Night - parents and students create their own comic
• Creating storyboards.