In the
1940s comic books were viewed as dangerous and were banned from shelves. However,
comics are making their way back into libraries and into the hands of students.
It has been shown by experts that comic strips and books support students with their
literacy and overall love of reading. Many times struggling readers will turn
to comics due to the easy-to-follow layout. I reviewed three different websites
where students and teachers can create their own comic strip.
ToonDoo: This was a free website that simply required you
to sign up. At first, trying to figure out how to get started was a bit
confusing. Saving and sharing was easy for me to do. Once I figured out how to
sign up and begin making the cartoon, it was a fairly easy process. One thing I thought
was a great feature, was that students can read other users comic that they
created. There are many options for the student to use to create the cartoon
such as changing facial expressions. Because of this, I would recommend this
for upper elementary students and older. Here is my ToonDoo creation:
Pixton: I signed up for the free version. This site was
very difficult for me to navigate and figure out. You are able to save, but I
found that I also had to make sure to publish to save. There were many various
ways a student could create their characters and comic strips. It took me quite
some time to figure this website out and I still feel like I did not get a grasp
on how to use more detail in my comic. Due to complexity of this website, I
would recommend this for high school aged students. Here is my Pixton comic:
Make Beliefs Comix: This site did not require any login to
begin making this comic. There is no way to save the work and return to it
later. It had to be completed in one sitting. This is something teachers need
to be aware of with their class. This website was easy to use and fairly basic.
There were not many options as far as characters and backgrounds. The website
does have lesson plans and writing prompts teachers can access.This could be
especially useful for younger elementary students.Here is my Make Beliefs Comix:
After creating cartoons and comics with these three sites, I
definitely enjoyed using the ToonDoo the best. Overall, it was user friendly,
easy to use, and had many options to choose from. Here are ways teachers could
use comics and cartoons in their classroom:
-Students create their own book
-Introduce sequential order
-Assist with vocabulary
-Students can practice their social skills
-Create an autobiography comic
-Students can learn literary devices such as setting,
character, and plot
-For ESL students, comics can be used as visual aids
I really enjoyed reading through your comics. ToonDoo was also my favorite choice. It had a lot more to offer and it was the most easy to work with.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done. I liked your comic strips and I thought ToonDoo and Pixton were better then Makebeliefscomix. I had a hard time navigating Makebeliefscomix and their options were really limited too.
ReplyDeleteI loved your comic strips!They were entertaining and creative. Like you, I also liked ToonDoo. It was very easy to use and it provides more features than Pixton and Make Belifs Comics.
ReplyDeleteI like your comics. I like the idea of using these comics for ESL students. I think this could really help them understand.
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