Growing up, I enjoyed opening up the Sunday paper to read my
favorite comics. Now, there are several online sites that allow you to create
your own comic strips. Comic strips are an innovative and fun tool to integrate
in the classroom. Students can be creative by retelling a story or writing
their own personal narratives. Teachers can use it as a teaching tool. Check
out the cool comic strips I made using ToonDoo, Pixton and MakeBeliefsComix.
ToonDoo
By pmkinsey | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon
Toondoo allows you to create comic strips and books using a
free account. Toondoo gives you a few basic templates that you can use to
create short stories. There are a variety of characters, props and settings you
can use or use your own images and photos. I found Toondoo relatively easy to
use and was able to create a comic strip within a short period of time once I
had an idea for a story. All you have to do is drag and drop your images onto
the template. The downfall of Toondoo is that you are not able to reposition
the bodies of the characters making it difficult to choose which character to
use. Students will not have much difficulty creating their own.
Pixton
Pixton allows you to create comic strips in different types
of formats. It includes pre-made templates for your background and characters. The
great thing about Pixton is you are able to change the position and facial
expression of your character. After creating your comic strip you can publish
it to its online community for others to view or share it on Facebook. The
downside of Pixton is that it is not as user friendly as Toondoo. I spent quite
of bit of time creating my comic strip. However, there are video tutorials
available to help you along the way. I believe middle school and high school
students will have a better time working with Pixton.
Make Beliefs Comix
Make Beliefs Comix takes a more educational approach to designing
comic strips. The site provides lesson plans and writing prompts that teachers
can use in the classroom. The site also gives parents ideas to use at home.
Make Beliefs Comix allows users to write comics in different languages. This is
great for ESL students to write in their native language. They also provide a quick
tutorial. Out of all three sites, this site was the easiest to use, but provided
less templates to create comic strips. Since it requires less navigation, this site
is excellent for lower elementary school children. You cannot create an
account, so you aren’t able to save your comics. You must print them out or
email it to yourself.
Top 5 Ways of Using
Comic Strips in the Classroom
2. Comic strips can be used to retell a story. It is a great tool to use when teaching sequence of events.
3. Have student create a comic strip without the words. Then have another student write the dialogue.
4. Teachers can use comic strips as an instructional tool in any subject area. For example, science teachers can create a comic strip to teach students the steps of the scientific method.
5. Schools can create comic strips to promote events such as book fair and open house.
I like the addition of the top five ways to use comics in the classroom. That is a great resource
ReplyDeleteCute comics! Haha! Made me smile.
ReplyDelete