Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and comics are a great tool to use in the educational setting.  There has recently been a rise in graphic novels and comics with students.  Using comic strip creators is a great way to heighten student interest and engagement.  I explored a few comic strip creators including ToonDoo, Pixton, and MakeBeliefs Comix.  I attempted to use Tellagami but it is not compatible with iPhones and appeared to be no longer available for iPads. 

ToonDoo:  http://www.toondoo.com/

The first program I tried was ToonDoo.  I could not believe how student friendly this program was!  Users are able to make cartoons, comic strips, and books.  The icons are kid friendly and visually pleasing.  Templates are offered to get a project going and there are several images in each category to chose from.  The user friendly toolbar allows you to manipulate images and text to fit the needs of each panel.  Naming your project and saving it is simple to do with the brightly colored icons.  This was my first time to use a comic strip creator and this program made it very easy to do.  I created a comic over a reoccurring nightmare I have about being at a track meet and falling before the finish line.  I believe students would have a lot of success using this program.  The visually rich pages are helpful for young students.  It seemed like one of those programs that students could start exploring, with a few starter guidelines, and be able to successfully create through self-exploration. 

Pixton:  https://www.pixton.com/

After spending a lot of time exploring Pixton, I have mixed emotions about how I feel about this program.  When I first signed up for a free trial, I selected “For Educators” expecting to find features of this program that would work great in the classroom.  After several frustrating minutes I discovered that this selection did not allow me to do what I really wanted to do….just make a comic strip.  I then went back to the main page and selected the other option of “For Students”.  I did not find this selection much more helpful and continued to run into road blocks in the program.  Some positives were I was able to create a fun avatar for a class.  There was also “Quick-Start” options that give students a direction for creating using hashtags to find images.  I did not see how I could incorporate this into curriculum.  As I closed out of the program I noticed in the top right hand corner of the website “Pixton Classic” and this is where the fun began for me!  After a quick start up for the free version, users are asked if they are creating for work, education, as a student, or just to have fun.  An easy to follow how-to video pops up for a tutorial of the program.  The program offers a search bar in each category so users can quickly find characters and images.  What I liked most about the program was once you chose a character, you are able to change the facial expressions and positions which gives users a lot of room for creativity in their comic strip without starting from scratch.  When you add a new panel, the characters automatically appear making it easier to begin manipulating them for the story line.  I had minor frustrations once I was finally in this part of the program.  For example, I had a difficult time directing the text bubbles the way I wanted and I could not figure out how to close out a panel if I decided I did not want to use it.  I am sure, like most programs, it just takes time to feel more comfortable.  My comic was easy to save after I chose to “Publish” it, however to be able to download the comic users must upgrade.  I believe students would find this program very interesting with all the options of facial expressions and body positions with characters. 

MakeBeliefsComix:  https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

MakeBeliefsComix was easy and fun!  Users are able to create comics without registering for a free trial.  The toolbars are very kid-friendly with brightly colored icons and simple labels.  Users are able to create several panels in their comic with categories of  characters, masks, balloons and prompts, greeting cards, words, objects, backgrounds, and background colors to choose from.  Within each category, the images are limited and there is no search bar available.  Text bubbles of different sizes are offered but users must select the correct size for the space and word count or else it will not fit.  In order to save and edit your comics, users must sign up.  Considering this is a free program with no sign up, I felt it was overall a decent comic creator.  With the simplicity of the program and not as many image options, it may be a great starting point for younger students.

As a future librarian, I plan to share information and ideas about these comic strip creators.  Breakout sessions during staff development or creating a screencast to walk teachers through getting started with these programs is a great way to introduce teachers to something new.  I plan to inform teachers about the rise and interest of today's students with graphic novels and comics.  Not only do teachers need to know about these programs, they will want ideas on how to use them in the classroom.  Providing examples and time to collaborate will encourage use in the classroom.