Cartoons and Comics

The comic above was created using Pixton.  Coming up with an idea was way harder than using the site.  Students could easily use it because the features are clear and intuitive.  You click on the background tab to add a background and character tab to add characters, etc.  There are big plus symbols to add information.  My students would have no problems using it.  The frustration came in when I wanted to add a library background and they were all part of a subscription.  Boo!  The free choices were very limited hence the dinosaurs.  My students would not like that they could see thirty choices but could only choose from two.   There were no characters with assistive mobility devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, or walkers.  The site was insistent that I set up a classroom before I could save my comic.  I was able to set up an empty classroom, ironic huh?, which got me around the question of whether or not my district has a data sharing agreement with the site.  Again, setting up the classroom was super easy but I would have rather explored the site first.  They want students to create an avatar that looks like them but some of my students would not be represented as they use assistive mobility devices.  Downloading my comic as a jpeg was quick and easy.

The next comic/pun that I created was with Comic Life.  Comic Life provides a 30 day free trial and it costs $30 days if you choose to purchase it.  The license is single use so not what you would want for the classroom.  The school license is $1,750 and there is a subscription option for Chromebooks. Many, many moons ago our district purchased Comic Life and it was my first introduction to kids creating comics.  The good things about the program remain the same.  You do have to download the program as opposed to web-based.  The interface is not as intuitive as Pixton.  I like the full page of panels options so that kids can create more than just a strip.  There were tons of options really.  I did not like that it asked for permission to access my photos and files.  It would have been just as easy for me to upload what I needed.  It felt a little creepy giving over that much control of my data.  I think that kids would enjoy using it and would be able to create project right away.  It was easy to export my work as a photo though it might take a little practice for young children.

Make Beliefs Comix was somewhat easy to use.  Really it was just a little clunky.  There is a bar that you use to scroll through the elements and you have to click on a cell to modify it.  I realized that while I was trying to add a text box to my first cell, I actually added five to my last cell.  Not a big deal but somewhat frustrating.  I like that there were prompts and starters for kids who might need some help with beginning.  It is really free and you can download your comic without signing into anything at all.  The character choices were limited.  Most were not kids and there was only one person who was in a wheelchair and no people with walkers or other mobility devices. 

There are endless uses for comics in the classroom.  Students could create a non-fiction comic presenting information from their research or a biography.  They could create a comic that is a book talk about a book that they have read.  They could create comics that help other students with social situations that they have learned about in SEL.  I would love one of my kids to create a comic about blurting!  They could create comics that are procedural texts explaining the steps in an activity.  Students love that they can convey their ideas without having to use a ton of text.  I think that they are a great resource to utilize in the classroom or library.
For even more ideas, check out http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/ .