Creating Comics

Exploring websites for creating comics this week was a lot of fun!  I haven't ever created comics to enhance a lesson before, but I can see where it would be a fun addition to a lesson for a teacher, and also a good assignment to give to students to encourage them to explain a concept in a fun way using technology.  Below are the comics that I created using Toondoo.com, Pixton.com, and makebeliefscomix.com followed by my thoughts on each sight.

Toondoo



Toondoo requires users to create a free account to gain access to lots of options for clipart, backgrounds and text options.  My initial reaction to the homepage was that it was very busy, and a little confusing, but once I got signed up and figured out where to get started, the program was pretty simple to work through.  There were lots of options for elements to add to the cartoon, and there is a search bar available so that a user can type in a term and have all of the clipart related to that term pop up.  The process is to simply click and drag the items that you want into the windows that you want, and a toolbar across the bottom of the page offers tools to resize and manipulate each item to your liking.  I liked that there were lots of options for type besides just the thought bubbles.  It was simple to access and embed code to share my comic.

Pixton

By ambermstowers | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Pixton required me to set up a free account, but as I began exploring the many templates available I discovered that the free account limits users to the creation of three comics.  There is an option for a free trial period, and after that you must pay to upgrade.  A teacher account provides you with the ability to give students a code to also use Pixton.  One issue that I came across, however, was that initially I was using my ipad which required me to download the app.  The app was not opening things correctly for me to edit, and upon further investigation, I found that there were many negative reviews in the app store.  This would be an issue for schools like mine where we are 1:1 with ipads.  I liked, very much that Pixton offers a large library of templates that can be changed and manipulated.  Templates are categorized by school subject.  I think this would serve students well with assignments that need to be done quickly because they wouldn't need to start off with a blank page.  It was simple to go in and make changes and additions to the templates.  Pixton also gives the option to start from scratch if desired.

Make Beliefs Comix

Make Beliefs Comix is a website for creating comix that does not require the setup of an account.  It is simple to choose a blank template and browse through a library of characters with multiple moods, objects, and text bubbles to add.  I liked that all of the tools in the editor were clearly labeled and very easy to use.  I found myself wishing that their were more options for adding text to my comic outside of thought bubbles, but I made it work.  Since you don't sign up for an account in this program, your options are to save your comic as a png to insert into your work, or email it.  I really liked using this website, and found it very user friendly with a fair amount of options.

I plan to use each of the comics that I created with students in our district as I present to them about Digital Citizenship.  My favorite program to use was Make Beliefs Comix because it was so simple, but someone seeking a more detailed comic might want to try one of the other options.  I think that the fact that this website doesn't require an account is good for using with students.  They can simply create and then save their work to their Google Drive or school drive.  I think that in the library, it would be fun to create some of these to demonstrate expectations and procedures.  It might also be good to create some for topics like plagiarism and research.  It would be fun to have students create storyboard comics for the latest book that they have read, and display them for others to see.  I can see a lot of potential for using comics to amp up lessons for students in an enjoyable way.

Here is the Telegami that I created: