CARTOONS AND COMICS

A comic strip is “an open-ended dramatic narrative about a recurring set of characters told in a series of drawings, often including dialogue in balloons and a narrative text, published serially in newspapers” (Inge, p. 631 cited in Snyder, 1997).

When my son was in elementary, I had the hardest time trying to figure out what types of books he would like to read.  He’d pick up a book and pretend to read it, until I introduced him to comic books.  That’s when his love for reading began.  

ToonDoo  http://www.toondoo.com/Home.toon

ToonDoo is a fun site to create unique comic strips suitable for all ages.  They are customizable and can be used as an educational tool.  I was overwhelmed with ToonDoo, I didn’t know where to start first, but I clicked on the big CREATE button at the top of the page and it directed me to a layout. As soon as I decided on which one I wanted, I began to choose the clipart and figures available.  Never realized all the detailing that goes on to tool like this.  It encourages students to think creatively and helps them understand concepts better.  

PIXON https://Pixton.com/ic:091gzvux

Pixon has sample lesson plans available for educators to import and use and has an option to have activities explained.  It is free for 15 days. It was a little overwhelming trying to find a template I liked because I really didn’t know what I wanted to create.  Pixon gives you the option of creating a basic or advance comic strip.  I, of course, chose basic.  It was simple to use after a while, but I could not save my work unless I upgraded.  Pixon does however, offer a link to copy and paste to your website.

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

This site lets you create comic strips with stick figures to create stories and make learning feel like art.  MakebeliefComix does not require registration and are able to save, print, and download creation.  There are minimal characters and symbols to choose from so you really have to use your imagination and creativity. Once I mastered the editing buttons, it wasn’t so bad.

I would love to have my students create a weekly diary, highlighting what they learned during the week at school, something that happened to them, or simply something funny they remember.  I will surely urge teachers to use comic strips in their classrooms, they offer the usage of new vocabulary, imagination, creativity, and demonstrate their computer skills.   Comics strips are great tools to engage students in meaningful experiences and get to practice skills such as writing, reading, and communicating.

 Check these out: 26-ways-to-use-mbc-in-the-classroom/

Snyder, E. (1997). Teaching the sociology of sport: using a comic strip in the classroom. Teaching Sociology, 25(3), 239-243.

Educators Technology. (2018). Teachers guide to the use of comic strips in class: some helpful tools and resources.  Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved from https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2018/01/teachers-guide-to-use-of-comic-strips.html