The history of cartoons and comics in the United States wasn't always fun and exciting. They were labeled as "bad" and having negative effects on young children and teens. They were frowned upon by the church and went against good family values.
Over the years, cartoons and comics have proved otherwise. Now, cartoons and comics have definitely flourished in the book world. They give children and young adults a different perspective on various subjects and genres. The following are different programs that educators can use to encourage students to learn as they read for fun.
Pixton
https://www.pixton.com/
Types of Conflict in "The Book Thief"
To begin with, the website is very inviting. It's colorful and easy to navigate through the home page, and you can register for free. Before you register, there is an option for educators, students, parents, or business. You can create an account using your Gmail (which is great for me because I like to keep all my accounts under Google). If you choose "educator", the site lets you create an avatar of your choice and include each of your students as avatars as well. There are several packages and templates for cartoons at different "fees" or earned "credits". There is also a choice for districts and schools to purchase a license, including a 15 day free trial and upgrading options as you go. I tried the 15 day trial. I had some issues getting to the templates right away since it was a process to get the free trial, it was a little complicated. The site requires a strong internet connection, if you have slow internet you might have to be in the site all day long to be able to load the cartoons (I live in a ranch and the quarantine doesn't help). Once you have an account, you can choose the grade level and subject you teach (if you are a teacher). You will get templates by genres or skills that you can choose from. I tried creating my own comic strip but I did not have credits, and there was a fee every time. The fees ranged from an average of $4-$8 per comic starter. There was also a monthly subscription for $9.99, or a permanent subscription of $99. I got a little frustrated since I didn't have many options. I think this would be one of my favorites if I had a paid subscription or license by the district. So I did get to copy of one of the sample comic strips that were already created. I believe students would also have an issue is the school doesn't purchase a license first.
https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/teachers/
Corona Diary:
I really enjoyed Make Beliefs Comics. There is no subscription, license, or registration needed. You can start creating your comics by clicking on the "Create Comix" at the top. The site offers many free resources for educators, parents, students, and the special needs population. The site has 13 different languages it can be translated into (I thought that was really cool). There are many samples templates and cartoons. I chose one of the samples offered. I thought this would be a great way to ask students a question, or start a writing prompt, through Google Classroom during these quarantine times. All I had to do, was save my comics into my computer. This would also be easiest for students to access and save their comics.
StoryboardThat
Mona's Discovery
StoryboardThat is a simple easy to use webpage that helps you create comics through a free (basic) account that allows for 2 story boards weekly. A monthly, quarterly, or yearly fee for an upgrade is available with more special features. There are special features for teachers and school and also for teams and businesses. If you don't pay the fee, sadly, your images will have the watermark symbol on the comic strip as you see above. If you are really going to make good use of this website, you can make a plan to request coverage of the fees from your school principal, or make a personal purchase if you find this beneficial. This would definitely be an obstacle for students since there is a fee.
-Monthly Fee - $9.99
-Quarterly Free- $8.99/per month
-Yearly Fee- $7.99/per month
Cartoons and Comics can be beneficial in multiple ways. Personally, as an educator, I would use them to promote:
-news/advertisements/reminders
-creative writing
-building communication/dialogue/speech
-creativity/fun
-targeting specific skills
-characters/summaries
-lessons/projects
-collaboration
-exchanging ideas
-plot/setting/conflict/events/symbolism
-study cards
-language practices
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