Pixton - This is my favorite of this week's websites. After a very easy registration, teachers can get a 15-day free trial, there is a very thorough tutorial that guides you through each major button on the screen, although if you watch a few YouTube videos on how to create a Pixton comic you will get tons of suggestions and pointers that the tutorial doesn't cover. When you are ready to save your comic it is very easy to save and share on many platforms, or print, or download.
The vast number and variety of characters, backgrounds, props, and text bubbles are mind-boggling! There is WAY too much to explore in a single visit, a kid or adult could become very absorbed in all of the customization available for every level of the creation. If you put your students on this they will return some incredible products and will be happy to do it!
This website also has a large selection of lesson plans that you can put to use immediately in your classroom! This is a great resources to share with teachers and other staff on your campus!
ToonDoo - This is my least favorite of the websites I am highlighting. There isn't anything wrong with it, it just isn't as flexible for creation as Pixton and is a bit more clumsy than MakeBeliefsComix. The comic was easy to create, easy to save, and the kids would be able to use it after creating an account. They would be able to change the emotion of a character they are using, but it is very limited. One thing that is available on ToonDoo that isn't available on the other websites, and that is ToonDoo Spaces. It is a private environment where teachers can purchase subscriptions for students and then they can create, share, and discuss their comics within a private social network. They also offer a free 15-day trial.
Make Beliefs Comix - This was the quickest comic I made today. There is no registration, no identifying information at all, the drawback of course is that you can't stop in the middle of your creation and come back another day. I think this would be the best of the three above to start students who are new to making comics. The available artwork and backgrounds are adequate to make a good basic comic that the kids will enjoy. When they are finished they can print, save, or email their finished product.
A few more places -
Marvel Kids - This is another quick comic maker that doesn't require registration. The kids will love creating their very own Marvel comics. They can choose from many heros and villans to star in their creations! I used this one to illustrate onomatopoeia.
Comic Creator - I think that the website where this comic creator is, is incredible and if you haven't had a chance to visit you need to!! ReadWriteThink.org is the website of the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Literacy Association. I can't even begin to tell you how many resources they have available, but one of them is a VERY simple comic creator. This would be ideal for some of the very young students you may be teaching. There is no registration required and there are dozens of lesson plans for K-12 associated with comics and available just below the creator! If you haven't done it yet - check it out!!
Comics are a great way to get your kids engaged in a lesson, make writing fun, use them to assess understanding, give alternatives to book reports, and depending on your needs any of these websites would be fine choices.
References
Create Your Own Comic. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04,
2016, from http://www.marvelkids.com/create-your-own-comic
Fastest Way to Create Comic Strips and Cartoons -
Toondoo. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.toondoo.com/
Inc., P. C. (n.d.). Pixton Comic Maker. Retrieved
November 04, 2016, from https://www.pixton.com/
Student Interactives - ReadWriteThink. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 04, 2016, from
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/comic
Zimmerman, B. B. (n.d.). MAKE BELIEFS COMIX! Online
Educational Comic Generator for Kids of All Ages. Retrieved November 04, 2016,
from http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
APA formatting by
BibMe.org.
I really liked that you included other programs and websites to try. I think that using the Marvel comic creator would appeal to students interests the most.
ReplyDeleteThank you for including other sites to use! I also find it amusing how we all like different things. For example, I loved ToonDoo, but you were a fan of Pixton.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting other sites to create comics on. There is so much we can do with all the technology that is available for us to use. Great comics!
ReplyDeleteYour strip about the turkey reminded me of a Shel Silverstein poem that talks about the point of view turkey on Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed it. I too liked Pixton the best.
ReplyDeleteOops..."of the turkey"
DeleteLoved your Thanksgiving comic! Thanks for sharing the other two sites. I had a lot of fun with this assignment and look forward to checking out these other two options.
ReplyDeleteI love your all Comic Strips. Thank you for sharing Marvel Kids. I can't wait to share with my colleagues.
ReplyDeleteIt is always wonderful when others share what they know. I will definitely look into the Marvel comics. The kids would love that. You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you for including other cartoon sites! I also need to check out the Pixton tutorials on YouTube. Great comics!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Pixton can become a little TOO absorbing. For some types of people (such as myself) too much choice can be overwhelming, but i do love the results from that site!
ReplyDeleteI like the other comic creators you mentioned. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete