Comic Strips
Looking to create comic strips in the classroom or for a project? Here are a few websites that I have tried out and critiqued.
FOTOJET
For a beginner, trying to create a comic strip on this website was difficult. Like with many websites and apps, to get decent photos and clipart, you have to upgrade. I was able to use a template, and that made it fairly easy. However, there are not that many templates to choose from, and I could not edit the words in the template. I do not think this is a very student friendly website. On a positive note, it is very easy to download and save what you create.
PIXTON
Pixton is another comic strip creation site. It is much easier to use than FotoJet. There are many options to choose from if you are working within the free option. For the most part, it is pretty user friendly. It is easy to create each panel in a basic mode. I could not figure out how to add people or actions. I am thinking this may be something that is not free. If you use a paid subscription, this would be a great site for students or educators to create a comic strip. I think students would have an easier time navigating this website versus the other two. A downside of a free subscription is that you cannot download or print any images. You can screen shot them such as the one above, but they are not quite as clear as the original.
Make Beliefs Comix
I found this comic strip website the least user friendly. It had a lot of templates, but they were difficult to manipulate and change. I tried making a few comics that I had an idea for, but it was hard to make it come to life using this program. My comic above is very basic to show you how this program was not easy to navigate.
How would I share comic strips with other teachers?
As a librarian, I think a comic strip activity would make a great professional development training. This could be offered during teachers' conferences or after school. Since timing is always an issue, I might make a video and include examples of comic strips and how they could work in the classroom. I could share which websites I believe might work the best for their particular audience. I would end with ideas on how each subject could utilize these in the classroom.
I always find it interesting to read other people's reviews of websites that I have personally experienced. For example, you and I had very different thoughts about the program, FotoJet. I definitely agree with you that the limited template options was a negative, but I quite enjoyed searching through the abundance of free photos. While it wasn't at the top of my list, I felt it had a lot of positive attributes that students would also enjoy. In contrast, I 100% agree with you that Make Beliefs Comix was the least user-friendly and hardest to customize. I too struggled to make any ideas come to life and ended up with a very basic comic compared to what I was able to create using the other two programs.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved the comic you created using Pixton! The storyline was hilarious and very relatable. I personally really enjoyed using this program to create my comic and can see students getting to truly showcase their creativity through the plethora of options available with a free account (granted I noticed that all features are unlocked for the first seven days, so I may have a different opinion once those are no longer free). Just a helpful tip: When you are creating your comic, you can add a character to your panels by clicking "characters" at the top. Then you have the ability to edit their look, words, expressions, and actions. It really is quite fun once you get the hang of it, so I highly encourage you to give it another try!
I started my post with Make Beliefs Comix and I was so glad I did because as I used the different websites they got better as I went. I liked all the great ideas of how comics could be used but trying to create something was difficult. I actually wanted to create a one-box comic since it was on their list of ideas and once, I tried to download or print it I then saw the other two empty boxes would print anyways. I had to go back and add more, but there was not much to choose from. This was not one of my favorites. Fotojet was simple for me to use, and I liked all the options it gave me. And then came Pixton, I really loved this until the end when it would not let me share in any way unless I purchased something. Thanks for your blog for your post!
ReplyDeleteI could see students making comics over the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Or, they could take the character from the story and extend it by developing another character. I think students could use these in an SEL class to express their feelings about a situation that happened. The possibilities are endless.
ReplyDeleteI think this assignment was one of my favorites--I loved making the Pixton comic strip, and many other bloggers from the class have said the same thing. Make Beliefs Comix was also my least favorite site--I struggled to figure out exactly how to get the features of the comic where I wanted them to appear, and I wasn't crazy about the selection of characters. I think many students, especially those who struggle with drawing, would be engaged in making a comic strip as part of a project.
ReplyDelete