Cartoons & Comics

Cartoons and Comics can be a great way to hold student interest when teaching and can allow them to create to show what they know.  In this post, I review three ways to create my own comics.  For the sake of a true comparison, I am going to make the same comic in each one and rate them on the components:
1. aesthetically pleasing (which is the prettiest)
2. the most user-friendly (easiest to make)

The first is Pixton, which can be found at https://www.pixton.com/.

Positives:

• It is very easy to create an account 
• It loads quickly
• The interface is clear and user-friendly; elementary students could use this
• Very easy directions
• There are presets for different subjects you can start with or you can start with a blank template.
• A tutorial walks you through the steps to create your first comic strip
• You are able to choose:
• the number of boxes and the layout of your comic strip
• how many characters (1-3)
• the facial expressions, body positions (these are very detailed), and color of the character(s)
• dialogue bubble location and starting point
• a wide array of backgrounds

Negatives:

• You can't add extra things to your comic; you only get the 1-3 people
• The clothes don't change colors
• You either keep the same background, or change it completely. It doesn't move with the people if they are walking. 
• I can't edit the comic to fit into a different screen (such as this one) and I can't download it without upgrading the account.

Overall:  Pixton is very easy to work on.  I was happy with the result of my comic.  The program walked me entirely through the first one I made, so I learned how to do it correctly the very first time.  This would be a fun way to present information to students.  This is also user-friendly enough that students can create on it.

My beautiful Pixton comic can be found below in part and in its entirety at https://Pixton.com/ic:ud9etotc

The second one we will look at is ToonDoo, which can be found at http://www.toondoo.com/ 
Positives:

• There are more options for characters- animals, stick figures, people, famous people, fantastical creatures, emoticons.
• The characters are very cute.
• The background MOVES!  You can slide it down further and further so that it moves with your scene.  This is very cool.
• Very colorful
• Special effects are available
• You can share it or save it to your computer
• It does not try to make you buy anything

Negatives:

• It gives zero direction.  Once your account is created, it drops you off at a very busy page and you have to figure out which buttons to hit to create a comic strip.
• It is time-consuming to figure out how to move things.  Most of the editing is done by hitting buttons on the bottom of the screen instead of by manipulating the characters and the screen itself, although putting things into the squares is done by dragging them from the menu on the side.  
• The characters have a range of about 7 poses and facial expressions.  They are pretty specialized characters; they are not generic characters to fit into a specific story.  
• This would be hard for younger students to manipulate.

Overall: I struggled to figure out what to do, but once I did, I think I made a super cute comic.  The characters don't look just like I want them to as far as their poses, but the bright, peppy faces and colorful backgrounds that move along with the story make up for it. 

Here is my adorable ToonDoo:

The final comic-maker we will check out is Make Beliefs Comix which can be found at https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/.

Positive: 

• The website is free, so you don't have to make an account
• There is a tutorial for how to create the comic

Negative:  

• The website is very busy and has a lot of information in a little bit of space, so it is hard to figure out what to focus on.  
• The tutorial is a little bit helpful and a little bit confusing
• Where the other websites had a "search" menu while looking for backgrounds and characters, this one does not.
• I can't figure out how to delete something once I put it in.  This is a major detractor for me.
• The characters are very limited.  There are four poses for each character and no changes to emotions available.
• You can not grow or shrink things at all.
• This would not be good for students.

Overall:  I do not love this website.  It does not allow you to make mistakes without starting over and is not user-friendly.

Here is my not-my-favorite comic strip.

How do we transfer this skill over to the library?

In the library, we can use comics to:

• share information with students and teachers
• Hold a PD where we show the teachers how to make these and brainstorm ideas of how to use it in the classroom
• Promote the library

Go out and try creating some comics!  It is fun and makes an intriguing way to share information.  Do you have more ideas of how we can use comics in the library?  Please share your ideas in the comments!