Cartoons and Comics

Creating comic strips or cartoons in the classroom is a fun way to learn a new or challenging lesson.  The students are able to maintain their focus since they creating something that they enjoy.  They are also able to sustain their attention span for longer periods of time.  Comic strips can be used for all subjects, and it's a great way to assess if the student was able to comprehend the topic being discussed.   MakeBeliefsComic, ToonDoo, and Pixton for Schools are three comic strip creators.  They are all easy enough to use by older elementary and secondary students, but each one has different things to offer.

MakeBeliefsComix

MakeBeliefsComix is an online comic strip maker.  You do not have to sign up in order to create a short cartoon.  When you are dealing with many students, this is a great plus since the teacher will not spend time telling kids which username or password they have to use.  MakeBeliefsComix is very limited to what you can do in your comic strip.  They have a limited amount of characters pre-loaded into their system.  You can change the emotions on characters by scrolling at the same character in different poses and facial expressions and that is about it.  Creating the actual comic strip was easy since it is so limited, there is only so much you can do.  What I do like about MakeBeliefsComix is that this simple comic strip can be used with ELL students when working on vocabulary words.  It can be something quick, and their work can be saved as a PDF file or can be printed to a printer.  Another plus to MakeBeliefsComix is that it offers different tabs with information that can help teachers incorporate the comic strip into their lesson plans, and the web page has many links with ideas of what to write about in a comic strip.  Another drawback is that the cartoons are just lined drawn and do not offer any color.

ToonDoo

By macarmona | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

 ToonDoo offered a bid more than MakeBeliefsComix.  You are able to create comic strips, page turning comic strips, and you can make a single block cartoon.  This comic makers does have pre-loaded characters, but it also offers you the ability to customize your own TraitR, like the one you see on the above comic strip.  You are given a blank face and you can customize the face, hair, and what the body is wearing.  It still has some limits but you are able to create the look you want to a certain degree.  The characters are also in different body poses so they do not just have to be standing straight.  I believe this adds to the expression of the character. The problem that I had is that it allows you to go to the process of uploading your own pictures to use, for example, as a background.  It says you have saved it, and it is in your gallery, but when you go there, it has not been saved.  I believe you have to upgrade ($) you account in order to use this feature.  I found this part fustrating.  It did let me save the TraitR that I created.  I also liked that the comic strip maker includes color.  You are limited to your choices, but this does allow for the comic strip to stand out as when compared to MakeBeliefsComix.  You are not able to create your strip as long as you want to you are only limited to a certain number of blocks or layouts. When I created the above comic strip, what I had in mind was creating a quick intro to the book, Among the Hidden by Margaret Patterson Haddix.  I feel the students could create the same thing for the books reports they are reading or to re-create an important scene in their books.  I think they would enjoy creating it.  A negative to the program is that it took me a while to figure out how to save the cartoon, and once I did, I had some trouble retrieving it.  It becomes easier once you keep practicing, though.
  
 Pixton for Schools

Pixton for Schools has so many possibilities.  I was able to sign up in the Education site for a free 30-day trial.  I decided to go this route to see what I could do with this program and how I could include my students.  This program allows me to sign up as a teacher and sign up 50 students with my account using an activation code.  I can also create an assignment for the the students, and they would go in and create the comic strip as instructed.  Also, you are able to show-off the students work in a student gallery when they are completed with their comic strip.  When you first start a comic strip, you are given options as to how long or short you want your layout, but it also allows you to go at it freestyle.  You are able to upload your background, as I did in the above cartoon.  I was completely amazed at what you can do with the characters.  You can pick a style they already have or and you can change it completely to fit the profile you are looking for.  What is more amazing is that you can position almost each body part in which ever way you want.  You are able to change the expression on the faces by changing each eyebrow, eye expression, mouth, etc.  They do provide pre-set body positions, but you are still able to move it around to be just in the just-perfect position.  You are able to zoom in on the characters to create different effects, and change the expressions to emphasize them.  This program allows you to change change the color of the characters skin, clothe, the background, etc.  I think this is a great program for students to summarize a scene from the book they are reading or to create their own stories.

ToonDoo Avatar

When creating comic strips in the classroom, there are several comic strip creators or apps you can use, but of the three mentioned above, I would probably have my students use Pixton for Schools more.  I think this comic strip maker will allow my students to be as creative as their imaginations will carry them.  I think they will have fun creating their cartoons and sharing them with the class.  Depending on the lesson or ability of the student, the cartoon strips can also be quick and simple when using the pre-loaded characters and scenery.

Tellagami

Tellagami is a great IPad app that I think the kids will enjoy.  I was able to upload a background and create an advatar for myself.  You have a choice to record your voice or use one that is already pre-loaded.  I think the students can add it to their Lino canvases and even their Animoto creations.

Online Book Communities

     Reading is one of my favorite things to do, but after I am done with a  book, I like to discuss it right away.  Sometimes this is a difficult thing to do since not many people around me share the same taste in books or simply do not like to read.  Luckily, there are many online communities where you can discuss whatever book you are reading at the time.  You can rate your books and leave reviews.  Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, and Booklikes are just a few of the online communities that you can find out there.

Goodreads
     Goodreads is a sight for people to go and post the books they have read and discuss them with other members of Goodreads.  You are able to see a newsfeed with the postings of the people you are following and follow what they have read or want to read.  In order to have a virtual shelf, you must add the books you have read or want to read.  You simply do a search for the book you want, and then, you are prompted to add book and choose what category you want it filed under.  I think a cool feature of Goodreads is that with the compilation of your favorite book and books you want to read in the future, you are given a list of several books that might interest you.  With Goodreads, you are able to follow and join groups.  You can also create your own group and have people follow you.  Goodreads also connects with Facebook, so you are able to add your friends to your "following" list.  This site also has a few widgets you can include in your blog. 
     Below is a screenshot of how my Goodreads profile looks like. If you want to add anything to your blog from Goodreads, it is set up to support Blogger.  Signing-up for Goodreads was not difficult.  The only problem I encountered was that some of the things to do are kind of hard to find, for example the widgets.

Maria's bookshelf: favorites

Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

BookLikes

     Another online book community is BookLikes.  It is similar to Goodreads.  You are able to easily search for a book and add it to your list.  BookLikes also has groups that you can join and become part of their book discussions.  When you first enter and are on the dashboard, it looks very similar to Tumblr, so it feels familiar.  It has a newsfeed where you are able to see what you have posted and what other people you are connected with have posted.  In order to go to the blog page, you have to click on my profile picture, and it will take you directly there.  I had a bit of a difficult time trying to figure that out.  I think one of the best features of BookLikes was the blog section.  I can see students discussing books that they have read and sharing with the class online, of course.    You are able to connect this community with Facebook and Twitter and have your postings sent to those sites.  I think the design of BookLikes would attract students since there is lots of colors and limited white space.  Also, the letters are mostly large and does not look like if there is a lot going on in a small space.  The only thing that I did not like from BookLikes was that I have many people that I am following when I did not choose anyone.  They do have an "explore" section, but I would rather choose who I am following.  As you can see below, I am following 25 people and none were my choice.  Since I am working with students in an online situation, that makes me cautious.

 

LibraryThing        The first thing that I notice with LibraryThing is the amount of letters in one space.  I think that a middle school student would be overwhelmed at first when seeing all the letters they would have to read.  As with Goodreads and BookLikes, adding books is easy.  You just choose "add books" tab and do a search for the particular book you are looking for.  When you see all your books in one place, they do show you the book covers as in the book communities mentioned, but it is not as appealing.  

        LibraryThing does have its positives. When you do an author search, you will be presented with a lot of information from about the author.  I saw that they added a bit more than a simple bibliography.  They mentioned religion, relatives, and even their agents.  I was able to get my profile going, but I had difficulty getting things done.  For example, I wanted to add my favorite authors.  I was given instructions how to do add the author, but I would get stuck on the authors page and could not get them added.  As I scrolled almost all the way down, I found a very small button that said add to favorites.  Now, I can easily find it, but I think my students would have a difficult time trying to add an author.  Another positive about LibraryThing is the Local tab they offer.  When you click on that, you are given links to libraries and bookstores near you, and it post their current activities. As an adult, I could get lost in all the information LibraryThing offers, but I think that a middle school student with a short attention span would find this online community a bit daunting.  

 

Shelfari        Shelfari is another online book community.  I find this site in between Goodreads and BookLikes.  With Safari, you are also able to find groups that you can join and be up-to-date on what interests you.  You can also find friends to follow from Facebook, Twitter, GMail, Yahoo, and many more.  This site offers more options in this field.  In Shelfari, you are able to look for books according to subject, series and even popularity.  It offers many, many recommendations.  I was not able to find a personal blog page like the one BookLikes has, but it does provide a community blog.  Here you can find post made by Shelfari on the most recent happenings in the book world.  I found useful information here.       Shelfari does offer an author's page, but it is not as thorough as LibraryThings.  It has a bibliography and does provide all the books created by the author you are searching for.  I also like how Shelfari presents the books in my collection.  It puts covers of all your books with your ratings on a shelf, so you can view them easily, and you are able to scroll to the sides to see all you collection.  

     One of the cool features of Shelfari is that I did not need to go through the sign up process to create my own Shelfari.  I just signed up with Amazon.  With Shelfari, you can create a nice looking shelf widget to put on your webpage.  You have a choice of which category of books you want to show off.  I also like that you are given a option where you can set a goal for yourself on how many books you will read throughout the year.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

     Overall, I think all for online communities have a lot to offer, but I would most likely use BookLikes in my classroom.  I think it is pleasing to the young eye.  The students will be able to create their list easily.  What I liked the most is the personal blog it has available for the user to create.  I could have students create a blog for books that I assigned to them or those they read on their own.  I think they would enjoy themselves creating the blog and choosing the different themes.

 “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Podcasts

Podcast is a tool that can be used in the classroom.  A teacher can record her lessons for her students to hear.  She can create an assignment for homework or even part of a test.  Students can use this tool to interview each other or create a dramatization of a piece of literature.  In the library, the librarian can use podcasts to make announcements, introduce a book, or to talk about an author.  There are several podcast makers that can be used for the creation of a podcast.  They are Soundcloud, Audioboo, and Podomatic.








When using Podomatic, the program takes you to a step-by-step through the process of making a podcast.  The problem that I encountered was that it was very difficult to record.  Since you are recording off the internet, you have to make sure you allow Adobe Flash to be used on the Webpage.  Sometimes it would connect, but most of the time it did not.  It became frustrating.  What I did to fix this problem, I opened up Audacity and recorded a podcast.  I uploaded it to Podomatic and I was able to quickly complete the process of publishing the podcast.  I was allowed to upload an image so that it could be seen as the recording is being played.  The image was small, but the presentation was nice.  Below I have recorded a file on James Patterson.  Please note that the recording begins after 26 seconds.

Another site for making podcasts is AudioBoo.  It is very similar to Podomatic.  It also guides you step-by-step in the process of creating and publishing a podcast.  I tried many times to record on AudioBoo, but for some reason it did not let me record.  It let me record once and then it stopped.  I had better luck uploading a file that I previously recorded in Audacity.  This program also let me upload a picture to go along with my podcast. I like the presentation of the podcast even though is smaller than Podomatic and Soundcloud.  Also, when playing the podcast, please wait 25 seconds before you can hear the recording.

listen to ‘About the Author James Patterson’ on Audioboo

Of the three podcast makers that were discussed, the easiest one to use was Soundcloud.  I was able to easily record my podcast.  It also guided you in all the steps of creating my recording.  I was also able to post a picture for viewing while the podcast is playing.  The only complaint that I have is that once I embedded the podcast to my blog, the picture was bigger than I expected and it looks kind of warped or distorted.  

Audacity is a program in which you can also create podcast.  With this application,  you have to download the actual program and an MP3 converter in order for you to actually be able to use the file.  Since I was not able to record properly on Audioboo and Podomatic, I tried to use the Audacity and found that it was not so daunting.  It was simple to use.  I just needed to be aware of where I was saving the files I created.  The file was not huge, so I was able to easily upload into Audioboo and Podomatic.

Podcast have many uses in the classroom and library.  You can record lessons, assignments, homework, and announcements.  The programs that I use to help me create the podcasts were Soundcloud, Audioboo, Podomatic, and Audacity.

Reference

Edge, S. (2014). James Patterson - the best seller who doesn't write his own books. Retrieved from http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/380231/James-Patterson the-best-seller-who-doesn-t-write-his-own-books.