Module 10
Cartoons & Comics
Comic Book Creator
Apps
Pixton
Pixton
had the ability to have a free account, an educator account (which we all were
suggested to choose), a student account, and a pro version. There was also a “classic
Pixton”, but I did not go in depth with that one.
The
educator account was really interesting! After you signed in, using your Google
account, a Facebook account, or making a regular email account, you were guided
through an easy set up process. The only issue was you are required to use
Google Chrome or Apple Safari to log in, no Mozilla Firefox or Internet
Explorer. This could potentially be a problem for others, but, thankfully, it
was not for me. After logging into Google Chrome and putting in my Google
account, I was ready to go.
You
were able to make an avatar of yourself and create a class. Each student who
signed up could create their own avatar as well and, in the end, you could have
a class photo. Since I chose the educator account, I had to make a class, but I
did not use that, rather I only clicked on create a comic for myself.
Pros & Cons
Cons:
(1) Once you chose a character and added it to your frame,
you couldn’t move the characters and dialogue. The program put the characters
in one set spot, along with the dialogue. I would have rather have been able to
place the characters and dialogue to maximize the usage of space.
(2) Some of the backgrounds did not flow very well. For
example, on my dinosaurs, only portions of the dinosaurs showed up, making it
awkward to write a longer comic if I just have a T. Rex butt.
(3) Saving the end product was not the easiest. Instead of
just a download button, I had to use a snipping tool and save it that way.
After you click print and share, it gives you a clean version of your comic,
but there is not way to download in the free version. I couldn’t even send it
to myself via email. There should be an easier way to share and save. Therefore,
the comic below may be a bit small.
Pros:
(1) When writing your dialogue and captions, auto correct was
a feature! I love this for students because it is an automatic check that there
is something that needs correcting.
(2) You had the ability to talk or write a caption, or both,
if you wanted to!
(3) There were different
text bubble boxes. You had the ability to think, say, shout, or whisper. Each
one had a specific type of bubble to show the difference.
(4) From the looks of it, there is the ability for unlimited
panels and unlimited comics one can make.
(5) Super interactive!
(6) Looked very professional from the get go and did not let me down.
Pixton Avatar
Pixton Comic
Very student & teacher user friendly
Hands down, my favorite of all the programs when it comes to comics.
5/5 stars
Very student & teacher user friendly
Hands down, my favorite of all the programs when it comes to comics.
5/5 stars
MakeBeliefsComix
I’m not going to lie.. I hated this
one. There was no consistency, items were all over the place, you had to
constantly scroll up and down and left to right; it was a mess of a website.
Now, it was an easy website, don’t get me wrong, but the website itself looked
like it was set up for elementary school students, and, once I started working
on it, definitely felt like I was back in elementary school.
I chose the stick figure characters
because they were consistent and each had four poses to change. I did not want
to choose a haunted house background then bounce to a backyard grilling scene
with multiple types of characters, therefore, this comic is much more bland
than my other one. I am all about consistency and things looking nice, and
nothing about this website program did that for me.
Pros & Cons
Cons:
(1) There was no auto correct on this program.
(2) None of the backgrounds, limited amounts of characters,
and text boxes were inconsistent and lacked multiples. There were tons of
characters to choose from, but they all looked so different and didn’t flow.
(3) Saving the end product was not the easiest. Instead of
just a download button, I had to use a snipping tool and save it that way.
After you click save, it brings you to a new page but with no ability to
download to a PDF or JPEG file. There should be an easier way to share and
save. Therefore, the comic below may be a bit small.
(4) Looked very unprofessional and continued to do so throughout the entire comic making process.
Pros:
(1) Once you chose a character and added it to your frame,
you could move the characters and dialogue around, even scaling it to be bigger
or smaller.
(2) You didn’t have to sign up for an account, so there is
no extra unwanted emails bombarding your account. You just go to the site and
choose “create your commix!” from the homepage. You have the choice to sign
in/make an account, but I did not do so.
(3) You got to title your comic as well as add your name
under the author section. It added a personal touch.
MakeBeliefsComix! Comic
Somewhat user friendly, but students may have more questions than they should on this program
Somewhat user friendly, but students may have more questions than they should on this program
2.5/5 stars
ToonDoo
This
one was a slight pain for me because my work computer would not allow me to
download the latest version of Adobe Flash player on it, therefore I had to use
an entirely different computer to make a single comic. The loading process was
extremely slow, to the point where I had to walk away and do something else
before I was eve able to start making a comic.
Had the
chance for a free account or an updated version, and I chose to stick with the
free account. Based on the looks of website, it seemed a bit childish, but it
was nowhere near the extent of MakeBeliefsComix!.
When I
was finally in, you had a choice between horizontal or vertical comic strips. The
only problem was, the most panels you could have horizontally was three and the
most vertically was four, in a square-like shape. You did not have the chance
to add any additional panels. Even though the panel numbers were limited, there
was quite a bit you could do when it came to creating the comic itself. The
keys at the bottom allowed you to shrink, enlarge, clone, flip, rotate, and
bring items to the front or back.
I had
the same weird issue with saving a final copy. I had to email it to myself, but
I was also given the option to print it or save it to my account, which I did
as a back up. I emailed it, opened the link, and had the intention of using the
snipping tool to save a copy. Aha, but remember, my work computer needed the
updated Adobe Flash. So, I go back to my other computer, screenshot it, email
it, save a copy, and voila! Finally, I am done.
Pros & Cons
Cons:
(1) You have to be able to download the latest version of
Adobe Flash player.
(2) Very slow program. It took my computer forever to load
up the programs.
(3) Had limited amounts of panels to create on. I prefer to
see comics go side to side, so I was left with a maximum of three panels,
unless I wanted to create multiple sets of three and put them together.
Pros:
(1) Had multiple options for layouts, both horizontal and
vertical.
(2) Easy to use drag and drop
method. There were characters, backgrounds, items, speech bubbles, and more,
and they all used the drag and drop method, allowing me to place them where I wanted,
sizing them accordingly and maximizing space.
(3) Looked a bit childish to me at
first, but, in the end, I was impressed. It was much more cohesive with
backgrounds and characters than MakeBeliefComix! but not quite as put together
as Pixton.
(4) Each set of backgrounds, characters, etc. had
subsections within them. For example: under backgrounds, you could choose space
or outdoors and it would give you ten or more to choose from, all of which were
cohesive.
ToonDoo Comic
Very student & teacher friendly!
4/5 stars
Very student & teacher friendly!
4/5 stars
Uses in the
Library
(1) For students, I would use these comics as a way to
introduce a specific scene in a book, capturing the moment, but making it mine.
Students could do the same thing, after reading the book, and you could create
a wall full of comics to show off student’s favorite part in the book. (2) Each
student could be assigned a portion of a book to create a comic on. In the end,
the whole book would have a comic, and you could hang the progression up,
capturing the book and virtually turning it into a graphic novel. (3) Promotion
of books or authors. (4) Fun jokes, puns, and ways to decorate the library
during holidays and what not. (5) When sharing with a teacher/colleague, this
is a great way to make the nitty-gritty stuff (copyright, etc.) a little more
fun! Then, the comics can be hung up in the classroom to remind students and
teachers about the information.
I couldn't even find Tellagami to download on my iPad. I am happy someone was able to do it. I will have to try it again. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun and so cute! I loved making a personalized avatar and being able to use my own voice. I thought it might be cute to record something for when I am absent in the classroom because it looks and sounds like me!
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