Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and comics are becoming more and more popular with students.  There was a time when comics were banned because they were viewed as dangerous, today comics are enjoyed by students everywhere.  There are many different websites we can go to create our own comics and use them in libraries and in the classrooms.

 ToonDoo is a free website that allows you to create your own comics, all you have to do to use this website is sign up.  When I first tried to use ToonDoo I had a very difficult time with the website.  The page would not load, a message would come up saying not available could not load.  I spent 10-15 minutes going to this website and no luck.  I decided to try the other websites, the next day I tried again and I was successful, the page finally loaded.  Once the page was loaded it took me a long time to create a login.  Once I was finally able to use ToonDoo I was a little frustrated with the amount of time it took me to create a login and actually log in. .  It was a little difficult to figure out at first, but once I knew how to begin making my own cartoon it was easier.  It has many different clip arts available to use, the search option is great. Once you're able to actually get the page to load and log in the website to create a comic is user-friendly with lots of clip art options.  I recommend this to be used by middle school and high school students.  This is my ToonDoo comic:

Pixton was a little more difficult to use, I had a difficult time finding the clip art that I wanted to use.  It is not easy to navigate, I spent quite a bit of time finding and placing the clip art that I was going to use in my comic.  This website is also free and has many templates available to use depending on the subject.  It allows you to search by subject for the template you want to use or the comic you want to create and it does allow you to publish and save. Recommended for high school students.  Below is my Pixton comic:

Make Believe Comix does not require a login, all you do is go to the website and begin creating your comic.  I did not find a way to save and return later to finish it, I had to create the comic and paste it into my blog all at once.  It is quick and easy since there is no login required, but there are not many options of pictures to use in your comics.  This website might be easier for elementary students as a quick assignment.  This is my Make Believe Comix:

       *Has anyone seen my science experiment?          *POOF                                             *There it is!

I created comics using ToonDoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix.  I found I liked ToonDoo the best, I did have a very difficult time logging in, but once I logged in I found it gives more options in clip art to create your own comic.  The other two website I found to be very basic and not very appealing to use.  If you want to create comics with your students or for your students these websites are great, it is just a matter of finding the one that you enjoy using the best.  All three allow you to create comics and use them for many different things, you can create comics to engage your students in lessons, use as group assignments so students can collaborate, use them with LEP students to learn vocabulary, or simply use it as a fun activity.