Cartoons and Comics

 Cartoons and Comics 

For this blog, I explored 3 different comic-creating sites - FotoJet, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix. Creating comics using these website can be incorporated into the education setting because there are a variety of ways they can be used for learning by the use of creativity.

                                                           FotoJet

FotoJet is an online photo editor and design tool where users can make photo collages, graphics, and posters. Users can easily browse and locate the tools they require on the website due to its simple design and interface. The website is visually appealing. The site also utilizes large images to showcase the capabilities of the editor. As for its functionality, there are numerous tools available for editing photos with FotoJet, including the basic functions such as cropping, resizing, and changing brightness and contrast. Users can also add text and graphics to their designs, and it offers a variety of filters and effects to improve photos. The collage maker available also provides users with a variety of templates and layouts. Overall, the site is easy to use only after you get the hang of it – especially with its drag-and-drop interface.

When creating my comic, I first found it to be quite difficult, however once I played around with the different options, I was able to get the hang of it. One important thing to note is that you have to create and pay for an account. There is an option for a free 7 day trial, however you still have to input your card information. I feel this would turn a lot of people off and cause them to look for another platform that is free. Also, I would not feel it beneficial for students to use in the educational setting for the same reason.

Take a look at the comic I created using FotoJet

Pixton

 

I absolutely love Pixton as a site to create comics! By far, this was the easiest to use for me. It has so many ideas and lessons that you could use in the educational setting. It would make a great tool for students to use, however it does come at a price. I would recommend talking to administration to purchase this for the classroom. The site does offer different discounts for educators.

 

When creating your comic strip, you are able to choose from a variety of backgrounds, characters, objects, words, faces, actions, and many more tools.

 

Take a look at the comic I created using Pixton

                                                                                   

MakeBeliefsComix

 

Like Pixton, MakeBeliefsComix is a comic creating website aimed primarily towards educators and students. Upon entering the website, one major difference is that it requires no registration like the FotoJet and Pixton. As soon as you enter the website, you are able to start creating your own comic. I found MakeBeliefsComix to be the most user-friendly, making it a good site for beginners and students. The site has a tab for comic starters, which introduces different prompts to help get users started, a tab of printables, writing topics, tools for teachers, special needs, and ESOL students, among much more. When creating a comic using this site, I decided to use the “Pet Words” comic starters.

 

Take a look at the comic I created using MakeBeliefsComix

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After exploring the websites FotoJet, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix, I found all to have their pros and cons. While all fantastic websites, the comic-creater website I would recommend to my fellow colleagues is Pixton. For teachers, I find this would be the most beneficial when it comes to being creative and organized. Teachers can assign lessons to students and then create different classrooms with students from each of your classes. If creating comics frequently in your classroom, you can save different characters and have them for ready use. Creating comics is shown to be beneficial for different populations of students so incorporating them in any classroom would be beneficial.