Creating Digital Cartoons
Pamela AuCoin
Across the curriculum, storytelling is a way for students to share their understandings and mastery of the content area. Cartooning is a fun way for them to go about doing this.
In my government classes, I wanted my students to create digital comic books that explain the phenomenon of global warming, and provide policy recommendations and suggestions for President Obama.
Here are some pages from one student comic book:
Using the free internet program ToonDoo [www.toondoo.com], students can create comics on any topic – without needing to have a talent for drawing. In addition, students can log-in to comment on each others’ work.
How to create a toon-books:
- Go to toondoo.com
- Register for an account
- Go to far right corner of page
- Click on "toondoo maker" tab
- A new window will open.
- Then select the layout
- Choose from different tabs (characters, props, scenery, etc.) then drag them below.
- You can also upload images from the web, by going back to the main page, and clicking "Imaginer."
- Make your cartoon.
- Click "Save As," so you won't lose your work.
Before using this with your class, I strongly recommend you create your own cartoons, to get a feel for the process, and get acquainted with other tools.
While I use this tool in my government class, toon-books would also work well in the English classroom, or any foreign language classroom, since the goal is to generate text. Students are generally very savvy and creative, and can figure out how it works in little time.
My next high-level assignment: creating political cartoons.
Click here to see the complete toon-book:
http://www.toondoo.com/ViewBook.toon?bookid=171666
Do
you have a comment or suggestion? E-mail
Pamela
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