Cartoons & Comics

 Cartoons and Comics in the Library-

    In the 1940's many people believed that comics were filled with evil and affected children's lives negatively, such as making them aggressive and anxiety-ridden. Once Lauretta Bender's, a senior psychiatrist, study results were made public, the world saw comics from a different viewpoint. Comics actually offered children a way to play, fantasize, and even a way to solve problems. Yes, there is usually mayhem everywhere, but it is a way to prevent hostile aggression from others. It can be said that comics offer mental catharsis to their readers (Lepore, 2014). I have found in my own library that reluctant readers are always open to reading a comic book when suggested! I tried Fotojet, Make Beliefs Comix, and Pixton, to create some of my own comics. There were pros and cons with all websites, but I was able to create my own comic strip on each one, some easier than others. 

Fotojet-

This was my favorite website to use due to the free templates to choose from. Once you choose a template, you can easily search the library of pictures and graphics to insert them into the comic. The pictures are easy to edit and fit into the comic. The comics are easy to save as well. The only drawback I found was that you have to import one picture at a time into each collage. The process would be quicker if you could import multiple pictures at a time. 














Make Beliefs Comix-

This website is not as versatile or streamlined as the other websites. It is very simplistic and has easy editing buttons for students to use, even if they are not naturally artistic and creative. It can be used for students to practice using their imagination and storytelling skills. You can choose from a small set of pre-made backgrounds, characters, objects, and emojis. It is a great website to use for writing prompts in the classroom. 














Pixton-

This website was my second favorite to use due to everything you can personalize. It is an easily accessible and interactive platform for students and educators to use. I think it's geared more toward elementary-level students, and hesitant writers. Unfortunately, it is only free initially, if you want extra creation tools you have to purchase a subscription. 










I am most excited to share with the teachers at my school, the different ways they can use comics in the classroom. Teachers can use comic strip starters to teach students about creative writing. In the library, I can use comic strips to have students create book trailers for books they recommend. Comics can also be used paired with a digital literacy lesson. Students can create comic strips teaching the do's and dont's of the internet. 







Comments

  1. Jorge PazMay 4, 2023 at 5:53 PM

    So interesting to read your post. I have zero to none experience when it comes to cartoon and graphic novels and it was very interesting to read your introduction. I think it will be very beneficial to teach students how to read them and thank you I learned a lot of new things from your post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms. NordstromMay 5, 2023 at 9:48 PM

    Hi Lindsay, Fotojet was my favorite too. I had a lot of fun making that comic. Thank you for sharing your ideas for how to use comics in the library. I'm going to try them Comics would be an excellent hook for a lesson.

    ReplyDelete

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