PL Learning – Classroom Applications and Web 2.0 Tools
App or Web 2.0 tool you used:
Description of the tool:
Pixton
Interactive comic strip maker. Pixton provides templates for you to create comic strips.
There are three levels to choose from: fun (which allows open access to the comic strip
so people can edit it), school (only people with the password can edit the comic strip) and
business (which seems to have a lot more detailed options, but is not free).
In the education version, there are 8 templates provided—Classic, Quickie, Sunday Funny,
Poster, Picture, 4-Koma (Manga/Japanese style), Super Long, and Freestyle. Each comes
with different layout options.
How did you use this tool?
How could you see others using this tool? Be Specific!
To create a light hearted
summary of Mandela and
deKlerk discussing the end
of apartheid.
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Foreign language could use it to create conversations between people. It would be a
cool way for the students to practice writing out Spanish.
Any subject could use it as an introduction to a topic.
There are classroom backgrounds, so a teacher could create a scene that gives step
by step directions on how to complete a task. The kids could then just refer to the
comic strip for instructions.
SS teachers could create their own political cartoons and have the students analyze
them.
Great way for SC or MA students to show step by step how to solve a math problem
or work through a lab.
In ELA classes students can create comic strips for story lines, plot lines, explaining
vocab words, & also to create visual images for scenes they have read.
Advantages of this tool:
Disadvantages of this tool:
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Quick way to summarize and introduce information.
Very interactive and fun!
Can email the comic to others. There didn’t seem to
be a print option from Pixton, but you could copy and
paste it into a Word document to print for handouts.
Can easily be captured with the camera tool and
placed in a flipchart. You could create your own
political cartoon s and have the kids analyze.
Novel concept that really works to engage the
students. We had a blast making the comic strip.
It was easy to navigate through. There are video
tutorials to watch to help you create the comic strips,
but it isn’t totally necessary to watch them. It’s pretty
easy to play around and figure out how it works.
You can choose from several different types of comic
strips…Sunday Funnies, multi-pane comics (2-4 panes),
one long strip for information.
Several backgrounds and clip art items to choose from.
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The free account seems to only be active for 30 and for
50 students.
If you register for an account and choose your age as
being under 18, a parent must verify that you are
allowed to be on this site. We had to send the parent
verification email to Tom and have him verify that
Penny was old enough to use the site.
You can’t move the people around in the free
Education version, and it didn’t seem like you could
add your own pictures. In the business version, you
have TONS more options for everything…movement of
characters, importing your own pictures, lots of more
clip art to use.
The text bubbles are really small, so the information
must be concise and in tiny print.