Monday, April 13, 2009

Cartoon Creator

A site that I have recently found, allows students to create electronic comics that can be printed out. The first step is to type a name and author for the cartoon. Next, the creator chooses 1-6 comic boxes. To start creating the comic a background is chosen from a list of eight backgrounds, which range from blank backgrounds to cityscapes. Next, a character must be chosen from the list of seventeen characters. Humans and animals are included in the character list. Next, captions can be added in two ways. First, there is a caption tab that can be typed in, and it will appear under the comic when printed. Secondly, there are caption bubbles that can be added so it seems your characters are speaking. There are some pre-typed captions available as well. Props can also be added to the cartoons. There are many to choose from, but some of my favorites include: trees, castles and clouds.

This site does have some limitations. First, the characters are limited. Initially, I wanted my students to create the same cartoons that they drew on a comic strip earlier in the week, but that was not possible with the character limitations. Secondly, the cartoons print small on the paper, so there is not mush room for captions. Too much writing would not be readable. Next, the cartoons only print in black and white ( I had my students color theirs after they printed them). Finally, the cartoons can not be saved. They must be printed or the creator has the option to start over, so time management is important here.

I would recommend this site to use within the classroom!!!

Katarina

Cartoon Creator Website:http://www.readwritethink.org/MATERIALS/COMIC/

3 comments:

  1. I recommend the website called ToonDoo. ToonDoo lets you create from your own comic strips to comic books. There are a lot more features at this website. I haven't tried it out yet but it looks like a fun site.

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  2. There are many ways to use cartoons creatively. Try creating a play or a book, even a historical event. Have students take on separate characters. There is an art to cartoons, and you can talk about the creativity behind them.

    Linda Burns

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  3. I too recommend ToonDoo. The cartoon creator is very limited. I discovered a software title called ComicCreator a few years back, and it is definitely the best one if you can afford it. If you buy it, I recommend copying and installing it on several computers (if you can get away with it).
    You can download a free trial or even try it on their website:
    http://www.mashon.com/mycbc/

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