I have to work on my post titles!

This post is going to focus on a website that all teachers can utilize in his or her classroom immediately and it is very easy to use. The site is called “Toon Doo”. Toon Doo is a free open application that allows anyone to create a comic strip. All it takes to sign up is a username and password. Easy enough! And no spam e-mails!

Here is how you can get started on Toon Doo…

Here is an assignment that I assigned for my class for our initial reading of Hamlet.

  1. Read Act 1 of Hamlet
    1. Provide at least 5 passages (one for each scene, but you can use more than five).
    2. Provide the Act, scene and line number in this format I, i, 1-10
    3. Provide a brief summary (short paragraph) of why you chose that passage.
  2. Take notes on the lines or passages you find important.

This was their homework and the next day we discussed and reflected on their first reading in class. Then I had the take their passages and translate them into a comic strip via Toon Doo. Here was my model that I showed them.

\Toon\

I feel Toon Doo can be used in any classroom at any level and it is easy for students and teachers to create. Plus, it will give you something that you can print out and post on your bulletin board for back to school night or simply for your Administrators to see! Here are some more ideas for other disciplines:

Math and Physics – Create a Toon Doo for a three-step equation. You can use symbols and text and if you wish to make it flashy and creative you can have characters embedded as well. When you are finished, you can hang them around on a bulletin board or post on your class website.

Special Education – The possibilities are endless for your students! Have them create a Toon Doo simply for fun! Or you can give them a specific task to create a Toon Doo for, possibly a life skill task or conversation skills between two people. I’d be interested to hear feedback on what you used Toon Doo for!!!

History and Government – Like language arts, you can create a Toon Doo for a specific moment in History. Example: The signing of the Treaty of Paris.

Foreign Language – Have students create a conversation between two characters in the language you teach. Or you can create a conversation between two people in English and have the students translate into French, Spanish or German.

Tags: 2.0, Doo, Toon, k-12, lesson, plans, technology, web

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I love ToonDoo, too, but I think there are too many possibilities for inappropriate content (remember, this is not a site for education but for anyone to use). I wish there were an educational wing of ToonDoo, as some comic sites are setting up.
Kevin
Kevin I agree, One of my 4th grade students made an Obama cartoon and within minutes he recieved two rude comments with the f-bomb included! You can set the cartoons as private but it kinda defeats the point.
I found this one this morning -- seems interesting -- Storytop
I don't see ads (but I use a filter) and I don't see links outside the content.
But it would require more investigation.

By the way, MakeBeliefs comics is limited but a good sheltered comic site.

K
Toon Doo is in the process of creating an educational sister site. I'll let you know more once I get access. Like many, I was disappointed with the content that was appearing on what could be a great educational tool. I contacted Toon Doo and they have come up with an educational option. Watch this space.
Sharon,

It's ToonDoo Spaces and it's live already. See: http://www.toondoospaces.com/
We just spent money on a 30 computer site license for Comic Life.. An educational version of this would be a terrific alternative.
I'm a big fan of Comic Life (see my webcomic about kids and teachers -- Boolean Squared) but can't justify the cost to my principal (and am hesitant to, um, pirate it for school use)
Kevin
If you're interested in creating comics online, also check out Pixton.com. You can design every aspect of your character, and move it into any pose you want. All you have to do is click-and-drag to change or reposition any part of it - the creative and artistic possibilities are endless!

Share with others, post to blog or remix comics to add your own twist. Read comics in over 40 languages, with our automatic translation by Google. Language filters, privacy settings, and flagging mechanisms help preserve a safe online environment. Try it out and let us know what you think - sign-up is free!

We also have a version specifically for educators with extra features. Pixton for Schools/a> is a fully customizable private virtual cl... Pixton - Interactive Web Comics
*sigh* You forget to mention that the sign up is free but the service is pay!!
Pixton is free to use!
Pixton for Schools is only $1 per student per month (of course bulk discounts apply)

Clive
Hi Andrew / Kevin / Nancy,

As Sharon rightly mentioned, we will soon be launching a version of ToonDoo exclusively for schools and educators.

You can sign up now to help us beta-test and try it for free for the first three months, post which the service is chargeable at extremely affordable prices.

If you'd like to know more about this, please write to me at meerasapra (at) toondoo dot com.

thanks,
Meera
ToonDudette from www.jambav.com
Meera, Yikes!! We'll be out for summer in three weeks, I'll check back with you in the fall to see if we need a 3-month trial. Thanks for the offer, N.

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