Comics in the Classroom

There are a number of assets for using comics as a learning tool in education. Gene Yang (2003) has identified five strengths: motivating, visual, permanent, intermediary and popular. 

Students engage in reading and writing comics because of their high interest.  Comics are fun. They have the potential to help readers grow their imagination and creativity.

Reluctant readers may use visual clues coupled with brief text passages to advance their reading and writing skills.

The visual permanency of a comic strip allows students to dictate their viewing time, unlike a film or animation which is gone in a flash. 

Try using comics to engage students in higher level thinking, use them as an intermediate step to more challenging concepts.

Have you been to the movies lately?  Well, if you have, you may have run across some familiar characters battling for justice on the big screen.  The likes of Batman, Spiderman and even Captain America have all been brought to life courtesy of Hollywood.  This popularity of comic book heroes is huge and educators can tap into this popular culture, bridging the gap between students’ lives in and out of the classroom.

Free, online comic book creators are a wonderful tool for teachers to consider when looking at using comics in the classroom. 

Jonathan Wylie (Bright Hub) states his top 5 favorite ideas for using comics in the classroom:

1. Convert the Classics: Shakespeare didn't have the luxury of using comic books, but you do! Try scenes from Hamlet, or Romeo and Juliet, as comics. Challenge your students to interpret the written work in pictorial form and be prepared to be amazed with what they come up with.
2. Instruction Manuals: Have your students create visual 'how to' guides with their comic books. It would be a great sequencing activity. Have the students write the directions as part of a structured writing process first, or jump straight into your comic explanation. Your comic characters could explain anything from how to look after a pet, to inherited genetic features. Your options here are almost limitless.
3. Personal Narratives: Using comic books in the classroom for personal narratives is a great way to for students to relive that summer vacation, or even describe their daily routines.
4. Interviews: Use your comic book creator to create interview scenarios. Students can mimic a job interview, an historical event, or interview their favorite celebrity, (dead or alive).
5. Study Guides: Have your students study for a test by animating all the key learning points. The comic strips could include two students studying for a test, or chart the adventures of a hero on a quest that needs test questions solved in order to advance towards his prize.

Bitstrips is one such site that would be ideal to use when introducing your students to online comic creations.

Readings:
Bright Hub
Strengths in Education
       Parsons, J., & Smith, K. (1993) Using Comic Books to Teach.
     Zimmerman, B. (2008). Creating Comics Fosters Reading, Writing, and creativity. Education Digest, 74(4), 55-57

A Bit about Bitstrips

Exasperating VoiceThread

Well perhaps I shouldn’t have left VoiceThread until the end of my blogging adventure but every time I looked at the site it appeared to be a little more complicated than other sites I had been playing with. For that reason, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t think of an interesting idea, I kept putting off making a VoiceThread.  With a little less then a week left the pressure was on and I knew crunch time had come (a little pressure is always good for motivation!).  Inspired by a colleagues’ VoiceThread theme I decided to do a Welcome to our School VoiceThread for incoming grade sevens. Simple enough, right? That is what I thought until I sat down last night…

I had taken pictures throughout the school day of various sights around the school.  At home I uploaded the pictures to my computer and set about logging into VoiceThread.  Once on the VoiceThread site I selected Create  and then Upload which provided me with the following options: My Computer, Media Sources, URL and My Webcam. I selected My Computer to upload the pictures and figured I was on a role and would be complete by supper time! Here though is where my troubles began; I made the mistake of selecting 14 pictures to be uploaded.  The site reassured me that this process would only be 7 -9 minutes.  How wrong they were.  Hours later I had managed to upload pictures one at a time, add a title to each frame, and add a comment to the first frame.  Very frustrated and a quite tired I went to bed with the hopes that a new day would bring more head way with this Web tool.

VoiceThread Revisited

After a good nights rest I took another crack at VoiceThread.   This time I decided to see what VoiceThread had to offer as an educational tool.

For educators VoiceThread offers a Web based tool that provides a facilitation platform, Ed. VoiceThread.com.  Teachers are able to create interactive slide shows that engage and sustain the attention of individual learners.  They can use this flexible tool in a whole class setting or for individual use.   The very nature of VoiceThread encourages active participation which strengthens student learning and motivation.   This Web tool may be used cross curricular to help meet the needs of all learners.

A VoiceThread Classroom account has a nominal yearly fee, approximately $60.  This price includes a teacher account with the ability to add up to 100 students as well as unlimited VoiceThreads.  Teachers have complete access to student accounts and can moderate comments before they are posted.  VoiceThread can serve as a conversation archive, a digital album that houses ongoing dialogue. VoiceThread extends the walls of the classroom.

Educators may also choose to use VoiceThread as a professional development tool.  Imagine the possibilities of opening an ongoing professional dialogue that will be archived and available for future educators to access.

The Power of Professioanl Conversation 

For students VoiceThread is a forum to share their voices, literally. Students can express their opinions and be heard.  VoiceThread provides students time to compose their thoughts, make meaningful connections, and ask questions. Students can collaborate with one another online and respond directly to others’ comments. VoiceThread is also a means for students to demonstrate their learning, through thoughtful interactive dialogue. Mrs. Mattson's Voicethread is a great example of students working together. 

Check out Ed.VoiceThread for more great ideas.

Readings:
Brunvand, S., & Bryd, S., (2011) Using voicethread to promote learning engagement and
success for all students, Teaching Exceptional Children, 43 (4), 28-37.
B Ferriter. Using voicethread for digital conversations Retrieved from http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/w/page/17791585/Voicethread
J Orlando. (2010, May 12) Using voicethread to build student engagement.

Pants, anyone?

Pants

Ok, so VoiceThread is starting to grow on me.  After spending more time working with my VoiceThread and viewing the work of others I have begun to realize the potential of VoiceThread as an educational venue for both educators and students alike.  As for personal use, I am not quite sure of its value yet.

If you are interested in creating a VoiceThread account it is quite simple to do so.  All you need to provide is some basic information about yourself and an account will be created with a confirmation email sent to the address you provided.

Once you have registered you have access to all of VoiceThreads many available options for creating engaging interactive slideshows. 

To create your own VoiceThread you simply choose the Create tab which will direct you to a screen that allows uploading of any combination of images, documents or video clips (keep in mind I would recommend only uploading one at a time!).  Take time and arrange your frames in the order in which you would like them to appear. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement of your slides, start to add comments. Comment may be added through typed text, recorded voice or video.  Don’t forget to add a title to your VoiceThread.

Once the preliminary work is complete you can now go about inviting guest to view and comment on your VoiceThread.  A VoiceThread may be public or private, allowing only invited guests to comment.  Guests will receive an invite through an email request which will direct them to your VoiceThread link.  While viewing the VoiceThread guests have the option to add comments and highlight areas of the image.  Comments on the VoiceThread maybe enhanced through the Doodle tool.  This tool allows for highlighting of the image during a comments timeframe.  The highlight will fade at the end of the comment. Each guest will be represented by a small icon displayed on the outside of the frame.  Guests may post anytime, anywhere.

A VoiceThread maybe as simple or complex as the creator chooses. 

Tutorials are offered on the VoiceThread site for anyone interested in pursuing this as an alternative educational tool.

Also, there is a fantastic wiki found on the DigitallySpeaking blog by Bill Ferriter that is full of a wealth of information and examples of VoiceThreads for both classroom and professional use.

Victorious with VoiceThread

Well, here it is...

Summerside Intermediate School

How are you managing your information overload?

If you are having trouble keeping up with the wealth of information that is published daily on the Web, fear not my friend, for I introduce you to...RSS, Really Simple Syndicate; your new best friend. 

RSS is a behind the scenes code (XML) called a “feed” which allows users to subscribe to content on a particular blog.  No longer will you have to visit a blog itself. Now with RSS you can do one stop reading.  An aggregator or “feed collector” is the tool designed to follow the subscribed feeds and collect and update any new content.  Now subscribers can follow their feeds at one location. There are many aggregators to choose from, see  Aggregators Directory.  The great thing about any aggregator that you select is that as long as you have internet access your feeds are available to you – anytime, anywhere.

Google Reader is the one I selected to collect my subscribed feeds.  It was easy to set up, no cost to the user and it offers a number of user friendly features.  Google Reader allows users to read what they want when they want; read now, file for later, delete or even click directly to the site.

 Google Reader:

Note in the above picture that the feed name appears in the list on the left hand side of the screen.  New content is bold with the number of unread posts in brackets. The right hand side of the screen displays new content for reading purposes.

Helpful hints:

·         don’t start with too many feeds or you will get overwhelmed

·         create new folders to keep organized

·         highlight posts with the “starred” feature

·         tag posts to keep track of information

Caution: not every site on the Web has RSS feeds

Readings:

Richardson, W., (2010) Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms,
(3rd edition.).Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin

The End

Just over two months ago I began a journey, a “Journey into the Unknown”, one in which I planned to explore various Web 2.0 tools that would benefit me both personally and professionally. I must admit that I was a bit sceptical that a learning blog would engage and motivate independent learning over the course of ten weeks. But encouraged by Richardson (2010) to become an active participant in the blogging world I began and am proud to say, that not only did I stay motivated, I moved from a novice technology user to a confident open minded user of Web 2.0 tools. 

My new role as a teacher-librarian propelled me to select Web 2.0 tools that would help transform the library into a 21^st century learning commons.  

1. LibraryThing: The investigation of LibraryThing was for the purpose of collecting and cataloguing my personal collection and discovering its value as a personal and professional Web tool.  According to Sibley (2009) LibraryThing was a practical Web tool for librarians to add to their arsenal. It would provide the means to track personal readings, tag and review books, and connect to other readers.

2. Animoto: I loved this site! As a digital story telling forum Animoto surpassed my expectations. This alternative to traditional slideshows was just what I needed to broaden my abilities in digital animation. Through its user friendly site I was able to create countless animations for both personal and professional use.

3. Bitstrips: Experimenting with Bitstrips exposed me to a medium that I would have otherwise avoided. With little experience in comic creation I managed to navigate this site successfully and create comics depicting various themes.

4. VoiceThread: Although my nemeses this past week, I have come to appreciate and value the opportunities that VoiceThread has to offer educators. With the daily challenges that we face VoiceThread is a Web tool that can help bridge the gap between students’ lives in and out of the classroom. All students’ can have a voice!  With many accolades to its name, VoiceThread did not disappoint.  Perhaps Ferriter (2011) said it best when he stated that “VoiceThread has the potential to be one of the most motivating tools that you use to facilitate instruction in your classroom this year.” 

5. Voki: Although not included in my original proposal, Voki caught my interest and I felt it was a Web tool worth exploring further. I am so glad I did! This tool has the capacity to engage students through its talking avatars.

6. Google Reader (RSS): Google Reader and RSS feeds are invaluable tools for web users.  RSS feeds helped disseminate information gathered on the Web and allowed me to become a wiser consumer of information. Google Reader was used to house multiple RSS feeds which kept me up to date on notifications and relevant information for both personal and professional development. It also acted as a social networking tool, keeping me connected with my classmates through their blogs.

7. Blogging: My blogging experience began with great trepidation; the fear of “putting myself out there” was overwhelming and a little daunting to say the least. As Earnest Hemingway said himself, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” My hope of blogging regularly was that this fear and uneasiness of writing would somehow wane. To my surprise blogging has had more of an impact, personally, than I had anticipated. As I write this reflection I feel as if I am turning the last page of a great novel and will no longer be witness to the lives of the characters. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still do not like writing, but I do feel a sense of ownership for the digital footprints I have left.

Summary of Learning

What worked, what didn’t and everything in between:
As you know I started this journey with very little technology experience, other than social networking and information gathering, my Web based exposure was limited. Through trial and error I have managed to move myself forward as a digital learner and probably the most powerful transformation that has occurred is in the way I think. No longer is technology a tool for only finding and gathering, it has become a place I explore with meaning and purpose. It has become a collaborative environment, a place to connect with others and build a personal learning community of my own.

LibraryThing – I am not sold on LibraryThing. I think perhaps it is that right now I don’t feel I have the time to add books to a personal account. While I do see the potential of this site I am not sure it is one that I would personally use. As a librarian though, I do see many uses that I believe will benefit the library and its patrons. Sibley (2009) corroborates the use of LibraryThing as an online tool for enhancing student learning.

My plan to add LibraryThing to the school website did not materialize. The Library blog has been dormant for some time and I felt that it would not serve a purpose just sitting there. I did however add a widget to this blog to help demonstrate the benefits of LibraryThing.

Animoto – Loved this site and will continue to use it both personally and professionally. As Fryer (2008) proposed this digital storytelling forum allowed for creativity, communication and collaboration. Experimenting with Animoto allowed me to have fun while creating meaningful animation that can be used for a variety of purposes. I created personal slideshows of recent family adventures and was able to incorporate meaningful music selections to suite the final products. This tool also allowed me to connect with students and staff through various productions that were shared both in formal and informal settings. There is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to use this Web 2.0 tool.

Bitstrips – has taken on a life of its own. I introduced this site to my class during Bully Awareness week. The products that were produced were amazing and the messages against bullying were profound. Bitstrips provided this learning opportunity for students. They were able to express a meaningful message through an engaging medium. This is a Web tool that I believe is here to stay. For students really enjoyed not only creating their personal comic strip but also reading the work of their classmates.

My plan to create a comic strip of my inquiry journey did not come to fruition. I did however create one that taught about Bitstrips and all the valuable tools it has to offer.

Voki – I have really enjoyed the Voki site. I haven’t decided yet if I am sold on Voki as a valuable educational tool, however, it is a lot of fun and does provide users with a means to communicate with their audience. I did run into a few challenges with this site. At times it was slow to load and limited text made it difficult to always express exactly what I wanted to share.

As this was an “add on” my plan was nonexistent, but I successfully added a Voki to my blog and created a Voki to introduce a recent Professional Development Day.

VoiceThread – VoiceThread turned out to be the biggest headache of this inquiry. It took awhile for an idea to materialize, and that coupled with uploading issues, I found the process time consuming and frustrating. Having said that though, I am pleased with the result and will not give up on this tool, as I value the potential of opportunities it has to offer. Just as Bruvand and Bryd (2011) suggested VoiceThread engages, motivates and enhances the quality of learning.

My plan to create a collection of images using the Web 2.0 tool VoiceThread was successful. Students and teachers engaged in dialogue surrounding the frames helping to create a VoiceThread that will be used for grade six tours this spring.

GoogleReader (RSS) – Subscribing and following feeds using GoogleReader was advantageous to this inquiry to say the least. Once set up I was able to visit GoogleReader daily to read meaningful articles pertaining to my particular research, follow fellow bloggers and locate and organize relevant information. The challenge was making GoogleReader a part of my day (Richardson 2011). Once I became accustomed to opening GoogleReader regularly I quickly learned the value of this tool. I believe, thanks to RSS feeds and GoogleReader I am becoming a better consumer of information.

My plan saw to it that GoogleReader and RSS feeds supported this inquiry and helped navigate my learning. Interesting finds were included in the Current Events section of my blog.

Blogging – I think that blogging has probably had the most impact on me. Although I enjoyed learning about the various tools in this inquiry it was blogging that forced me to step outside my comfort zone. The act of having to create a post that would not only be engaging to an unknown audience but forever on the Web caused a shift in the way I think, digitally speaking. “I tell my students that what they write will be accessible by people around the world and that once it is published, it will always be accessible.” – William Chamberlain (Kist 2010).  And although I will not continue with this blog I do plan to establish myself as a blogger on our school website Library page, something a few months ago I would have balked at.

My plan to add new widgets to my blog was easy to accomplish. Blogger offers a fool proof method with its gadget feature.  The challenge was determining which widgets to add!

Sharing with others

This is one area that I feel confident in. The sharing of Web 2.0 tools will become part of my role as teacher librarian. Having spent time learning about the value that Web tools offer both personal and professional learning I feel it is my job to pass on this information to others.

Personally I have already shared many of these tools with both friends and family members. My children have become accustomed to being called into the computer room to check out the new tool Mom thinks they will love. Animoto has been used for a Language Arts assignment and to create a memory album by my daughters. Also, it is not uncommon to hear giggles from the other room as new Bitstrip comics come to life. GoogleReader has been adopted by a number of friends to centralize all of the decorating blogs they follow. It is exciting to be able to introduce these options to others and I will continue to encourage family and friends to engage in Web 2.0 tools.

Professionally I have shared many of these tools with colleagues and students alike and will of course continue to do so. Colleagues were exposed to Voki, Bitstrips and Animoto at a resent PD day and were presented with application uses for each web tool. Many have started to integrate the tools into their teaching and are seeing the many benefits that they have to offer as a learning tool. Students have been encouraged through learning opportunities to use these web tools as alternatives to other forms of representation for expressing their knowledge. A small group in my own class have created a Weblog, A look at History, which they are using to chronicle their learning. It is just at the beginning stages but the students are engaged and actively participating in their learning. The library patrons have and will continue to benefit from these web tools. Through book talks-Animoto style, LibraryThing on the School website, comics that feature library books, VoiceThread discussions and much more the SIS library patrons are in for a technology rich experience.

 Conclusion

Throughout this inquiry process I have had the opportunity to read and view various books, articles, blogs and videos promoting the many benefits of embedding technology into the way we think about teaching and learning.  Some have had more of an impact than others but all have in some way helped me to develop a new understanding about teaching and learning in the 21^st century.

I hope, for those of you who have joined me on this exploration of Web 2.0 tools, you have enjoyed the ride and perhaps learned a little along the way and though it seems as if I have come to the end of this adventure I think perhaps it is really just the beginning.