Chandler Unified School District



1.? is easy enough for children to use, but there are enough options for adults to get a message across, too. Users can choose from 25 characters to fill a two-, three-, or four-paneled comic strip. Currently, the site supports typing in seven different languages. There are plans to add Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters in the future.One limiting factor is color. Though you can choose a background color, the characters remain black and white. If you're planning on printing your comic strip, this could be a good opportunity to pull out the old-fashioned box of crayons. But if you're planning on sharing it online, it's a bit restricting.The pre-set options that make the site so easy to use can also be slightly limiting. Your comic strips will look pretty generic. There are only about four different expressions for each character. The upside of this is that you can finish a perfectly respectable online comic in about 10 minutes.The creator, Bill Zimmerman, is the author of?18 books?— including?Make Beliefs: A Gift For Your Imagination. "My hope is that by giving you a choice of characters with different moods and the chance to write words and thoughts for them," he writes on the site, "you will tap into your creativity and explore new possibilities."3.?PixtonThis is the comic strip creation website for artists. The site allows for as much customization as possible without the need to build from scratch. Instead of just choosing the color of a character's shirt, for instance, there are options to adjust the collar, shape, sleeves and size of the shirt. Instead of relying on preset poses and emotions for each character, users are able to click and drag character limbs into new postures and can customize eyes, ears, noses and hairstyles. It's also convenient to add images from?Flickr?or?Google?images.Successful comics vie every day for a spot in the prestigious? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Pixton top 10.4.? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" ToonDooToonDoo hits the fine balance between creative versatility and user friendliness, ensuring that the final results look sharp. While there's still an extensive library of characters and objects to use in your comic strip, there are also tools to create your own touches. The TraitR tool allows you to create custom characters and DoodlR lets you paint freely. If you want to use your own photos or another image in your comic strip, you can manipulate it through the ImagineR photo tool.Unlike other sites, there's an option to save your project mid-creation so that you can come back to it later. When you finish a handful of ToonDoos, you can?compile a book. It's easy to embed individual cartoons in a website or share them over networks, and you can buy print-quality images of your favorites.5.?Strip GeneratorThe stoic characters of Strip Generators lend themselves to sarcastic commentary. There's not a whole lot of opportunity to create a personal style — you need to work with what the site gives you — but that doesn't mean you can't be creative. The community topic-themed galleries are testimony to this (check out the current theme, "Autumn").One unique capability is adjustable frames. If you need a specific cell to be a bit wider or longer, you can just drag the wall. Another stand-out trait is the personal library. When you tweak an image to get it just right, you can save it to use again later.6.? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" PikistripsPikistrips takes your photos (er..."Pikis?") and turns them into comic strips. Once you upload your favorites into a customizable comic cell format, you're free to add text bubbles, speech bubbles and objects. The object gallery is pretty extensive, and its contents aren't random. Many of the categories — like hairstyles, hats, mustaches, scars, and tattoos — wouldn't be much fun without using your own photos as a canvas. If you miss the cartoon look, you can apply the "comic" effect to your photo or choose from seven others.All in all, this site is fun for tweaking your photos (also see the related?), but is intended to boost the company's custom printing business (you guessed it,?"pikiprint"). On the other hand, if you want a custom mouse pad, bag or cup with your photocomic on it, this aspect works nicely. Ways to Create Comics OnlineCreating cartoons and comic strips can be a good way to get reluctant writers writing. While creating comics you and your students can work through theelements of fiction?in a context that is fun and familiar to them.?Witty Comics?provides a simple platform that students can use to create two character dialogues. To use?Witty Comicsstudents just need to select the pre-drawn background scenes and the pre-drawn characters they want to feature in their comics. Writing the dialogues is the creative element that is left to the students.Artisan Cam?is more than just a comic creator, it is a comprehensive collection of online art activities. On Artisan Cam students can use the?Super Action Comic Maker?to build a six frame comic. The Super Action Comic Maker has a drag and drop interface which students use to select a background and character for their comics.?The?Super Hero Squad?invites kids to create their own super hero comic strips and comic books. The Super Hero Squad provides users with?templates?for comic strips and comic books. Users select the backgrounds, characters, and special effects from the provided menus. Arranging each scene and re-size the characters is an easy drag and drop process. After creating their scenes, users can add dialogue boxes to their comics. Completed comic strips and comic books can be downloaded and printed.?Pixton?is a drag-and-drop cartoon creation tool which allows anyone regardless of artistic ability to create comics. Users can join the Pixton community to share their creations with other. In addition to the?free individual accounts? HYPERLINK "" Pixtonoffers? HYPERLINK "" Pixton for Schools?(not free) which allows teachers to create private rooms in which only their students can create and share comics. To learn more about Pixton,?watch this short video.Strip Generator?allows anyone, even people who claim they can't draw, to create a good-looking black and white comic strip. To create a comic strip all you need to do is select the number of frames you want then drag characters and objects into those frames. The menus for characters and objects are fairly extensive. Once you've selected a character or object you can adjust the size to fit your scene. Adding text is a simple matter of selecting a speech bubble and typing text. When you're happy with your comic strip you can save it online, print it, or embed it into your blog.PikiKids?provides a variety of layouts to which students can upload images then edit the images or add text bubbles and titles. The comics that students create can be embedded into a blog or website as well as be shared via email.? HYPERLINK "" PikiKids?is free to use, but it is a for profit website as it offers options for buying tee-shirts or mugs with user-created comics.Write Comics?is a free, simple tool for creating comic strips.?Write Comics?doesn't require any registration to use. In fact, registration is not even an option. To create a comic on?Write Comics?just select a background from the menu, choose some characters, and add some speech bubbles. You can continue adding frames until you've completed your story. Write Comics is quite easy to use, but there is one short-coming and that is the only way you can save your work is to save it to your local hard drive.Make Beliefs?is a free comic strip creation tool that provides students with a variety of templates, characters, and prompts for building their own comic strips.?Make Beliefsprovides students with a pre-drawn characters and dialogue boxes which they can insert into each box of their comic strip. The editing options allow users the flexibility to alter the size of each character and dialogue bubble, bring elements forward within each box, and alter the sequence of each box in the comic strip. Students that have trouble starting a story can access writing prompts through make beliefs. Most impressively,?Make Beliefs?allows users to write their comic strip's dialogue in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portugese, or Latin.Be Funky?is a simple tool for turning digital photographs into digital comics. The image you see to the left is a cartoonized image of me based on a photograph I took with my webcam.?Be Funky?can be used for simple one frame images or be used to create an entire strip of cartoonized images with inserted text.Chogger?is a free comic strip creation tool offering a good selection of editing tools.? HYPERLINK "" Choggerallows you to draw images from scratch or use your existing images. You can even connect your webcam to? HYPERLINK "" Chogger?to capture pictures for use in your comic strips. Once you've added images to your comic strip, you can add effects such as fading and outlining.? HYPERLINK "" Chogger?also allows you to customize the look of each frame in your comic strip. Comic strips created in? HYPERLINK "" Chogger?can have as few as three frames or as many as twelve or more frames.How To Use The 5 Best Free Cartoon Making Tools For Teachers?Editor's note: We have originally written and published this article in January 2014. Thanks to your useful suggestions and our own following of the latest developments in the fast paced field of technology, we have updated this piece in November 2015 in the hope that you will keep finding it useful. Thank you for sharing!?ChoggerAbout Chogger: ?Chogger is a simple, but fun comic creation tool. It allows users to import their own pictures and publish a comic anonymously or under a username.How To Use Chogger:Click the link above and visit Chogger’s site. Once there, click the green “Build a Comic Now” button to the top left of the screen. When you do this, the Chogger Comic Strip Creator will be opened in a pop-up window. First, choose a layout for your comic. Use the left side of the creator to add images by searching Google, taking a photo, drawing, or uploading an image.?Choose your method, edit the image with the tools to the left of the creator, and then click “Add Image”. Now drag and drop your image to your desired location in order to add it to the comic. Add text to your comic by clicking on the text bubble at the top left of the screen. Choose which type of balloon/box you would like to add, then drag and drop it into your desired location. After you drag and drop the text tool, you may resize, format, and edit the text within it. Edit the layout or add a new panel to your comic by clicking the windowpane icon to the top left of the screen. Repeat the process of adding text and images until you are satisfied with your comic, and then click the green “Finish” button to the top right of the screen. Give your comic a title, description, hover text, and tags if you desire, then click “Publish Comic”. Chogger will provide you with a link to your comic so you can show it off! ?Note that these directions lead to a creation of a comic anonymously. However, you are able to create an account with Chogger in order to publish a comic under a username, rather than anonymously.Make Beliefs ComixAbout Make Beliefs Comix:Make Beliefs Comix is a comic creator that allows users to create and print simple comics with a classic look.How to Use Make Beliefs Comix:Click the link above and visit the Make Beliefs Comix website. Once there, locate the “Start Here” button and click it. You will now be taken to the Comix Creator. Below the comic panels you will find everything that you can add to your comic, such as: Characters, objects and scenes, thought balloons, and panel prompts. Click these items to make them appear in the selection window, then click them again in order to add them to your comic. Note that you are able to scroll through different items by using the red arrows beneath the selection window. You are also able to change the panel color and number of panels at the bottom right of the Comix Creator.?Use the toolbar to the left of the Creator to move, scale, delete, flip, or bring objects to the front of the comic. Once you are satisfied with your comic, locate the “Print/Email” button to the left of the screen and click it in order to save your work via email or paper document.Strip GeneratorAbout Strip Generator:A free with premium features web 2.0 site that allows you to create your own comic trips with little technology knowledge. All you need to do is drag and drop. Its basic version only requires a sign up.How To Use Strip Generator:After you sign up by activating the link that will be sent to your email, go ahead and click “Create a new strip”. Go to the “Frames” button and select the template you want. You can change the view of your template by zooming in and out, moving the red box on the right side of the page, or by clicking the “hand” below the zoom and dragging it. You can also change the frames by clicking the “Edit Frame”, selecting a frame, and dragging it to make it smaller or bigger. Add characters, items, or text in several languages (speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and titles) to your frames. On the right side you can drag and change the text size and roundness. The same goes for characters and items, as by clicking on them you can rotate them, adjust their size, flip them upside down, or even change their opacity and blurriness. When you’re done, click the finish button, give your comic strip title, and click “Publish”. You can also link your comic strip to your classroom blog and social network site.ToonDoo?About ToonDoo:ToonDoo is a comic cartoon creator that allows users to choose from a wide variety of art in order to create completely original cartoons.How To Use ToonDoo:Click the link above to visit ToonDoo’s site. Once there, locate the red button to the top right of the screen that reads “Sign Up for FREE!” and click it. While you are able to sign up for ToonDooSpaces, note that it is not free. Thus, this guide will focus on regular Toondoo. So click the “Sign up for Toondoo” button. You will now be directed to a page that asks for a username, password, and email ID; enter these things and click the blue “Register” button. After this, you will be redirected to ToonDoo’s sign in page; sign in with your username and password. You will now be directed to ToonDoo’s homepage. Mouse over the “Toons” tab and click “Create Toon”.?First, select your desired layout. You will now be taken to the ToonDoo Creator. At the left of the Creator, you are able to choose characters, backgrounds, props, texts, special effects, clipart, and images from your gallery. At the bottom of the Creator, you are able to lock, shrink, enlarge, clone, flip, rotate, layer, and delete images in your comic. You are also able to add doodles, create an avatar, and upload images from the Internet or your computer. Use these features to add text, images, and effects to your comic until you have created something you can be proud of. Then mouse over the “ToonDoo Start here” tab in the top left of the screen and click “Save”. Decide whether you want to keep your cartoon private, share it with friends, or share it with the world! Then add a title, description and tags and click “Publish”.Witty Comics!About Witty Comics!:Witty Comics! is a free of charge, very easy to use comic strip creator that allows you to create short comics with two character dialogues.How To Use Witty Comics!:Click on “Join” button and create an account. Check your email’s inbox and once you receive the password that will be sent to your email, use it to login. You are now a member of the Witty Comics. ?Go to “Make A Comic” and select the characters of your strip and the scene. Then type the narration of the first character in the form of saying, whispering, thinking of, or shouting. Repeat for the second character. Follow the same steps for the next two pictures, select the title of your strip, and then save your work. A piece of cake! Witty Comics! is a very simple platform that allows for creating interactive role plays and developing communicative skills in the classroom, as your students can use it to create their own dialogues and rehearse them in front of their classmates.Free Educational Technology ................
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