Once upon a time…
(Somewhere, someplace, a sudden hush falls upon an unsuspecting urban crowd at rush hour. It is early Fall, and the air, laden with the soft fire of dusk, is still. A Depression–era newsboy – A Depression-era newsboy? - his day near done, seems beleaguered from the weight of the late edition daily he carries in a burlap satchel from his right shoulder. Invariably, he soldiers on with the dire hope he can sell enough gazettes in due time to buy himself – or his mother – or (after much internal debate and second-guessing) HIMSELF, the newest generation iPad for Christmas. Suddenly, and almost by accident, he turns his gaze skyward as if to chastise the late-day sun for its unwelcome warmth, and sees a faint indistinguishable figure on the horizon. Without thinking, he exclaims to the crowd-at-large while extending his index finger toward Heaven:) “What…? What’s THAT up in the sky?? It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s a… A graduate student??? Ohhh, @#$%^&* me! Let’s… (Now clenching his fists and recklessly swinging them) BAM! POW!! KAYO!!! …give that big sissy a collective, COLLEGIATE wedgie for polluting the landscape of our fair city with ANOTHER Web 2.0 tool!!!)
The End. Credits roll.
As I write these words, dear reader, I am not, contrary to popular belief, out fighting crime in the wee hours of the morning under an assumed alias. Nor am I wearing some leotard that fits like a second skin – at least nothing I’m willing to admit to. But I am wearing a CAPE. And a SMILE. (Just kidding.)
Under the suggestion of my girlfriend - we’ll call her “Emily,” so as to protect the identity of the innocent – a social and behavioral researcher who, among many things, designs the “user experience,” I’m exploring Stripgenerator (www.stripgenerator.com) - a website/Web 2.0 tool that allows you to, as the name implies, generate your own (comic) strips (or storyboards).
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| Stripgenerator |
Now for years, comic strips, as well as comic books, have been instrumental alternatives to reading in Language Arts classrooms in helping encourage reluctant readers, and/or promote visual learning in terms of dialect, characterization and plot development.
With the introduction of a tool like Stripgenerator, reading itself (as well as giving a book report, for example) just got a lot easier. So, you ask: “How does it work?”
Stripgenerator is, according to its website mission statement, “a free of charge project created to embrace the Internet blogging and (comic) strip creation culture, helping the people with no drawing abilities to express their opinions via (comic) strips.”
It has a very clean, simple interface, with very clean, simple “drag and drop” comic book characters to use, so anyone, regardless of artistic ability, can participate and craft their comic strip stories - no worries. (It does not, repeat: NOT, require someone to be Stan Lee, the creator of Spider Man.)
The site differs from most in the genre, as I understand it (I’ve only a limited understanding of similar such sites), by offering a “blog” where people can post and receive comments on their artistic endeavors. This, in turn, fosters a sense of community amongst its users.
See for yourself, by watching the video introduction/tutorial at the following URL:
The website has artist galleries and an archive of over 200,000 comic strips available to view.
(Trust me, it’s NOT just a job for Superman!)
Wow, what a fun site you have found. This would be great to use with one of the assignment I give my students. There is so much to do and it is not as complicated as it looks. This site is going to be a great asset to my lesson.
ReplyDeleteJeet,
ReplyDeleteYou have found a wonderful site full of fun and excitement. I have been looking for ways to storyboard math problems and actually bring them to life. I feel this web 2.0 tool might be the answer to my frustrations.
Thanks,
Jana
Jeet,
ReplyDeleteFrom one fellow English teacher to another, I must say that I love your post! You are witty and use words wonderfully. I often times wonder where my own wit is hiding after looking at your post. Have I allowed my students to suck it out of me? Anyway, I saw this posting earlier via Facebook, and I did ask your permission to use because you have some how put a copyright seal on it (lol). I do see this becoming very useful in my classroom because if I know my students, then I know they like to color, use music and sound, and be creative in English through any means necessary, especially if it does not involve pen and paper. I am certainly going to invite them into the realm of creativity with this!!
"It has a very clean, simple interface, with very clean, simple “drag and drop” comic book characters to use, so anyone, regardless of artistic ability, can participate and craft their comic strip stories - no worries. "
ReplyDeleteThis site is totally speaking my language. I'm one of those people who has great ideas, but unfortunately can not put them on paper. I CAN do a mean drag and drop though :-) I have bookmarked this site and hope to use it soon in my class, or even just to entertain my friends.
For ESL, comics are a proven way to help with vocabulary building, and reading comprehension. AND they're fun, a win win situation. Thanks for sharing this site.