Teaching with Comics

Comics is a form of medium that combines the elements of words and cartoon pictures. It is easy to read and it can easily send a message in a single strip, double strip or multiple strip. Comics is a medium to spark reading among young people.

While this used to be a medium in print, it has also evolved along the way, just like any media as technology progressed.

There are several online applications that can generate comics. There are also mobile tools to create comics or cartoon characters. I have seen four or five and I found BITSTRIPS and StripGenerator can comfortably handle creation of strips, selection of characters and plotting of the script or conversations.

This is what I was able to make in one sitting in StripGenerator.

 

My image of sau rieng is not recognizable as I simply took one of the abstract photos available that could depict durian. But if a Vietnamese student would be able to read it, she could readily recognize what is being talked about.

My comics looks harsh and sarcastic. That is the point! Clear and descriptive, as a response to the question of color, shape and taste..

Comics can be a creative tool for teachers to ask students compose their thoughts in short, concise set of words.

As to StripGenerator, I recommend it for English Teachers to use. It is an effective way of creating memory recall of class rules, studying techniques or even reinforcing positive values and good behavior.

The link is here: http://stripgenerator.com/