A free online device that can be used for digital storytelling/cyberbullying. Children and teens create comic strips online by choosing backgrounds, characters, and props. They can also write dialogue using speech bubbles. There is a Comic Strip Planning Sheet, a printable PDF that comic creators can use to draft and revise their work before creating and printing their final comics. When the comics are completed, they can be printed out and shared. The sample comic strip shows a three-pane comic.
Teacher's idea on how to make bullying awareness important and exciting for third-and fourth-grade students by having them create comic strips using Comic Life, one of the new programs available for Macs. With the aid of ready-made templates, word bubbles, pictures, etc., users easily create a comic strip.
KINSA has partnered with Nelvana to create a 16-page cyber-safety comic featuring characters from YTV's hit show, Grossology. The original comic takes kids on an adventure into the underworld of crime (and slime!) while reinforcing KINSA's Surf Smart™ principles. The comic will be distributed in POP! Magazine in spring 2008 to over 300,000 students in Canada, and is also available for download here.
Bullying is a problem at every level of education. Every school has its own way to address the problem, but are these techniques effective? Do they ever make a deep impression on the students? Does the bullying ever go away? Not Likely.
My school is no different from any other; we have implemented programs to combat bullying, but the bullying persists. Then, after experimenting with some new software, I got the idea to make bullying awareness important and exciting for my third-and fourth-grade students by having them create comic strips using Comic Life, one of the new programs available for Macs. With the aid of ready-made templates, word bubbles, pictures, etc. its users easily create a comic strip.
Illustrated stories are a powerful form of popular expression. Formats such as the single cartoon, panel strip, comic book, graphic novel, and illustrated book have been widely used in our culture to communicate and express ideas in dramatic ways.
Web-based Comics. BitStrips for Schools places it on a private virtual network where teachers can moderate content and review all characters and comics. Students can flag inappropriate comments or bullying, which is then instantly removed pending teacher review. There is a nominal fee of $9.95 per month for up to 40 students.
New Jersey Legal, a firm specializing in computer forensics, (eDiscovery, litigation support and trial service), also provides custom court room exhibits and multimedia presentations. They run a weekly comic series on their web site called CAPTAIN FORENSICS - with comics that are all related to computer crimes. This is part one of a 4-part series on Cyberbullying. Click "next" for the rest of the episodes.
This Comic Life series was created to address some teacher training needs in the area of Internet safety in a fun and entertaining way. This was a solo project by Tom Woodward.
This is a short presentation providing ideas on how to teach digital citizenship, with a focus on cyberbullying awareness. Many of the links are from the UK, but it does provide some ideas for using COMIC LIFE with students to address cyberbullying.
This teacher has applied the concept of 6-frame comic summaries to book analysis, historical figure eras etc. The idea could be used for presentations on any facet of digital citizenship.
In this lesson, students share observations about the nuances of spoken and written language. They then create comic strips that comment on problems that arise in electronic-based communications, and prepare a bill of rights outlining the rights and responsibilities of the online community.
From the Center for the Study of the Public Domain (CSPD). The ARTS PROJECT analyzes the effects of intellectual property on cultural production, and is supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
Two 45-minute lesson plans that address the issue of cyberbullying, teaches safety tips for tackling it, and encourages children to support each other and behave responsibly online.
Technology not only changes how we write, but it also changes what writing is. Education will need to re-evaluate which writing skills teachers should pass to their students. Digital graphic writing is one genre students need to be fluent. Comic Life is the "word processor" of digital graphic writing.