Cartoons and Comics

ToonDoo

Using ToonDoo was fairly easy and very simple to use.  Before you work on creating your comic strip, you must choose whether you are going to be creating a comic strip or a comic book.  (Added bonus - the comic book feature also provides previously published comic books to browse through!)  There are various types of characters to choose from, as well as backgrounds.  You're also able to mess around with the spacing, whether you're wanting to to zoom-in, zoom-out, or flip the images around.  I think one of the best things that I liked about this site is that I needed very little to no instruction.  And though this site might at first seem like it's a 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get,' it is far from that.  You're able to create your own facial expressions and postures that can be rotated.  You can even upload your own images and distort them (if you'd like).  And yes, these things might seem time consuming, but just think of all the kinds of fun you can have and how engaged your students will be when they see your comic strip.


Pixton

Pixton was also another easy site to use.  I had no issues again whatsoever when it came down to creating a comic strip.  Though ToonDoo does offer you a variety of frames to choose from, I think Pixton provides a little bit more freedom for the user as they are able to select various types of frames to assist them in creating various types of projects, such as a mind map or a timeline.  This site also offers previously made comic strips for the user to use and re-arrange to fit their needs if they choose to do so.  One thing that I will say that I found much more engaging with Pixton than with ToonDoo is that you're able to actually move the background around.  With the comic strip I have uploaded, I was able to move the floor, the desks, and the window in the back.  The characters can also interact with the background, such as sitting down at a desk (which is one of their postures).  If I wanted,Now, I know it can get a bit crazy, but all this just adds to the creative freedom that the user has.  I had a lot more fun with this site than I did with ToonDoo, but that's probably because I was given a bit more creative freedom.  The only downside that I found to this site is that you do have to pay after your 15-day free trial is up.  However, if you're going to be using this site quite a bit, then the $8.99 a month doesn't seem to be too bad, especially since you're definitely getting what you pay for.


MakeBeliefsComix

One thing that I liked about this site is that you don't have to spend time creating an account.  However, that also means that there is no way to save your comic strips.  Granted, you can e-mail them to yourself, but that's just not the same.  You won't be able to go back and edit your comic strip - you'll just have to spend the time again to re-create another one.  As for its usability, I had no issues in creating a comic strip as this site also seems to be user friendly like previous two.  Some downsides to the site (other than the fact that you can't save your comic strips) are that you are offered very limited characters and backgrounds.  You still have all the same features as the other two.  The characters have about 3 or 4 features to choose from (happy, normal, mad, sad) and backgrounds (black/white or color).  With the options that are provided to the user, this site can definitely be used for beginners as it has offers the basic package for its users.



My Evaluation:

Overall, each site has its pros and cons, and each site is also very easy to manage, with Pixton offering quite a bit of a variety that makes its site slightly more complex - but still user friendly.  Students can definitely use these sites to provide 'teaser' scenes of completed books, which can be beneficial for those that are nervous about creating a book trailer.  Another project that can be done using these sites is having students show what they learned by creating a comic strip with a character having to show and/or teach another character the lesson that was taught in class that day.

From a librarians perspective, these would be great to add a little library humor.  Librarians could also show teachers how to use these sites to create examples of what is appropriate behavior in the classroom and/or the consequences for misbehavior.  For simple and basic use, MakeBeliefsComix is a great start, with ToonDoo coming in next; but, if you want to add a little bit more to your comic strip then I totally recommend Pixton.