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Volatile Learning

Volume 1 Number 3

Summer Spectacular COMICS

This issue: Summer Spectacular COMICS The Spectacular issue will cover only one instructional design subject. So to make it fun and exciting at the same time, this issue will cover the topic of Comics and their learning potential in education.

Comics have motivating power. William Marston said that we have a natural attraction to comics and by using comics in the classroom we can take advantage of their motivating power and attraction.

In elementary school I was several grade levels behind in reading, so my older brother motivated me to improve my reading skills when he read comic books to me. He change his voice with each character and acted out the sound effects.

Now I love reading. Comics blend pictorial images with text to create a story and can be fundamentally considered a visual medium. Comic can be a great tool to engage student and help them develop writing, reading, computer and research skills. These skills can be applied to web design, film-making and so on. Comic books are a vital part of popular culture in many countries. A comic picture story is truly worth a thousand words.

Provi:)

COMICS as picture stories The potency of the picture story in theory can become a truism because before man thought in symbolic words, he drew pictures. These cave drawings told a story more effectively than words. Today we have several comic relations

that have evolved from the first comic. Below is some history about how it all started according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, at the web link below http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127569/comic-book “The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. By 1935 reprints of newspaper strips and books with original stories were selling in large quantities. During World War II comics dealing with war and crime found many readers among soldiers stationed abroad, and in the 1950s comic books were blamed for juvenile delinquency. Though the industry responded with self-censorship, some adventure strips continued to be criticized. In the 1960s comic books satirizing the cultural underworld became popular, especially among college students. By the turn of the 21st century, Japanese comic books (manga), with their great variation in content and affect, had achieved worldwide popularity, and comic “'zines” represented a thriving subculture. Comic books are often used to deal with serious subjects.” (like Art Spiegelman's Maus books, about the Holocaust you can see page 6 for more information)

Summer Spectacular The Definition of Comics on Plaid Red’s blog post that I read included some interesting references. I liked how it defines comic so here is the link and excerpt. http://plaidred.hubpages.com/hub/The-Definition-of-Comics “Comics are made with a wide range of styles, and cover a broad spectrum of subject matters. Because of this they are hard to define without excluding one form or another. From the examples given in this paper though, the simplest definition of comics can be explained as such: comics are a combination of visual and/or textual elements used to convey an idea, story or joke. This definition is correct because all comics have visual elements in some form, and these images, sometimes combined with text, are all aim to convey something to the reader. It may be a joke, or simply feeling, but the purpose of all comics is to get the reader to understand a thought the author is trying to portray. This, more than any previous definitions of comics discussed, is the true essence of comics.”

Scott McCloud “draws” this definition below in his book Understanding Comics.

Sequence from Understanding Comics, ©1993 Scott McCloud. Text by Harvey

COMICS in the classroom Andrew Miller an Educational Consultant and Online Educator stated in his blog on Using Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom located at this link http://www.edutopia.org/blog/graphic-novels-comics-andrew-miller stated that “There are many purposes for comic in the classroom, from looking at different cultures and backgrounds to utilizing technology in authentic ways. Just make sure you select the graphic novel or comic with a clear purpose in mind.”

Here are some samples comics that look at diversity and different cultures.

Persepolis

American Born Chinese

Anya’s Ghost

About an Islamic girl

A tale of Chinese characters

About a Russian teen

Summer Spectacular Benefits of comics in education: As a visual representation of knowledge            

Presents what is essential Easier to remember a visual graphic containing key information Engaging through thinking, creating and writing.

Perfect avenue for writing dialogue Incites students with low interest in writing Helps organization through storytelling and storyboarding Using visual images convey meaning to a story or topic Develops creative and higher level thought processes Develops composition techniques through visual-verbal connections Enriches reading, writing, and thinking Serves as and assessment and evaluation tool Sequencing promotes understanding

The key benefits for students using Comics, summarized by Marilee Sarlitto (Technology Director, Kildeer School), found in "Creating Comics: Visual and Verbal Thinking in the Ultimate Show and Tell" by Janette Combs, College of William and Mary, July 17, 2003.

Comics handle mature content like Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” on the Holocaust.

It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Comics can be a valuable teaching tool when imagery is important since recall and recognition is enhanced with visual input. So in your struggle to engage students, comics can prove to be a formidable ally in the learning wars.

COMICS for instruction Tapping into the World of Comics. Comics have always been a source of fun and amusement and they spark creativity. As an instructor you will decide which aspect or type of comic is best suited for your content and student activity.

Since even the process of making comics can offer a learning opportunity that can be incorporated into the content that is delivered to students. There are many ways to tap into the excitement of comics to help engage learning. Students can make instructional manuals or give directions about safety issues or in a lab learn important procedures and other sequencing concepts.

At the Howtooms website (The World’s Greatest D.I.Y. Comic Website!) you will find some great examples of instructional comics. Howtoons stresses a foundation of science and engineering education, inspiring creativity through art and imagination and is geared towards young people.

http://www.howtoons.com/

Summer Spectacular Provi, did you use an online comic creator to make this comic page? It looks pretty cool!

Nope, I sketched out my idea on paper and drew it freehand within Publisher. I have a Art Education degree so I can draw pretty good.

Most comic creator use graphics geared for kids. Chogger lets you import and draw. See a sample on the next page.

Instructional tools like this can help faculty be more creative.

Cool and thanks for letting me be part of your comic.

I’m glad you let me draw your likeness. I hope faculty will use comics to engage their students online and in the classroom.

COMICS Samples

Bubble TALK

Did you know that the act of creating comics is an interdisciplinary activity?

How about a photo for a comic pane background.

We can interpret writings into a visual form using comics.

Comics deliver content by combining visual information and text.

Skills used in comic creation can be applied to filmmaking, illustration and web design.

Summer Spectacular Some Comics Web Recourses listed below for your convenience.

First comic created in real time starring readers http://www.axeanarchy.com/ Educational Origami Comic tools http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Comic+Tools Gene Luen Yang Humble Comics http://geneyang.com/websites Home of Comiclopedia, an online encyclopedia http://www.lambiek.net/comiclopedia.html Premier site for Golden/Silver Age comics http://comicbookplus.com/ Comics for College Classroom http://www.ripleyonline.com/graphic_novels.htm Also some Book resources below by Scott McCloud, Jessica Abel & Matt Madden

COMICS on education

Volatile Learning #3 Well I hope that you enjoy reading the content as much as I enjoyed researching the topic. Please let me know what you think by emailing me at sotomerp@gptc.edu or you can call me at ext. 1146 or visit me in A-029 next to the Assessment Center on DeKalb campus.

As always thanks for your feedback and please share your instructional ideas by writing an article for upcoming issues of Volatile Learning magazine.

Provi:)

Fall Issue: FREEBIES  Freeloader’s Guide  Portable Apps  Open Source  Web 2.0