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Volume 1 Number 3
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Summer Spectacular COMICS
This issue: Summer Spectacular COMICS The Spectacular issue will cover only one instruc onal design subject. So to make it fun and exci ng at the same me, this issue will cover the topic of Comics and their learning poten al in educa on. Comics have mo va ng power. William Marston said that we have a natural a rac on to comics and by using comics in the classroom we can take advantage of their mo va ng power and a rac on. In elementary school I was several grade levels behind in reading, so my older brother mo vated 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 wri ng, 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:)
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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 effec vely than words. Today we have several comic rela ons
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 h p://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127569/comic‐book “The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway adver sing premi‐ ums. By 1935 reprints of newspaper strips and books with original stories were selling in large quan es. During World War II comics dealing with war and crime found many readers among soldiers sta oned abroad, and in the 1950s comic books were blamed for juvenile delinquency. Though the industry responded with self‐censorship, some adventure strips con nued to be cri cized. In the 1960s comic books sa rizing the cultural underworld became popular, especially among college students. By the turn of the 21st century, Japanese comic books (manga), with their great varia on in content and affect, had achieved worldwide populari‐ ty, and comic “'zines” represented a thriving subculture. Comic books are o en used to deal with serious subjects.” (like Art Spiegelman's Maus books, about the Holocaust you can see page 6 for more informa on)
Summer Spectacular The Defini on of Comics on Plaid Red’s blog post that I read included some interes ng references. I liked how it defines comic so here is the link and excerpt. h p://plaidred.hubpages.com/hub/The‐Defini on‐of‐Comics “Comics are made with a wide range of styles, and cover a broad spectrum of sub‐ ject ma ers. Because of this they are hard to define without excluding one form or another. From the examples given in this paper though, the simplest defini on of comics can be explained as such: comics are a combina on of visual and/or tex‐ tual elements used to convey an idea, story or joke. This defini on is correct be‐ cause all comics have visual elements in some form, and these images, some mes 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 under‐ stand a thought the author is trying to portray. This, more than any previous defi‐ ni ons of comics discussed, is the true essence of comics.” Sco McCloud “draws” this defini on below in his book Understanding Comics. Sequence from Understanding Comics, ©1993 Sco McCloud. Text by Harvey
COMICS in the classroom Andrew Miller an Educa onal Consultant and Online Educator stated in his blog on Using Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom located at this link h p://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 u lizing technology in authen c 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 educa on: As a visual representa on of knowledge
Presents what is essen al Easier to remember a visual graphic containing key informa on Engaging through thinking, crea ng and wri ng. Perfect avenue for wri ng dialogue Incites students with low interest in wri ng Helps organiza on through storytelling and storyboarding Using visual images convey meaning to a story or topic Develops crea ve and higher level thought processes Develops composi on techniques through visual‐verbal connec ons Enriches reading, wri ng, and thinking Serves as and assessment and evalua on tool Sequencing promotes understanding
The key benefits for students using Comics, summarized by Marilee Sarli o (Technology Director, Kildeer School), found in "Crea ng Comics: Visual and Verbal Thinking in the Ul mate Show and Tell" by Jane e 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 im‐ portant since recall and recogni on 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 instruc on Tapping into the World of Comics. Comics have always been a source of fun and amusement and they spark crea vity. As an instructor you will decide which aspect or type of comic is best suited for your content and student ac vity. 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 instruc onal manuals or give direc ons 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 instruc onal comics. Howtoons stresses a founda on of science and engineering educa on, inspiring crea vity through art and imagi‐ na on and is geared towards young people.
h p://www.howtoons.com/
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 me starring readers h p://www.axeanarchy.com/ Educa onal Origami Comic tools h p://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Comic+Tools Gene Luen Yang Humble Comics h p://geneyang.com/websites Home of Comiclopedia, an online encyclopedia h p://www.lambiek.net/comiclopedia.html Premier site for Golden/Silver Age comics h p://comicbookplus.com/ Comics for College Classroom h p://www.ripleyonline.com/graphic_novels.htm Also some Book resources below by Sco McCloud, Jessica Abel & Ma Madden
COMICS on educa on
Vola le 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 instruc onal ideas by wri ng an ar cle for upcoming issues of Vola le Learning magazine. Provi:)
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