Learning to Use Comic Life!
According to the Professional Learning Framework for the Teaching Profession:
Opportunities for professional growth and development might include but are not limited to:
Technology and Learning
Members of the Ontario College of Teachers may choose to:
• increase their competency in computer, telecommunication, videoconferencing, CD-ROM and videodisc technology
• integrate technology into teaching practice
• enrol in a distance education program.
As a computer teacher I have been doing technology PD for over a decade; however, as a media teacher it is only recently that I have been making the connection between the software as a means of media text production and the theory associated with media literacy. Last summer I took Slyvie Webb's 3 day summer workshop on Media Literay but I realized that what I was learning was only the tip of the iceburg. To be a more critical view of media text I would have to learn more of the theory behind the production.
This AQ, Media Literacy Part One, is an excellent start. I'm getting great ideas for activities and projects I can do next year, while I'm also learning more theory and being directed to some excellent resources. Some of the ideas include: having the students "read" me, my classroom, and open spaces as media text; applying the 5 Key Concepts and Media Triangle to various media text; creating a Storyboard; sorting various media text into categories, working with video techniques and video editting; working with images and creating visual representations; and analysing and creating comics and graphic novels.
In this reflection I will focus on the last activity, using Comic Life, because the software is new to me and required me to seek professional development and written resources. During the past school year I was fortunate to atend the ECOO (Educational Computing Organization of Ontario)Conference and signed up for a workshop on ComicLife. During this workshop, I learned a great deal about the program and was introduced to an excellent resource entitled, Comic Life for Educators (FTC Publishing).
During the Media Literacy Part One AQ course, I have also been exposed to some great ideas and resources relating to comics in general. One of our instructors told us about a book entitled Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. Also, one of my collegues in the class told us about a website related to comics entitled Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work. I have already ordered the book and have been visiting the website to learn more about comics. In order to teach how to use Comic Life, I have created two comics to teach students about Comic Life. How is that for teaching about Comic Life by going through Comic Life?
Below is a worksheet I would give students to help them with the basics. I would ask them to make a comic about whatever they wanted. They would need to include: LETTERING, TEXT BOX, SPEECH BUBBLES, CLIP ART, AND IMAGES.
Once they have mastered the basic skills, I would use the worksheet below to show them more complex skills (i.e. ADDING A BACKGROUND, MANIPULATING A PHOTO OR CLIP ART, and ADDING AN IMAGE TO A BACKGROUND).
