Bitstrips Creators and Writing Project Teachers Talking Comics - TTT 199 - 05.05.10
Posted by Paul Allison on 31st May 2010
Bitstrips Creators and Writing Project Teachers Talking Comics - TTT 199 - 05.05.10 [69:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadOn this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, we enjoyed a lively conversation with two guys from the Toronto-based interactive design team who created Bitstrips for Schools, Shahan Panth and Jacob Blackstock. 
We were also entertained by a couple of Writing Project teachers: Kevin Hodgson from Western Massachusetts and Larry Neuburger from the Ozarks in Missouri.
In September 2009, Bitstips launched a “new educational site, Bitstrips for Schools!”
Soon after we launched Bitstrips.com, we found that teachers everywhere were using Bitstrips as a teaching tool, engaging their students with the exciting power of comic creation. So, we decided to build a new version of Bitstrips, tailored specifically for teachers. Bitstrips for Schools has all the awesome tools from Bitstrips, transplanted into a safe and secure environment, with additional administrative features that put the teacher in control. Teachers can create a virtual classroom, where their students can become cartoon characters and then complete activities by making comics. It’s an amazing way to promote literacy while having fun.
And, to start things off with a bang, we’ve licensed the service to the Ministry of Education for our home province of Ontario. This means that all 5000 publicly funded schools now have access to Bitstrips – that’s over 2,000,000 students! We can’t wait to see what they come up with.
So, go check out Bitstrips for Schools – learning with comics has never been so much fun!
Earlier this spring, the National Writing Project invited their teachers to try Bitstripsfor free until the end of the summer.
Have you thought about using comic strips as a new way to engage your students? It seems like a perfect step along the continuum of multimedia use in composition, but the artwork aspect of it may be daunting. Enter: Bitstrips for Schools.
Kevin Hodgson wrote a review:
I am always interested in the various online, but protected, sites offering students and teachers a way to make webcomics. I use ToonDooSpaces with my students, and I love the variety of artwork and other options at ToonDoo, but I keep an eye out for other sites, too.
Recently, the National Writing Project finagled a deal with Bitstrips to let NWP teachers give the Bitstrips for Schools a trial run, so I jumped right in (big surprise) and started up an account, established a “classroom” and began making a comic. Later, I created an “activity” that will show up in any student account that I create.
Perhaps you do comics with your students, or would like to consider the possibilities! We hope you enjoy this conversation!
Go to EdTechTalk to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.
Posted in Paul Allison, Susan Ettenheim, Kevin Hodgson, National Writing Project, Bitstrips, Bitstrips for Schools, comics, Shahan Panth, Jacob Blackstock, Larry Neuburger | No Comments »