Animoto, QR Codes, and Cartoons

 

Animoto, QR Codes, and Cartoons 

Animoto was a unique site to use to create a book trailer. With a free account, the images in the library were limited. However, it allowed you to upload your own photos and add in text to help share a snippet of the book you wanted. If you wanted to upgrade to access all its features and photos, the basic account was $8, professional was $15, and teams was $39. This a great way to share books and grasp the attention of all readers with its fun animations and graphics. I think this would be a great tool to utilize in the upper grades which will allow students to get creative and share their ideas of books read.

The book that I chose to create a trailer on is To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han. I chose this book because I love the books that share a classic love story. I love how the book begins with the characters love of books and then finds herself in her own book experience with her love letters being sent out. It is a book filled with romance, laughter, and tears that provide readers with a story filled with emotions.  

Here is the synopsis of the book from Jenny Hans website.  

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. (Jenny Han | Home, n.d.)

Below you can find the book trailer I created with Animoto for To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han. Scan the QR code next to the book cover to view the book trailer. 

QR Code

        QR codes are a unique way of sharing information with many. It can be used in and out of education that can share charts, graphs, videos, animations, and many more. It helps provide users additional information to expand their knowledge on different content whether it be educational or non educational. Here are a few ways that QR codes can be used: providing course content, connecting with students, collaboration, providing examples as well as support/feedback, interactive learning, and expanding on opportunities. (8 Ways to Use QR Codes in Higher Education Classrooms, n.d.)

         Now a days, our learning community has evolved to a technology rich environment which I find adding QR codes to the learning will make learning more efficient. There are many different ways that QR codes can be utilized in a library. Some ways to use QR codes could include making book searches easier, efficient promotion for books or activities, have the library more engaging by incorporating learning stations, differentiated instruction, conduct library contests and scavenger hunts. (Saumyabhatia, 2023), (O’Keeffe, 2023), (Benjamin Claeys, info@qrtiger.com, 2023), (A. Miller, 2014) Although there are many other ways QR codes can be utilized these are a few ways that I would use them as they would allow activities to be more interactive and could be very beneficial for learners and the library program.

Cartoons and Comics

        Cartoons and comics have been around for quite some time; however, they have not been promoted much in the education world. During this module, I had the opportunity to explore three different websites that help create different cartoons and comics which included Fotojet, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix. In getting the chance to explore the different sites, I was quite intrigued in being able to create different cartoons and comics. It was a fun assignment that gave us the chance to show off our creativeness and have fun with telling a story.

        The first website I chose to explore for creating the first cartoon and comic was Fotojet. While using Fotojet, it allowed the users to select from a very limited pile of templates to get started. However, the site was quite difficult to navigate. Aside from the templates, there were also limited photos to select from while using the free version. It was quite a challenge to resize and arrange the photos within the template. In addition, whenever an error was made in order to redo it, the undo arrow had to be used rather than the delete button because if not everything would get deleted. For me the final decision was that Fotojet was not user friendly.

Located below you can find the cartoon and comic that I created using Fotojet.  

        The second website I chose to explore for creating the second cartoon and comic was Pixton. I have to admit that creating a comic with Pixton was quite fun. The website has a great variety of backgrounds to choose from to get started. The website also allows for characters to be created and implemented throughout the comic along with other features such as different poses, objects, and speech bubbles. The website was fairly easy to navigate along with the arrangement of comic features. The only disadvantage was that with the free account, you are unable to download the comic and you would have to upgrade for that feature. The pricing was $10 for no students monthly, $144 for classrooms yearly, and lastly a quote could be given for districts. Pixton is a fun cite to use and allows multiple opportunities to be creative with the resources provided. This would be a great implementation in the classroom as I see students enjoying this website to create a comic. In the end, I found Pixton to be very user friendly and would definitely recommend this site to others wanted to create a cartoon and comic.

Located below you can find the cartoon and comic that I created using Pixton.

        The third website I chose to explore for creating the third cartoon and comic was MakeBeliefsComix. While using MakeBeliefsComix, it was interesting to see the different graphics it has to use for creating cartoons and comics. It has quite a bit of backgrounds to choose from in both color and black and white. I was quite to surprised to view the wide selection of characters to include in the cartoon and comic which included people, animals, and mythical creatures. The website also had different options including words based on speech bubbles and prompts. I did find it a little challenging at the beginning to rearrange the characters and words on the comic strip. With more practice, I found it to be a little easier as I began to play more with its features. After practicing a bit, it was quite easy to create the cartoon and comic from the graphics provided. One thing that I did not see was if the website had an option to upload our own images. For a quick and fun activity, I can see that students can find this website to be beneficial in helping them create a cartoon and comic.

Located below you can find the cartoon and comic that I created using MakeBeliefsComix.

        From all three websites used to create the cartoons and comics, it was interesting to compare and contrast the different graphics and features each site had. In reviewing each one, I would have to say that my favorite website from all three was Pixton. This website I felt provided more options in backgrounds as well as features that can be incorporated throughout the cartoon and comic being created. The website allowed you to change the features of the characters as well while also giving the option of uploading your own photos for the creation. Therefore, I would highly recommend students and others interested in making cartoons and comics to use the Pixton website.

        With this being the first time I created cartoons and comics, I have to admit that it was quite interesting. I found this to be a beneficial way of introducing students and teachers new ways to promote literature. As a librarian, I would like to incorporate cartoons  and comics as an extension activity to begin. After a few projects are created, I would like to have students create alternative endings to books, different perspectives, and creating a cartoon and comic with a script provided to them. I believe these would be great ways to introduce students and teachers with alternatives to learning while having fun. It will allow them to share what they have learned as well as have an opportunity to show their creativity.

        Overall, the module this week helped show new and creative ways to get creative and take learning to a whole new level. What I enjoyed most about the activities this week was that it showed us how book trailer as well as cartoons and comics can be used in the library as well as in the classroom. With us using more technology in our education, I do believe that these are great activities to incorporate in one’s learning. 

 

 

 

Resources

8 Ways to use QR codes in higher education classrooms. (n.d.). EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2022/8/8-ways-to-use-qr-codes-in-higher-education-classrooms

Benjamin Claeys, info@qrtiger.com. (2023). 10 ways to use QR codes in school libraries. Qrtiger. https://www.qrcode-tiger.com/qr-codes-in-school-libraries

Classroom Video maker | Make videos for school free. (n.d.). Animoto Video Maker - Stand Out on Social Media. Easily. https://animoto.com/education/classroom

Create Your Own Comic Strips Online with MakeBeliefsComix. (n.d.). Create Your Own Comic Strips Online With MakeBeliefsComix. https://makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

delanceyplace.com, Governor’s Woods Foundation. (n.d.). comic books are dangerous -- 5/31/17. Delanceyplace. https://www.delanceyplace.com/view-archives.php?p=3345

How teachers can use MakeBeliefsComix in the classroom. (2023, June 16). Create Your Own Comic Strips Online With MakeBeliefsComix. https://makebeliefscomix.com/teachers/

Jenny Han | Home. (n.d.). Jenny Han. https://www.jennyhan.com/

Miller, A. (2014). Twelve ideas for teaching with QR codes. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

O’Keeffe, J. (2023, August 11). How Using QR Codes Can Transform your Library. Library Management System by Softlink. https://ic.softlinkint.com/blog/scanning-for-success-how-using-qr-codes-can-transform-your-library/

Photo Comic maker - Make funny photo comic online for free. (n.d.). https://www.fotojet.com/features/misc/photo-comic.html

Pixton | Free comic & Avatar maker. (n.d.). https://www.pixton.com/landing

QR Code Generator | Create your free QR codes. (2019, June 7). https://www.qr-code-generator.com/

Saumyabhatia. (2023, September 8). QR Code In Libraries: A Complete Comprehensive Guide. Scanova Blog. https://scanova.io/blog/qr-code-in-libraries/

Vincent, T. (2015). Reflection Facilitated by QR Codes — Learning in Hand with Tony Vincent. Learning in Hand With Tony Vincent. https://learninginhand.com/blog/2013/7/5/roll-reflect-with-qr-codes