Top Web Tools of 2007 - Number 4

Toondoo allows users to create 1-panel, 2-panel, or 3-panel comic strips. Saying something with limited space and with humor is a creative skill that can be nurtured in all people, no matter what the discipline or program. You can also create ToonBooks, which is a flip book of as many panels as you choose. Here is a ToonBook telling you how to make a ToonBook.

I put together this little toonbook as a recap of my top web tools, numbers 6 through 12. It's embedded below and here it is at the Toondoo site.

barrydahl	From my list of Top Web Tools of 2007 - numbers 6 through 12.

Using a cartoon building exercise is a good way to stretch students' creative muscles while giving them a project that they will enjoy and learn from. One suggestion is to assign a group project to 3-5 students. Have them create a storyboard together that depicts a cartoon on a particular topic that is germane to the course material being taught. Keep in mind that comic strips can be funny, but they don't have to be. Have them work together to create a storyboard that they all agree on as a way of making their point with the cartoon. Then have each of them create their own rendition of that storyboard using Toondoo. They will choose different backgrounds, different characters, etc., but they will be aiming toward the same basic idea for the cartoon.

My main complaint about the Toondoo site is that it is not safe for children. You will most likely see some unsavory language in some of the Doos as well as the comments, and possibly some images as well. Although college students can probably handle that, you have to question whether they should be put in that position in the first place. I wanted to use Toondoo with my Tech Club at the elementary school, but just couldn't do it due to the adult content. I used a different site that is very safe, but also only has a small amount of the functionality of Toondoo. That other site is makebeliefscomix.