PIXTON: everyone can make comics

                                                 PIXTON

Pixton is a comic creation site (as well as Android and iOS app) where creators can both make and share their comic strips. It's simple to navigate. After teachers establish a classroom site, they receive codes to distribute to students. Students can join by entering the code or teachers can manually add students to their class page. After students create an avatar (in comic form, of course!), they follow the step-by-step comic creator to begin their graphic stories. Teachers can make a specific assignment, or let students create freely. Options include the number of panels and the layout of a page. Visual icons help students add artwork, backgrounds, and text bubbles to comics (students don't draw their own stuff here but pick from a bank of fun images). A handy link to video tutorials is located right in the workspace, and the videos open up above a comic-in-progress, allowing students to toggle between how-tos and their own comic. Once students save, there are options for sharing the work (depending on the moderation settings established by the teacher).

                                  PİXTON AS A TOOL IN EDUCATION

Pixton has a lot going for it: simple set-up for teachers, easy-to-use interfaces, ability to share comics in a classroom community or beyond, and even multimedia elements like layering audio into a comic. While artwork options can feel limited (characters start to look the same after a while), Pixton is relatively easy to use and offers literacy opportunities for students across a wide range of grades. There's an incredible abundance of options to adjust graphics, from facial expression to subtle body movements. This can feel empowering or overwhelming depending on the user. Teachers, however, can select an option that limits the graphic possibilities if they feel it'll be beneficial. Overall, students are creatively guided to make subject-based comics; art and learning are nicely blended here.I used Pixton to teach ''Asking Directions'' in a fun way. If you want to see, you can click here.