Pixton+-+Mandi+McMillen

[|www.Pixton.com]

=What is Pixton? = Pixton is a great Web 2.0 tool that can be used in many different settings! Pixton is an online comic strip maker in which you choose your own characters, settings, and situations to showcase your creativity and communicate with the world. There are poseable characters, very vivid backdrops, and interesting props. Pixton has won numerous awards and has most recently been named a "leading web 2.0 pioneer." This tool is interactive, creative, and FUNNY!

=How could YOU use Pixton? = I have used Pixton several times in my Social Skills class, which is why I chose to share it with our class. It helps that I have actually had students use this product and can attest to its productivity. In my classroom, I use Pixton to help my students process through social situations. I ask the students to create two comic strips. One comic strip showcases an inappropriate social situation and the other showcases how that same situation could have been handled differently, in a more appropriate way. This is just one example of how this tool can be used. English teachers can ask students to create comic strips to show character and plot development in novels, or to create their own short stories. Social Studies teachers can ask students to re-create historical events in order to show their comprehension of the event, or to present it to the class. I also think it would be interesting to create modern day political cartoons.

=Upgraded Versions of Pixton = Pixton also has a "Pixton for Schools" and "Pixton for Business" versions. The "Pixton for Schools" upgrade allows students to work together on comic strips and even add voice-overs to the comics. It also has a grading feature and keeps the students in a private and secure online space.

=Examples =