Just found out that Using Moodle Second Edition by Jason Cole and Helen Foster is available now online as a download in PDF format.  Have used the first version when learning Moodle and it was very helpful.  It is well written and easy to understand.  The new version can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/3o8vao.

ComicLife is a great tool for use with students to get the students to use higher order thinking skills and engage them in the learning process. Over the course of using ComicLife with students, I have found how helpful it is to do a few things prior to having the students produce their comic to really make sure that the students are producing a high quality product.  I have outlined the steps that we use when have students produce a comic below:

Step 1:  ORGANIZE INFORMATION – Having the students take the information they will place in the comic and organize it into a map.  Typically we have students use Inspiration software or CMAP tools  to do this.  This step really focuses the students in thinking about their topic and begins to help them synthesize the information that will ultimately end up in the comic.  It also allows them through this organizational process to get the information ready to be storyboarded in step 2.

Step 2:  STORYBOARD – Having the students create a storyboard of the comic with a template such as the one below.  A storyboard that we have used can be found at http://www.ivieawards.org/storyboard1.pdf.  In the storyboard, the students draw the pictures that they want to see in each frame of the comic and write in the dialogue that they will want as well that goes with each frame.  In this step of the process, I will have students really make the comic exciting.  I will typically have students personify their information in some way so they are not just giving the facts back to me through their comic.  For example, when having the students create a comic that covers mitosis in science class, we may have the student personify a narrator or sports announcer in the comic so that they can word the language in each section of the comic accordingly.  This really helps students to use their creativity to synthesize and summarize their information in such a way as it best fits with the comic.  It also requires students to revisit the information time and again to edit and revise according to the persona that I have asked them to use.  Plus, it is not uncommon for students to edit many times to get it just right as there is a limited space for writing in each frame of the comic.

Step 3:  GATHER PICTURES – Having students gather the pictures they will need for the comic on the Internet, by scanning drawings, or taking photos with digital camera.  These pictures will match the sketches that they drew in step 2.  The reason we like to have the students do this step after the storyboard step is that in the storyboarding process, the students have settled on what their images will look like and streamlines the process.

Step 4:  PRODUCE THE COMIC – ComicLife is very easy for students to learn and takes only a few minutes of instruction for them to learn the ins and outs of how to use the program.  Typically, we may spend only a total of 5-10 minutes maximum showing students how to use the program as it is very drag and drop oriented.  ComicLife also has great help built in on the help menu and covers all topics quite well.  On the Mac, you can also print the manual as well.

Oftentimes while students are producing the comic, they find that what they wrote in their storyboard did not quite work when they make their comic.  This ends up being a good thing in the long run because this helps the students to have to revisit their information again and how they conveyed it in the storyboard and edit accordingly, thus revisiting the content again.

Step 5: PUBLISHING – If students are required to publish their information to a wider audience, it really makes them step up their game.  What we have found is that students will peer review and self edit quite a bit more often than if we are just asking the student to produce the work for the teacher.  They are much more conscious of quality when they are publishing to peers and a wider audience.  The comic came be exported in various formats including images, PDF (on Mac), web pages, and movies.