ToonDoo

media type="custom" key="23818074" width="150" height="150" align="left" Description
ToonDoo is a Web 2.0 application that allows individuals to create, share, and edit comic strips online. Web 2.0, as defined by The Oxford English Dictionary, is “the second stage of development of the World Wide Web, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media." When used in school ToonDoo offers an easy and creative way for students to show what they’ve learned, demonstrate and share new ideas, and analyze concepts. By not requiring students to create their own hand-drawn characters, ToonDoo eliminates the need for art-skill while still emphasizing creativity. This feature enables users of all abilities to take advantage of the application.

ToonDoo has both a free and paid version, the paid version is called ToonDoo Spaces and offers advanced options for schools and corporations. Advanced options include multiple users, or enrolling many users under one account (i.e. a classroom); user management, or tracking user activity, blocking users from certain features, highlighting user work, etc; homepage customization, or creating a custom homepage that all users will see on login; and advanced printing and saving options, including high resolution.

ToonDoo
Zoho Corporation, an international private for-profit company, launched ToonDoo in March 2007. The ToonDoo application was a branching off of Zoho’s usual products, which include mostly office productivity applications and services. ToonDoo Spaces, the educationally focused site was launched in September 2009 with “enhanced safety, security, and monitoring features.” Since the launch of the original site in 2007, users from all over the world have used ToonDoo at home and in the classroom. In 2009, two years after its conception, ToonDoo reached the 1,000,000 user-created Toons landmark.

Background of Comics in Education
Comics first caught the eye of educators in the 1940s. Studies conducted during these times showed that students demonstrated increased interest in lessons and homework involving comics. For instance: “Harold Downes, instructor in English in Lynn, Massachusetts, Industrial Arts High School, with the assistance of the publishers of the Superman-D. C. Comic Magazines, prepared a workbook in language… Mr. Downes and others who have used the device reported unusual interest on the part of the pupils using it, but that it presented the annoying difficulty of causing the youngsters to complete a whole week's work in one evening!” (Sones 233) While educators were experimenting with comics in the classroom, the military began widely using comics to provide motivation and training to soldiers. In the 1950s comics were attacked as having corrupt and subversive effects on young readers, and subsequently fell out of the realm of education for several decades. However, educators have a rekindled interest in using comics in education. In a 2002 article Morrison, Bryan, and Chilcoat explored the use comics in the classroom. They proclaimed that having students create their own comics enhanced learning by increasing interest in a subject, encouraging creative writing, engaging in greater literacy exploration, allowing artistic students to demonstrate their understanding of a subject in a manner that aligns with their strengths, and encouraging creative and analytical thinking.

Impact on Teaching and Learning
ToonDoo is one of several online comic-creation applications. As discussed above, reading comics can help increase interest in a subject, and creating comics can help increase and demonstrate understanding of a subject. While Morrison, Bryan, and Chilcoat talk about hand-drawn comics, Toondoo offers an option that makes comic-creation easier for all art-levels while preserving the myriad of positive learning outcomes. As we move away from standard teaching and learning styles and towards technology-laden classrooms, teachers are constantly challenged to find new and innovative ways to use technology in their curriculums. ToonDoo allows not only the transmission of information from teacher to student, but a forum in which both teachers and students can creatively express ideas and analyze concepts. ToonDoo is valuable in informal learning settings such as afterschool programs. Afterschool program facilitators are challenged to come up with educational and enriching activities that don't feel like school; ToonDoo facilitate this by allowing students to share knowledge in a creative way that yields a tangible result (a printable comic, or comic book).

Practical Applications
ToonDoo can be effectively used in elementary school settings, as well as middle and high school settings and allows teachers to present knowledge and assess student understanding in new and exciting ways. In elementary school, teachers may have students create a comic strip showing the life cycle of a caterpillar; in middle school, teachers may have students create a comic demonstrating their understanding of a mathematical concept; in high school, teachers may have students use ToonDoo to discuss a challenging book. Comics encourage students to think critically about a subject and then organize their thoughts into a clear and succinct format; ToonDoo maintains this value by focusing mainly on concepts and ideas as opposed to art. Users are able to utilize a wide variety of tools in ToonDoo. Teachers will not only be able to have students create comics, but will also be able to compile student comics into a book. Students can create their own personalized characters (TraitRs), as well as upload pictures to use in their comics (ImagineR), or draw their own (DoodleR)! The variety of tools encourage creativity and allow teachers to offer varied lesson plans. Below is an example of an afterschool program curriculum aimed at 3rd graders that utilizes comic creators, including ToonDoo, to teach parts of speech.



Screenshots
ToonDoo has an intuitive user-interface that can be easily used by a wide range of ages. media type="custom" key="23827928"

ToonDoo Comic Examples
As discussed, ToonDoo can be used in many different educational settings, with many different educational topics. Below are three examples of how ToonDoo can be used in an educational environment.

Similar sites:
There are many sites that provide similar services to ToonDoo, however ToonDoo appears to be the most versatile of the free options. Pixton Comic Creator ReadWriteThink Comic Creator Make Beliefs Comix! Manga Comic Creator Marvel Kids Superhero Creator

About the Author
Madeline Giscombe has experience working in the non-profit sector, with a focus on low-income and at-risk youth. As an advocate for low-income youth, Madeline firmly believes in the importance of afterschool programs that provide an educational service aimed at helping youth to explore who they are, who they want to be, and where they want to go in life. In her work Madeline has used many Web 2.0 applications, including ToonDoo, in afterschool and school settings to encourage youth to express themselves. She hopes to use her Masters in Educational Technology from University of Hawaii at Manoa to develop and encourage the use of interactive technology.