Bitstrips+for+Schools

=Bitstrips for Schools =

What is Bitstrips?
Bitstrips is an online utility which allows users to create cartoons using either existing templates or those they create themselves. It can be use for any level from elementary through high school in a variety of settings. Users have the ability to create single cartoons to be used as covers or simple artwork through multi-pane story boards depicting situations or scenarios.

With a little demonstration, users are able to create work from simple to complex- even if they have no artistic ability! The site offers a free 14 day trial, thereafter it is a paid service but the cost is reasonable. Rates are available for a single classroom (40 students) for $87 per year or larger groups up to 6 classrooms (40 students each) for $265 per year.

Help and Tutorials
Bitstrips can be accessed by going to [|www.bitstripsforschools.com]

An introductory video available from Bitstrips main page explains what the site is and does media type="custom" key="5460879"


 * **Build and edit comics**: Design and dress original characters. Then give them emotions, actions, and words in their own comic strips. Add characters, scenes and props from their ever-growing collection.
 * **Teacher Tools:** Bitstrips allows teachers to create "classrooms" and "enroll" students. Once a classroom is created activities can be created and assigned. When students complete the activities the teacher has the ability to view student progress as students complete their work! Activities can be made "from scratch" or using one of the hundreds of activity templates. Activities are searchable by grade level and content area.

A Few more videos on using Bitstrips-
These are not put out by the Bitstrips site but demonstrate what they are capable of. media type="youtube" key="SmH-WEzg63w" height="204" width="253" media type="youtube" key="mlxMs-0fw8o" height="202" width="247" Finally, Bitstrips maintains a blog for members to post and share ideas and results from various activities. This is a good source of ideas. The blog can be accessed here: blog.bitstripsforschools.com

Challenges

 * No question, the first challenge is that this is not a free app. They do offer the free trial to test it out, the trial is also long enough that a user would be able to try it in the classroom for an activity or two before making a purchase.
 * Some of the more advanced features such as manipulating objects and scaling sizes can be challenging at first. A decent amount of classtime would be needed to get students used to using the interface but this is true of most technology tools.

Curriculum Area
Social Studies: US Government

Lesson Idea
This activity is a basic plan for an ongoing activity. One curriculum goal for Social Studies is for students to critically examine and evaluate political cartoons. In this activity students will create political cartoons relating to particular current event topics. Initially, students will use Bitstrips to create cartoons of major political figures in American politics. Characters such as Barak Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, etc... These characters represent recurring figures in major political news. Currently, students are required to select a news article each week and submit a written summary and opinion of the story. Using Bitstrips this will be extended to include creating their own political cartoon depicting the particular situation. This allows for not only an extension of the original assignment but also a deeper examination and evaluation of the topic.

Educational Objectives

 * Evaluate political leadership and public service in a republican form of government.
 * Synthesize and evaluate visual data and imagery
 * Evaluate the impact of opinions on the perception of fact
 * Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

Example of a Bitstrip
I created this one pretty quick just as an example