Multi-media and Creativity; a love-hate relationship, if you will.
Google image: Multimedia and creativity
First and foremost, creativity is stimulated when an individual can create something new and influential, and is often viewed as the key to education. In a classroom context, creativity gives rise to motivation for students to devise solutions to various problems (Hikmawan et al., 2019). The vast usability of multi-media enables students the chance to participate in various activities in which they can manoeuvre their creative abilities.
Take 'Pixton' as an example.
Pixton offers students the ability to create cartoon comics - a great tool in combining modes of visual communication and creative practice. Such modes are a necessity as these skills assist students to develop visual, oral, written and media-related agilities to communicate their knowledge (Luczaj, 2010). Referring to Fig.1, there is an abundance of pre-set features including backgrounds, characters, objects, texts, and faces to pick from, where students can compose and customise their comic stories. Mind you, it's also a great tool for teaching dialogue!
Fig. 1: Original image - choosing a background cc: Angelina Cho
Fig. 2: Original image - choosing a character cc: Angelina Cho
Fig. 3: Original image - adding speech cc: Angelina Cho
Pixton can be used by all actors of education, with just a simple sign-up. One of the most appreciable aspects of this media tool is that it is relatively easy to use and does not require pre-existing design or drawing skills in order to navigate it - suitable for someone like me.
Through the manipulation of the fingers (or the good ol' handy mouse), students are free to create characters with different miens, such as body language and facial expressions, making each comic strip distinct in its own - how creative!
But...why the love-hate relationship?
Albeit Pixton has gained much praise for its intuitive interface, like all other technologies and media (and relationships), it has its flaws. For our younger users who voice unfamiliarity towards technology, Pixton can be a bit difficult to navigate. As such, some have initially expressed doubt concerning 'where to begin' (Meyers, 2013). Additionally, contending its simplicity, several argue that it's only suitable for certain ages as it would foster creativity in older students, less significantly.
Not to worry though, with every problem comes a solution.
Pixton provides numerous video-based tutorials to assist all users to become familiar with its features. These videos can be used by teachers to direct in-class tutorials to demonstrate the features and use of the software, and further prep students for their activities. Perhaps even setting guidelines might help students to complete their activity within its specifications. For example, teachers can impose a requirement for the comic design to be a nine-panel comic. By doing this, students have a gist of the length of their comic and plan accordingly.
As for our older students, they could use more higher-level software, namely 'Comic Life 3' to further foster creativity in their ingenious endeavours.
Google image: Comic Life 3
All in all, this media tool ensures creative abilities in the majority of students due to its vast variety of uses. Pixton also has a 'Student Gallery' feature, enabling peers to have a look at each others' creations. With this feature, teachers could even 'de-brief' students' work with the class, delving into discussions of specific elements (of the comics) that demonstrate creative expression.
References
Hikmawan, T., Sutarni, N., & Hufad, A. (2019). The role of Electronic Learning Media in Creativity Learning. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1375(1), 012030. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1375/1/012030
Luczaj, J. E. (2010). Beyond Words: Using Digital Comics to Connect Students to Course Content. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/33509/.
Meyers, E. A. (2013). Theory, technology, and creative practice: Using Pixton Comics to teach communication theory. Communication Teacher, 28(1), 32–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2013.839051
Pixton Comic & Storyboard Builder for Education. Pixton. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.pixton.com/
Hi Angelina,
Cheers for an engaging blog post on Pixton! I have used Pixton and also have found it easy to use and students will no doubt find it enjoyable and useful for their learning. Pixton is great to use as a comic strip in a Year 2 level where students can better visualise their Imaginative Writing.
It would have been great to add a YouTube video for other readers to see how you interact with Pixton!
How can you link it to the NSW syllabus outcome?
Also thank you for suggesting Comic Life 3 for older students!
Cheers,
Dianne
Hi Angelina, Agree with the posts above, great post!
I definitely think that students could use these programs at the right stage level to engage in perspective taking around an issue, which would be a great way for students to consolidate their learning and move to those higher orders of thinking. You could even have students collaborate on comics. It would be good to know if you can upload your own content to include in the comics as well, as this might be another way for students to get creative.
Sam D - 12.4.23
Hi Angelina,
Thank you for sharing Pixton as an educational tool. I was not familiar with Pixton prior to this tool so it is nice to see something new and original.
I think it was really good that you gave a more complex option for more senior students as different ages often require slight changes to interface etc.
If I have to suggest something to add, maybe a subject specific example would have been nice, still, I really like how you have given Pixton as a tool both for students and educators alike.
Pia Malmberg (11/04/23)
Hi Angelina,
Thank you so much for your post! I found it very informative, especially as I have never used Pixton before. I found the inclusion of not only the good, but the slightly negative aspects of the software helpful so that I am aware of them before I bring it into my classroom. I also found the inclusion of your pictures very engaging as I was able to see how you could create comics. Is this a software where students would be able to include music or their own audio, or would they need to go through another software if they wanted to include this? Also, can you think of specific classroom scenarios where you think Pixton could enhance…
Hi Angelina,
I really enjoyed reading your post. The layout with lots of colourful exemplar images that break up the text is really great for usability, and I like how you have shown many different aspects of both Pixton and Comic Life 3 to demonstrate the usability and suitability for different age groups to help make the task more engaging based on ability level. Your discussion of the pros and cons of each, as well as specific examples of how to use the in the classroom is also excellent!
One thing I think you could add is how the comic could then be used to further engage with aspects of multimedia including both visual and audio stimulation. This could be…