::Storyboard That:: I had a lot of ‘fun’ (who knew I used that word so much?!) making this little comic strip, and although I had some initial reservations about the program – it is definitely growing on me!

I am really appreciating all of the graphics; edit options, backgrounds, characters and categories, that are available within this program, making creating projects fun & easy!  I also noticed that there is an ‘upload’ option and although I have not tried this yet,  it’s definitely worth noting.

::Comic Life ::  Looking around, this platform offers a fantastic selection of templates,   they are both stylized & exiting,  giving students the opportunity to create story pages that look exactly like what one would want from a graphic novel making program!!

The interface is easy to use and I’ve really enjoyed playing around with the formatting; trying different templates, looking through & testing out font combinations, text bubbles and layout…I also like the squeaky balloon-stretching sound that the program makes when you re-sizing the image boxes!!  There are, however,  no pre-set graphics available.  In terms of practical classroom use, this means that students would need to create, photograph and upload their own illustrations, use a drawing tablet or curate appropriate/topical graphics from the internet, in order to place images into their chosen template.  This should not be a deterrent in using the program, only something to consider when unit/lesson planning.

In my opinion, the ‘Comic Life’ platform is great for students who are interested in making and using their own art/illustrations, for projects that benefit from the use of  photographs or other images sourced from the web, and for larger cross-curricular units.   The ‘Storyboard That’ platform can be used similarly, although the templates are not as dynamic,  the wide selection of pre-made graphics make up for this and would allow for students to begin projects with less preparation time required.

I think that each of these programs offer unique and potentially engaging opportunities for students to create and show their learning, and I am looking forward to incorporating them into my teaching practice!