15 TOOLS

Classroom-Friendly Websites and Apps for Making Comics

Anybody -- from preschool to high school -- can be a comic book creator with these tools that help students make sequential art. You'll notice that some of these tools are designed specifically with comic creation in mind, while others, many of which are tuned to older kids' needs, lack comic-specific scaffolding and instruction but can be used to make more professional-level creations. Use these great creation tools to help students learn cartooning and sequencing fundamentals, or just express themselves and demonstrate learning. Teachers might also create comics to put a fun, accessible spin on content, whether it's a set of visual classrooms norms or a cheeky hook to kick-start a lesson.

Draw and Tell HD - by Duck Duck Moose

Kids' drawings come alive with stickers, color, and voice recordings

Bottom Line: Lots of art tools and voice recording help kids unleash their visual and verbal storytelling.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Superhero Comic Book Maker

Leap tall buildings with creative audio and visual storytelling

Bottom Line: Kids create comic book-style stories and color pages on this easy app.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Book Creator

Magically easy way to create and publish digital books and multimedia

Bottom Line: This is a top-quality creation tool that lets students of many ages and abilities publish their own digital books.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try

Pixton

Popular comics platform centers students' creativity

Bottom Line: Platform can motivate students to share subject knowledge in a way that blends art and literacy.

Grades: 2–12
Price:
Free to try

Halftone 2

Simple comic creator makes building stories fun

Bottom Line: This simple tool for creating comics is a fun option for a range of class projects.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Paid

Animation & Drawing by Do Ink

One-stop animation tool for beginners through experts

Bottom Line: Accessible entry into animation for beginning students, but with enough depth to satisfy more advanced artists.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Paid

Make Beliefs Comix

Comic creation tool has wealth of resources, busy design

Bottom Line: While it feels a little dated and disorganized, Make Beliefs Comix retains its charm and can promote creativity and self-expression.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free

Comic Life 3

Creative tool for visual storytelling through comics

Bottom Line: Comic Life 3 helps students apply their understanding with a creative approach, but guidelines are needed to ensure success.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free to try

Paper by WeTransfer

Beautifully designed digital sketchbook for any age

Bottom Line: The simplicity and effectiveness of the app make this a powerful sketch and note-taking tool for the iPad.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Strip Designer

Easy and fun way to create personalized, comic-book-style stories

Bottom Line: Strip Designer is a versatile media-creation tool that can support a range of learning goals for any subject of interest.

Grades: 4–8
Price:
Paid

StoryboardThat

Engage kids with basic but versatile storytelling tool

Bottom Line: Though it isn't loaded with special features, there's enough going on here to provide learning for kids of all ages.

Grades: 5–10
Price:
Free to try

Explee

Build slick, engaging whiteboard animations with Web-based tool

Bottom Line: A stellar -- if somewhat pricey -- creation tool for the classroom.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Animoto: Slideshow Maker

Slick video slideshow tool lets kids tell stories and share them

Bottom Line: Anything that happens during school can be turned into an engaging video slideshow.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Autodesk Sketchbook

Impressive creation tool for teens serious about art

Bottom Line: Gives students easy access to professional tools for creating digital art.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free to try

Bitmoji

Liven up communication with cartoon-style custom avatars

Bottom Line: Not necessarily a tool designed with education in mind, but tons of possible -- and fun -- classroom uses for creative teachers.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

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