Halftone 2
Simple comic creator makes building stories fun
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Halftone 2
Pros: Playful design and easy-to-use tools make this a great way to engage kids in digital storytelling.
Cons: Outside content may be required to prompt kids to tell their stories.
Bottom Line: This simple tool for creating comics is a fun option for a range of class projects.
Teachers could use this app to provide basic lessons in photography (composition, lighting, and presentation), but Halftone 2 is best used as a way for students to develop a story. Students can make use of the existing templates to break down their story's beginning, middle, and end. Individual devices may be preferred, as there are no options for multiple logins, and comics are all pooled in one gallery.
Halftone 2 is an easy-to-use resource for creating comics. Kids can work together or individually using the ready-made templates to tell their stories. Begin by taking a brief tour through an introductory tutorial, and land on the home page with some example comics. The app comes pre-loaded with comics as a source of inspiration. Once kids click on a comic, they'll quickly find how easy it is to make modifications, uploading their own photos and text and transforming the samples into their own comic creations. Halftone 2, the sequel to Halftone, emphasizes touch features with a design that makes adding text to photos intuitive.
Transforming your photos into comics can be fun, and there’s potential to get kids thinking about building a narrative. Adding photos may help students visualize their stories and make it easier to add details as they begin to write. Of course, thought webs and simple collaging provide an analog version to this, but teachers who have access to devices (and a budget to purchase the app) will likely find this app engages their students. Plus, having sample comics and templates available makes getting started much easier for those with writers block. The edit tools are easy to use, allowing students to add their own photos and text to existing templates. Touch features make the edit tools intuitive enough for young kids while engaging enough to maintain the interest of older kids. Comics remain in the gallery on the home page and can easily be shared via social media, saved to the camera, or printed.