“Tell Them I Am Busy”: Comics and Counter-Narrative

One of the things that Mr. Carlson and I experimented with using during his intersession was comics. Specifically, we had students create comic strips through Pixton.

The best thing about having students create stories through Pixton is that it just happens. Other than guiding students through the registration process, Mr. Carlson and I never needed to actually tell students how to create the comics they would make. They just happen. After students made a couple in response to class discussions, films, or readings, the Pixton comics reached a tipping point with some of the class; now, students are regularly authoring comics and sharing their work with a network of other comic creators.

Because Pixton is such an intuitive interface, students are able to quickly generate stories or opinions on any part of the world they are interested in. What’s compelling is the way the medium becomes a mode for generally silenced voices to comment and critique life at Manual Arts and to punctuate experiences that are otherwise normalized through an adult lens.

Again, I can take no credit for the astute implications behind the comic below (if your browser isn’t getting along with the Flash window below, view the comic here).

more about “people’s perspective of MAHS by kflor1“, posted with vodpod

2 thoughts on ““Tell Them I Am Busy”: Comics and Counter-Narrative

  1. Clive Goodinson

    Hi Antero,

    Thanks for posting about Pixton! We’re thrilled that your students had such a good time creating comics, and that they continue to do so.

    We’ve gone out of our way to make Pixton as intuitive as possible, so it’s always gratifying to hear we’ve been successful.

    Would you mind if we quoted some of the above on our website, as a testimonial?

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