Throwback Thursday: Toontastic!


Toontastic is another one of those apps we used "way back when" that was free (with paid add-on packs) but went to an all paid model and is now back to free... ALL free.  Google bought the company awhile ago and now EVERY "playset" and feature that used to cost money is FREE.  

Students can create cartoons with scenes.  It defaults to 5 scenes but you can delete the ones you don't need or you can add more if necessary.  Each one has a category (setup, conflict, challenge, etc.) to guide a full story but the individual scenes can be whatever you want them to be... they're all the same.



The first time students go through the app, you'll want the sound to be on (with headphones probably!) because it walks students step by step through the process of creating their cartoon.  There are all kinds of background scenes to choose from... great for stories about community, animal habitats, biomes or even the signing of the Declaration of Independence!  Students can also use their own drawings or pictures from their camera roll as a background.


After selecting a scene, students pick their characters ("toys").  Again there are tons to choose from in a variety of categories.  There are even some famous people like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony.  Just like the background, they can create their own characters from drawings.


Once the scene is set and characters are picked, students record their voice acting out their cartoon.  This is where the content comes in.  Students can create an animation for an original story they've written but it doesn't stop there.  Just like with Scribble Press, Toontastic can be used to create non-fiction videos for all subject areas.  Here's some ideas I shared in a blog post back in October of 2013 (http://goo.gl/FCho2D):
  • Math- Explain the steps used to solve a problem or explain a concept such as rounding or estimating
  • Science- Create a story explaining the 3 forms of matter or the water cycle (or any other science topic!), document a lab experiment by telling the hypothesis and results; create lab safety videos
  • SS- Create a story using characters to represent two or more historical figures and have them discuss or debate an historical topic relevant to their era.
  • ELA- Create stories to present various grammar topics in a conversation or to demonstrate sentence types; retell a story; book reviews; show their knowledge of literary elements
  • Foreign Language- Students can create a story with a two way conversation to practice asking/answering questions in a new language.
  • Other- Create PSAs on bullying, Red Ribbon Week or Internet Safety

Final products can be saved to the camera roll and uploaded to Google Drive.

Check out this blog post from Irene Boynton, 1st grade teacher at Cannon Elementary.  Her students recently used Toontastic to share their learning about animal characteristics.  http://boyntonbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/03/science-meets-storytelling.html 

Global Project - Awesome Squiggles K12 Collaborative Art Project


The Awesome Squiggles K12 Collaborative Art Project looks like an easy (and fun!) way for students to practice being Global Citizens (a GCISD Portrait of a Graduate trait!)  The objectives as stated on the project's website are to:

  • Build friendships among students from diverse backgrounds
  • Practice speaking and listening skills with audiences of different perspectives
  • Empower students to share their creativity with the world
When you sign up, you get to choose how involved you want to be with the project.  There is a level 1 with social sharing only and a level 2 with class to class collaboration. Step by step instructions can be found here:  http://awesomesquiggles.weebly.com/project-instructions.html

Registration closes this Friday, March 25th so be sure to get signed up now!

Scribble Press Deluxe

Scribble Press Deluxe

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scribble-press-deluxe-creative/id999929385?mt=8

Scribble Press Deluxe is a great app that students can use to create books but it's not just for stories!  Here's some ideas for using Scribble Press in all content areas:
  • Math - Use as a math journal throughout the year to illustrate and explain concepts.
  • Science - Create a book to explain a science experiment. Use pictures from the actual lab to illustrate. Create books to explain a topic to younger students.
  • SS - Create biographies of famous Americans. Create books about important events in history.
  • ELA - Create books with illustrations of student's original stories. Create a collection of poetry.   
Students can start with a blank book or a template.


When students select the blank book, they can add multiple pages with the + sign at the top. On each page, students have options to type, write, draw, add images from the camera roll, record their voice, or add background music.   


  


Students can also insert premade backgrounds from a variety of themes. 



Completed books can be saved to the camera roll as a video (the best way... so that it's all together) or as a photo (makes each page its own image). 


Check out Scribble Press Deluxe today and let us know what you think in the comments!