EEND 675 Artifact #1: Pixton Comic Strip

EEND 675 Artifact #1: 
Jim Nielsen

For module 7 in our Foundations for Educational Technology Course, we had the opportunity to create a new project that would engage students in creative learning using technology.  I chose to use an online program called Pixton to assign students a 9 part comic strip detailing an environmental concern.  This creative project will be used in my 9th grade co-taught Biology class.  I will use this to engage students in a creative writing assignment for our Ecology unit at the end of first semester.  It is an adaptation of a previous assignment in which I assigned the students to create a letter.   I may still give students that option, and add this as another creative option to accomplish the same goals.  By giving them multiple creative writing options I hope to encourage flexible thinking, one of the best practices for developing creative thinking that we learned this week.  

This project was chosen because it met many of the NGSS standards as well as the ISTE Student standards that we learned so much about this semester.  Specifically, I think it does a great job of promoting ISTE student standard number 6, Creative Communicator.  Giving the students multiple creative ways to display their knowledge on the subject material should really encourage engagement.  


What’s really cool is that I learned about this website through our online discussion this week by replying to another classmate’s post.   I was going to use the website I wrote about, but quickly liked Pixton more thanks to the suggestion of another classmate.  It really is awesome that I am able collaborate with my peers through this course and actually use what we discuss in my actual classroom.  I had a lot of fun creating this project, something I often look for because if I had fun making an example, the students probably will as well.  It is really easy to use and engages the student in creativity but also can be researched based with the right assignment.  Hopefully since this project is so engaging, it will foster intrinsic motivation, another important best practice for developing creative thinking projects.  
Standards
NGSS:


HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the
Environment and biodiversity.


HS-LS4-6. Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on
biodiversity.

ISTE:

ISTE S-6a
Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

ISTE S-6d
Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.


References:

Comic strip and storyboard maker for education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2017, from https://hello.pixton.com/

 

Link to sample project that I made for the students:
https://www.pixton.com/schools/comic/ordrixuk

 Link to Pixton website:
https://www.pixton.com

Link to Project description that the students receive (2nd page):
https://drive.google.com/drive/my-drive

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