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Overview

Introduction to Pixton (3:14)

Description

Pixton is a web-based learning tool (WBLT) that allows students and educators to create comics. There are various templates/themes (content packs) that educators can choose from to help their students get a better understanding of the topic they are learning and to help them develop their writing skills. Pixton is student-friendly as it allows them to take charge of their learning as they process and create their knowledge in ways that makes sense to them.

Justification for Using this Tool

Since the basic concept of a comic strip is to place events in sequential order, it must follow some of the guidelines outlined by the elaboration theory. Elaboration theory emphasizes the fact that steps must be placed in a sequential order that makes sense and that must be accomplished by strategically organizing them (Reigeluth, 1999). It also emphasizes that learners can make sense of their understanding of the content that students would be able to do as they are creating their comic strips (David, 2014).

When creating the individual panels of a comic strip, there is not a lot of information the creator can place in each panel.  Therefore, it is imperative that the comic strip creator carefully divide the information they want to display in small sections that make sense as a whole. This is in-line with the segmenting principle which states that providing too much information to students at once may lead to cognitive overload and it is recommended to break down the information into smaller, easier to manage chunks or segments (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

Strategies for Use

Strategy 1 – Self-Portrait

Creating a Self-Portrait (0:57)

As an introduction to using Pixton, teachers can ask the students to create a comic-strip about themselves.

Strategy 2 – Real World Math

Real World Math Examples (0:44)

Pixton can be used for subjects such as math to help students understand concepts better by asking them to create a comic strip incorporating math in a real-life scenario.

Helpful Resources

Resource 1 – Pixton EDU: Intro for Educators

This YouTube video showcases briefly how educators and students can benefit from using Pixton in their classrooms by giving examples of the different components of the tool.

Resource 2 – How to Effortlessly Use Pixton for Tomorrow’s No-Prep Lesson Plan

This blog post gives a step-by-step guideline on how a new Pixton user can introduce the tool in their classroom.

References

Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R. E., (2011). Applying the segmenting and pretraining principles. E-Learning and the science of instruction: proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (pp. 205-220). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer

David, L. (2014, July 25) Elaboration Theory (Reigeluth). [Web page]. Learning Theories. Retrieved from https://www.learning-theories.com/elaboration-theory-reigeluth.html

Reigeluth, C.M. (1999). The elaboration theory: Guidance for scope and sequence decisions. Instructional design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory, 2, 425-453.

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