Global Comix & Learning

IN DEVELOPMENT – David Greenfield is supplying updated information to run this project 10/24/2022

What is the Global Comix Project?
Global Comix and Learning is a schoolyear-long eLearning program for students around the word to promote global citizenship through collaborative projects about comics. Students learn about the formal elements of the genre including the history of graphic storytelling, genres, and styles, and most importantly how to create comics in order to tell their own stories. Through online collaborations with students in classrooms around the world, students get the opportunity to see, hear and chat with students and teachers, exposing them to different cultures and communities. Additionally, in learning to collaborate, they learn a critical skill needed for the 21st century.

History – Graphic narrative in one form or another has been around for 30,000 years, evidenced by early cave paintings found around the world. Although not a consecutive story in a traditional comic in any sense,  they do contain the elements of visual communication and narrative that led to alphabets, illuminated books, and eventually to the sequential novels that we refer to as comics and graphic novels.

Project Overview
In this program, students learn about the history of comics and illustrated stories, forms of the genre, styles of illustration, and storytelling. Along with this, teachers also learn about applications and technologies that are and can be used to create comics. Additionally, an option is offered to learn about creating acoustically-friendly learning space to ensure that all can easily participate. Dr. David Greenfield is the lead teacher for the program, but there will also be comix experts and professionals as guest speakers in this project.

Student Grade Levels: what ages/grades are you targeting?
Project Begins: need dates here
Quick Timeline: needs dates here
Signup Form: need a link to a Google form
Project Questions: david@davidgreenfield.net
Register to Kidlink: Moodle Link – click Create New Account

Project Details & Class structure – Outline

  1. Scheduling
    1. Meetings
      1. Teacher Zoom meeting once a month on a specific day.
      2. Quorum is 2 teachers attending. If only one can attend, meeting will not be held and will be rescheduled if possible
      3. All meetings will be recorded and archived for those who missB. Blogs on Globalcomixandlearning.org (WIX)
  1. I will write one blog a month
  2. Teachers will be encouraged write one blog a month on a rotating schedule (a different teacher every month) and then repeated. I imagine that this will be about 2 blogs per year
  3. The blogs can be text, video or comic about your class, your thoughts, or insights about the program, etc.C. Guest speakers
    1. To be scheduled in advance (writers, illustrators, etc). Hoping for one speaker a month or every other month
  1. Communication
    1. Google docs, etc
      1. This will assist in tracking who said what, when, etc
    2. Facebook for informal chats, messaging, and announcements (reminders about checking into google and whatever other things that do not need to be archived)
  2. Projects
    1. Project 1- Every participant creates a one-page (one side), 6-panel comic, “A day in my life”
    2. Project 2- every student writes a story for 2 pages (2 sides), 8-2 panels about a favorite activity (music, sport, art, science, etc), and shares with students on a different school to illustrate. Creativity and imagination are encouraged, ie a superhero sports person, a magical chef, a talking animal, etc.
    3. Project 3- Each class collaborates on a 6-8 page (2 sides) about a local celebration (wedding, holiday, etc) that includes a recipe connected to the event.
  3. Classes
    1. First class for teachers on ways to make your learning space acoustically friendly (guest speaker)
    2. Two presentations on introduction to comics (me)
    3. Presentation to each class about actually making a comic to be done at the start of each project (me or guest speaker).
    4. Collaborations to be organized by teachers
  4. Schedule
    1. Month 1
      1. Intro to Technology
      2. Intro to visual narrative and comics Lectures in 2 weeks
    2. Month 2
      1. How to make a comic class
      2. Deliverable – end of the month
    3. Month 3
      1. Making a longer story
      2. Make stories and share
    4. Month 4
      1. Illustrate other student’s story
      2. Deliverable – end of the month
    5. Month 5
      1. Class meets to discuss topic and select roles (writers, illustrators, colorists, text)
      2. Create story and edit
      3. Storyboard
      4. Start to illustrate
  1. Month 6
    1. Complete story
    2. Deliverable – end of the month
    3. All stories will be scanned and posted on the web so that all students can share and learn about each otherG. Final party?
  1. Tools
    1. Pencil, pen and paper
      1. Completed projects will be scanned or photographed and uploaded to private page in Google apps (docs, etc)
    2. ComicLife, other comic apps,

For additional information, please visit https://www.globalcomixandlearning.org/ or write to david@davidgreenfield.net