Using GoAnimate in the Classroom

Using comic strips in the classroom can be a really effective tool for ESL learners.  Personally I used the comic strip generator GoAnimate to create my ESL 30 second comic strip.  I wasn't aware of this type of internet tool before and I was pretty fascinated by it.  It was actually a lot of fun to create despite having your options limited by the free 30 second version.  It was pretty clear to see the classroom and language implications that can be supported by such a feature.  There are so many ways to use something like this in class.  As a teacher you can get a subscription and make much longer comics that can be used to reinforce difficult lesson concepts or could potentially serve as the medium used to teach an aspect of the language.  There are so many options of characters, backgrounds and motions available through the website that you could create a running theme that could be incorporated into every lesson as an assistant to the teacher during the entire semester or school year.  The text to speech option makes it really very easy to have the characters say all kinds of vocabulary and produce all different types of grammar.

Using comic strips like this in the classroom can be very beneficial to student interest and motivation.  I prefer to use the comic strip generator over the digital storytelling in the classroom because I think it is more involved and that the possibilities  are greater than the story telling tool I reviewed in my earlier post.  Although I think both tools have good implications for L2 classrooms, GoAnimate just allows you as a teacher to do so much more and create so many more scenarios for ESL learners.