Teaching with Webcomics
As consumers and artists have discovered the advantages of using the internet as a medium for reading and creating comics, previous spatial limitations have vanished and the comics’ accessibility has increased. These internet comics, or webcomics, have exploded in popularity and number online, but teachers have yet to truly take advantage of the merit of webcomics as teaching tools. Similar to their printed cousins, the comic book and the graphic novel, webcomics have the potential to transform a student’s interest in both reading and understanding current events with the added bonus of being more accessible to many students than print comic books.
Advantages of Webcomics
1. They are motivational tools that can help ELL students and reluctant and proficient readers improve reading and questioning skills and develop their imaginations.
2. If the webcomic is political in nature, it can promote interest in an issue, initiate discussion and debate, and encourage critical thinking.
3. Webcomics, as a form of pop culture media, offer a means of discussing and teaching media literacy and creating informed consumers and citizens.
4. They incorporate meaningful technology use in the classroom.
Check out some examples of popular webcomics in the right column of this page!
The New Adventures of Queeen Victoria
Popular Webcomics
According to this site, more than 14,000 webcomics exist on that confusing space called the interweb. Listed below are a few of popular webcomics to explore at your leisure. DISCLAIMER: Please use your discretion as a teacher to determine whether or not these webcomics are appropriate for your class!
