I recently created a library program based on graphic novels for one of my college courses. In the process, I discovered a bunch of super cool online resources. A quick introduction to each can be found below.

• Aviary: Hands down, my new favorite site. Aviary hosts online photo, design, and audio editing tools. You can quickly and easily create your own logos, edit your photos, and make podcasts, music, and other recordings. In addition, you can use Aviary for screen capture. Aviary tools can be integrated into your web browsers and combined with your Google Apps account. One of the best features is that when you save something you’ve created, Aviary provides you with a number of different options for sharing, storing, and allowing others to edit the work for their own use. www.aviary.com
• Avatar creators: Perhaps not overly useful, but they are fun, and there’s a ton of them. For a graphic novel program, they come in handy. www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/avatarCreator/ www.pixton.com www.faceyourmanga.com
• Comic/Graphic Novel creators: Along with the avatar creators above, many of which also allow you to create graphic novels, most of these websites are great educational resources for teaching kids about writing, art, and reading. www.comicmaster.org.uk www.bitstrips.com www.toondoo.com
• Pim-Pam-Pum: A website with a number of different tools, one of which is Bubblr, which allows users to create comic strips using Creative Commons Flickr images to tell a story. www.pimpampum.net

A quick rundown of my program, simply because I had a great time making it, and because I got to use resources suggested by SPLAT members. 🙂

So, basically, I created a teen summer reading program along a quest-based theme (see Amy’s blog). Throughout the summer, teens can earn points for reading (represented on the log as “health hearts”), attending library programs (all with a graphic novel theme, of course), and completing “quests” (such as creating avatars, telling a story using only pictures, and writing a fan-fic piece; these can all be shared with the library through Twitter, Facebook, GoogleDocs, and other online tools). The program is designed specifically to reach users with different learning types (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) and to teach information literacy skills. Overall, it was one of the coolest assignments I’ve ever gotten to do.