Reflections from the 2010 #EducationShow (3 of 10) – Classical Comics

This is the third in a series of ten posts about my recent visit to the 2010 Education Show in Birmingham. They document some of the products that I saw, liked and enjoyed from the exhibition.

Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of the use of comics and graphic novels in the classroom. Not only do they support detailed narrative and immersive story telling but I also believe that they are really motivating for reluctant readers. Allowing some children to engage with text that otherwise may not always be accessible.

I really love the work that comes from Classical Comics and I have written in depth about them before here, here and here! It was really nice to meet Clive Bryant (Chairman of Classical Comics) for the first time at the Education Show – we have exchanged lots of emails over the years and Clive was always a great support of my work with Graphic Novels at Musselburgh Grammar School.

I got to see a preview of Classical Comics new product at the Education Show which is their first interactive graphic novel or motion comic. The first title to be produced is Macbeth - they have also had a nice write up recently in the Guardian.

The software allows the teacher to play an animated version of the comic on a screen or through a projector. What a really liked about it was the way that you could quickly interchange between the three different types of text that all Classical Comics are available in.

The three versions are:

• Original text version: Ideal for purists, students and readers who will appreciate the unaltered text.

• Plain text: The full text made more accessible by the translation into modern English.

• Quick text: The full play in comic book form, translated into modern English and with less dialogue for a faster paced read.

You can see an interactive demo of the macbeth motion comic here.

I’m really looking forward to seeing a more developed version of this product later in the year and I hope that I can also see it in action in a few schools.

Really interesting stuff – nice work Classical Comics!

Further Information: For more information on the use of Graphic Novels in Education see my article on Merlin John On-line.

Comments

[Charlie Barrow]

I bought the plain text version of Macbeth for my Primary Year 4 class and it has really helped some of the boys engage with the text where they would have otherwise struggled. They are wonderful (and gory) resources. We also produce a 9-scene animation using I Can Animate. Very interested to see the new interactive graphic novels.

[Peter Richardson]

I used the Macbeth version in Year 4 after reading a previous post and I couldn't agree more... The children found it one of the most exciting and memorable resources they have used all year. Can't wait to try the interactive version :)