Posted October 2004 Comic Chat a hit at Windaroo Valley State High School
		Lyndall Owbridge Senior Teacher Windaroo Valley State High School Year 8 Visual Arts students have been highly motivated by a Media unit that uses Comic Chat to create their own avatars and comic strip.

Lyndall Owbridge, Senior Teacher at Windaroo Valley State High School, was looking for an activity to engage and motivate students in Visual Arts.

"I became aware of Comic Chat at a Learning Place workshop in January 2004," Lyndall says. "I recognised there and then its potential for engaging Year 8s."

Lyndall planned a Media unit, Getting Personal, based on visual interpretation of human emotions.

Solution

In the unit, students designed their own avatars, then used Macromedia Fireworks to create an image. They copied, pasted and changed emotions on their avatars. The Learning Place made Comic Chat available for the students to chat online.

The unit was a great incentive for less motivated students, Lyndall says. "As soon as other students had their avatars up and running and they were enjoying their work in a chat session, the less motivated, less attentive students wanted to be there too."

Students gained knowledge and practice using Fireworks. They also learned about the possible dangers of online chat, by playing an interactive game about safe chat.

Students have gone on to create animated gif e-cards using Fireworks. Some of these have been uploaded to the Christmas Around the World project forums through the Learning Place.

Lyndall says she'll definitely use the unit again. "The students were all busy and having fun too," she says. "We need to make lessons fun now and then to get students in after a more serious unit of work. What did they say about all work and no play?"