Dear PIAAC Literacy Circle colleagues,
I am creator of MakeBeliefsComix.com, a free comic generator that is used by educators around the world to encourage literacy and communication by students. I am writing to you with the hope I can get on your radar when you’re testing useful digital resources to help students express their ideas and improve their writing, reading and communication skills.
If you can find a minute or two, please take a look at our web site, and visit the In the News section at http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/News/ which includes a piece by TheAtlantic.com about how the site is being used in a Bronx school to help special needs children (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/News/TheAtlantic.php ). What is happening in the Bronx with MakeBeliefsComix.com is being replicated in schools around the world by educators and educational therapists who also use the site to help students and encourage literacy. .
In addition to allowing kids to create comic strip stories which they print and email, MakeBeliefsComix also features hundreds of free graphic printables to encourage writing, many free interactive e-books to spark children’s imaginations, and a writing prompts blog, Somethingtowriteabout.com with writing ideas to spark students' imaginations. .
By way of background, for 14 years I was a senior editor at Newsday where I created and edited the nationally syndicated Student Briefing Page on the News to teach kids about current events, and which was twice nominated for a Pulitzer. I am also editor of some two dozen books for young people that help them find their writers’ voices.
I hope MakeBeliefsComix.com can find a good role in your efforts to improve student literacy.
Sincerely,
Bill Zimmerman