Dear members,
I wish to introduce myself to the group.
I am an author whose books are used in many school programs to 
encourage children to express themselves through writing.  I have 
launched a free new web site -- http://www.makebeliefscomix.com -- 
where students can create their own comic strips.  The site offers fun 
animal and human characters with different moods, thought and talk 
balloons to fill in with words, and story prompts.  It's a wonderful 
resource to spur children and adults to write, read and communicate 
their ideas and to practice English and other languages. It is also 
being used as a tool by educational therapists who work with deaf and 
autistic people to help them understand concepts and communicate.  I 
would be very appreciative if you would share with your  members and 
colleagues, or tell me whom I should contact to share this information. 
  I need your help because it takes a community to build a community 
resource like this.
With thanks,
Bill Zimmerman

Online Educational Comics Launched to Encourage Writing,
Reading and Storytelling
By Author/Journalist Bill Zimmerman
 –- http://www.makebeliefscomix.com

Dear reader,

I want to share with you news of my newest educational project and also 
ask for your help to make it succeed.

I have launched a new web site -- http:// www.makebeliefscomix.com -- 
where children and adults can create their own comic strips.  They can 
select from 15 fun characters with different moods  -- happy, sad, 
angry, worried – and write words for  blank talk and thought balloons 
to make their characters talk and think.  There also are story ideas 
and prompts to help users create graphic stories.

This site can be used by educators to teach language, reading and 
writing skills, and also for students in English-as-a-Second-Language 
programs to facilitate self-expression and storytelling, as well as 
computer literacy. Some educational therapists use it with deaf and 
autistic people to help them understand concepts and communicate.  
Parents and children can create stories together, print them to create 
comic books or email them to friends and family.  Others will find the 
site a resource to be creative, calm down and have fun.

Because so many Spanish-speaking users asked us for the ability to 
write their cartoons in Spanish as well as in English, we recently 
upgraded the site to accept words written in Spanish, including 
appropriate accent marks. This can be a useful tool for someone who is 
learning Spanish as well as someone whose first language is Spanish.   
In time, this feature will be extended to other languages.

I am hoping that you will share http://www.makebeliefscomix.com  with 
your colleagues, teachers, students or readers of your publications and 
resource lists.  The site is free with no advertising.  Any help you 
might offer in getting word out about this project is very appreciated. 
  If you can suggest other people or groups whom I might contact to make 
them aware of the site please send me their names, email addresses or 
phone numbers.   Relevant Internet resource sharing groups would be 
helpful, too.  It takes a community to build a useful resource like 
this one.

As one who learned to read with comic books, I know that creating comic 
strips can help people tap into their creativity and practice their 
language and storytelling skills.  The site is free and stems from my 
lifelong mission to create resources that help people find their voice 
and express themselves. The concept for makebeliefscomix.com is derived 
 from my earlier books, Make Beliefs and Make Beliefs for Kids of All 
Ages (which can be found on my other web site: 
http://www.billztreasurechest.com).  A Make Beliefs interactive feature 
appeared for 13 years on my syndicated Student Briefing Page for 
Newsday, and in National Geographic’s World Magazine.

I hope you like http://www.makebeliefscomix.com and will use it in your 
work and personal life.  Your feedback is welcome and very helpful.

With thanks and every good wish,

Bill Zimmerman
(wmz at aol.com)






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