Apparently, Bitstrips is Popular

I’m playing along with Blogger Idol’s Play-at-Home. This week, the prompt is to write about a Hot Topic in under 800 words and include pictures.

A while back, I posted a tutorial on using Bitstrips. That was, like, 9 months ago. I taught my readers how to create a Bitstrip for the purpose of either something educational or as a way to present information on their blog in a less text-y way. It got a few hits, a few shares, a few likes. A couple of people told me they appreciated being taught about this new tool.

I’ve been using Bitstrips for a while. In fact, I’ve been using them since my friend and co-worker, Lindsey, introduced them to me as a teaching tool for our online English I courses. I think my first Bitstrip was created somewhere around fall of 2011. That’s two years ago or so.

We use Bitstrips to teach students lessons and serve as reminders about their goals for the week. Knowing that students relate well to visual reminders, we’ve taken to using this Web 2.0 to pique their interest and catch their attention. This cartoon is my reminder to my students that they’re studying Homer’s Odyssey. 

We even have assignments in the course asking students to create a cartoon that will illustrate (pun intended) their knowledge of a particular concept. Assignments might ask them to create a cartoon showing the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause. In a later module, students create a cartoon to illustrate a scene for their multi-genre project. Use of Web 2.0 tools to create a response to an assignment not only meets higher level thinking goals from Howard Bloom but also provides something that is just a little different for the student — something different than just answering a worksheet or clicking some answers.

On a daily basis, I use Bitstrips for announcements for my students. I even created an avatar of myself so that there would be consistency across what my students see. (I kind of like my avatar — she’s cool with her glasses.)

Our online class can only be personalized so much, and Bitstrips was one of the tools I used to create my classroom culture.

But now, Bitstrips is apparently the new popular thing to do.

About a week or two ago, I started noticing my friends posting their own cartoons to their Facebook wall. This week, I’m being bombarded with pictures of my friends as avatars starring in their own little Bitstrip. Mind you, some of them are funny. But at first, I was certain that these visuals I was seeing in my newsfeed were crashing the Bitstrips.com server.

When I try to log in to my account to access those cartoons I created that are — actually — beneficial to my students? Well, I can’t log in.

The only option I have at this point is to download the app to my phone or iPad or to create a cartoon right there via Facebook.

I’ve emailed the Bitstrips contact email to ask where my 20 to 30 instructional pieces have gone. I’ve tweeted at them, but I’m not getting responses. Luckily, as you’ve seen, I made a few screenshots of the cartoons and am able to still use those.

Otherwise, I’m having to scramble to fill in the blanks, and I’m getting emails from school contacts asking what students should do as a replacement assignment since they can only use Facebook to create the cartoon, and Facebook is generally frowned upon (and blocked) at school.

I know that I was using a free resource, and I realize that I should be appreciative that I can still create cartoons. If I wasn’t paying for it in the first place, I should hush and move on, right?

Technically, yes.

But a little bit of notice would have been nice, Bitstrips Peeps. I spent a lot of time on those pretty awesome cartoons, and now — and based on your lack of an answer, forever — they are gone. Lost in the never-neverland of Internet space. My poor Odysseus and his obstacles will float around waiting for the day that the Bitstrips crew will allow me access again. Unless. Are they just gone? Deleted? Never to be found again?

For old times’ sake, I’ve made a few. It helps my heart feel better. (This is the first app-related Bitstrip I made. It was supposed to be me wishing for a nap because I don’t get those anymore.)

Here’s a video from CNN of the anchors laughing and joking at how fun Bitstrips are. I will admit that my nostrils flare every time I see a non-instructional cartoon anymore.

Have you tried Bitstrips yet? What do you think?

Tags: bitstrips, blogger idol, opinion