Tux Paint is a free, award-winning drawing program for children ages 3 to 12 (for example, preschool and K-6). Tux Paint is used in schools around the world as a computer literacy drawing activity. It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program.
Kids are presented with a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help them be creative. (See the full list of features.) (from website)
Type of Material:
Simulation
Recommended Uses:
K-6 art classes
supplementary projects to illustrate ideas
Computer lab work
Homework for computer or art class or as part of a take-home project
Technical Requirements:
Operating System Requirement
Windows: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Mac OS X: Requires Mac OS X, version 10.3.9 or later
Linux: (No special OS requirements)
Disk Space Requirement
Note: Disk space requirements are for the base installation. Obviously, as you create and save images using Tux Paint, more disk space will be used.
Tux Paint
Windows: Approx. 16MB
Mac OS X: Approx. 16MB
Linux: Approx. 16MB
Tux Paint Stamps (Full installation)
Windows: Add Approx. 70MB
Mac OS X: Add Approx. 70MB
Linux: Add Approx. 70MB
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Tux Paint provides a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help children be creative. As an open source program, it is available for Mac OS X, Windows, Linus, and more.
Target Student Population:
The software is designed for children ages 3-12. Therefore, primary, elementary, and student teachers will also find this program useful.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic computer skills, including ability to download and install a program on a computer is helpful, but not required.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This free, open source software is multi-platform. It works on Mac OS X (10.4 through 10.9), Windows (Windows95 through Windows 8), Linux and other systems. It will run on older computers.Parts of Tux Paint have been currently translated into 129 languages. Tux Paint provides a number of optional accessibility enhancements to help make the program more suitable for some users. There are also Parental and Teacher controls that can be set up toprevent children from accidentalyy accessing other programs or files on the desktop. The interface is easy to use. Young children will figure it out quickly. There are several options within the drawing tools, including paintbrush, lines, shapes, text, labels, eraser, undo, and more. Images can be saved and printed.
Concerns:
None
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The fact that this software runs a variety of platforms and can be downloaded for free makes it very useful for teachers, student teachers, and parents. Downloading is actually two steps. Step 1 is to download and install the program. Step 2 is to then download the great collection of stamps into the software. The whole process only takes a few minutes. The online site provides screenshots, how to videos, and a gallery of images. The actual software provides a good range of digital drawing and painting tools with several options. The created images can be saved, printed, and even included into a built-in slideshow option. This works well for those school functions like open house. Students' digital drawing could be displayed via computer and projector in an ongoing loop. Tux Paint helps students not only develop visual art concepts, but also understand how digital media works and how technology is a tool for learning.
Concerns:
Some guidance in objectives and prerequisite knowledge would be useful.
A guided program to edit a specific picture (perhaps through a tutorial) would allow students to explore functions systematically and allow them to build on their skills gradually.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Once installed, Tux Paint is immediately accessible on multiple levels. It combines an easy-to-use interface, sound effects (which can be turned on or off), and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides students as they use the program. The Tux Paint web site provides documentation for using Tux Paint should you need it, information on any known issues, and contact information. There is even a link for Tux Paint merchandise like t-shirts, magnets, and buttons. The money from these goes to support further Tux Paint development.
Concerns:
Additional instructions would be helpful.
Creative Commons:
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