Tux Paint Reviewed by team iTeach Jodi Hovest, Scottie Fetters, & Melanie Stainbrook

Educational Objectives and Benefits Meant to be a simple drawing tool for children to use. Simple and fun for young children to use o Uses sound effects and cartoon mascot to help user know what is going on. o Users are prompted with yes or no questions only. o Users are not required to name files, creations are saved as thumbnails and can be opened from a gallery.

Educational Objectives and Benefits Teacher Friendly :) When using Tux Paint, teachers can: o Disable sound effects o Select full-screen display o Disable quit and print functions o Allow students to only print once in a set time period o Cursor can be "grabbed" so users cannot work outside of the Tux Paint screen o Translate dialog into several different languages o Teacher can select "No Button Distinction" so either right or left mouse button can be used for clicking

Educational Objectives and Benefits Educational Benefits o Teachers can add many different brushes/stamps for specific assignment needs. o Students can use teacher-added stamps to create an image, food chain, eco system, story board, food pyramid, etc. to demonstrate their understanding, o Students can quickly add illustrations to their ideas, predictions, stories, etc.

The Pros and Cons of Tux Paint Pros o Easy and fun for children to use o Teacher/Parent friendly o Free to download :) o Can be adapted to age of user easily Cons (reported by other users of Tux Paint) o Can be slow to load at times o Students can access each other's work o Difficult to load/save when using full screen option with multiple monitors

Examples

Here is an example of a kindergarten math activity. This could serve as guided practice, a cooperative activity, or even an assessment.

An example is shown students could be assessed using Tux Paint. After reading, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom students could create their own book page using the letters of their name.

This is an example of a student's work during technology center. I typed their name for them and asked them to use the paint function to try to write their name. I then allowed them to choose a few other tools to add to their picture. This was one of the best :) This is an example of how my class used Tux Paint at the science center. After reading a book on animal habitats, I asked my students to use the stamps I had selected to sort land animals and water animals.

Uses, Lesson Ideas, and Links

Uses, Lesson Ideas, and Links Continued This sample shows how an Art teacher used Tux Paint to teach about artists. Here is an example of how one teacher had students create a project that showed what they had learned about healthy foods. (this would be particularly good with young students who are not able to write)

Uses, Lesson Ideas, and Links Continued A student illustrated what they had learned about landforms. Students can use Tux Paint to share what they have learned about other countries and cultures they study.

Uses, Lesson Ideas, and Links Continued The end product of a project that included the use of Tux Paint. The makers of Tux Paint have an extensive collection of reviews and links for reviews from dozens of publications that have recommended their product.

More Helpful Links Tux Paint Tutorial Tux Paint Tutorial - This video will help in exploring and using Tux Paint. Demonstration of Tux Paint Demonstration of Tux Paint -This video will demonstrate how to use Tux Paint and provide background information about the program. Demonstration of specific features of Tux PaintDemonstration of specific features of Tux Paint - This is a collection of four tutorials to highlight specific features of Tux Paint such as adding text, using the paintbrush, creating a coloring book and using a scene.

Thoughts & Opinions

I think that Tux Paint is a great Web 2.0 tool to use in an elementary classroom. I have found the program easy to use and navigate. I especially liked when I used the shapes tool, it describe each shape in text as I was working. I was a Kid Pix user in the past, but I like Tux Paint much more. I really that the amount of tools have increased. My students really enjoyed using Tux Paint during our Centers. I asked the students to create a picture for the letter "S". It was really neat to watch the students identify the beginning sound of the various stamps and use the paint tools to practice writing the letter S. I like that I could print out each picture in order to create a class book or use the activity as an assessment tool. I think this is a great tool to encourage creativity and imagination in an elementary classroom. I really feel that the possibilities in using Tux Paint are endless.

I think that Tux Paint is a great tool that can be used with young students of any age for many different activities. Students in my Developmental Kindergarten class really enjoyed exploring the different shape stamps as well as using the different sized brushes and magic effects. I also had them try to write their names using the different tools, which gave them an opportunity to practice writing their name witha totally different medium than what they are used to. We also used the program at our science center to sort water and land animals. As we begin to become more comfortable with the computer center, Tux Paint will be used more and more to allow my students to demonstrate their understanding. I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Tux Paint has proven to be a very dynamic program. I was surprised by the many features and extent of its content considering that it was free software. In exploring the software, I found myself tinkering with every single tool over and over again. I like that students can use it for creating work or presentations, and can still be creative and artistic. It also provides enough clipart and stamps so that those who don't feel particulary talented in drawing can simply choose a shape or object. I was also very impressed with the Tux Paint website. They had a wealth of information and resources to help you learn more about the software. The program includes many sounds too, which keeps students interested - teachers may want to make sure headphones are available. :) mstainb