The first application I would like to report on is Tux Paint. This is a wonderful Art program that allows the students to create unique works of art as well as add some visual stamps. This programs allows the user to use a multitude of tools to create their work.
Pro's: Quality of work is amazing, tools are sophistated, yet easy to use, takes very little time to learn.
Con's: Stamps can be an issue. When installing stamps, I would leave out the military stamps as the guns do not have a place in schools. The typing tool is very limited and makes it very difficult to do editting. Printing output is on 3/4 sheet of paper.
Overall, this is a great free application to use for Kindergarten students and with some First Grade students. Switching to an alternative program for the older grades would be recommended.
Tux Paint - http://www.tuxpaint.org/
*Tux Pic of Tools, Retrieved on March 8, 2011 from http://www.freetrialdownloads.com/
*Pic of Tux, Retrieved on March 8, 2011 from http://www.software.wikia.com/
Reviews:
http://tuxpaint.org/reviews/
I used Tuxpaint in one of my first Lesley classes. I found it very easy to use and created an animated clock using Google images of blank clock faces and then drawing in the hands showing different times. I'm planning to teach the lesson to my 5th grade students as a group using the Smartboard. You may try using Bitstripsforschools.com. You can have your students create comic strips by creating their own characters, speech bubbles, scenes and props. I tried it with my fifth and first grade classes and was successful with both. Just like you had to be mindful of the weapons that were available in the stamp selections with Tuxpaint, you also have to limit the props selections for the same issue.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that site. I have never seen nor heard about Bitstrips. I like the idea of the comic strips, but due to our budget issues, I would only be able to access the 30 day trial. Something though for the future...
ReplyDeleteOne of my prior students suggested these science OS apps...
ReplyDeletePlanetarium Software - http://www.stellarium.org/
and
3D Planetarium Software - http://www.shatters.net/celestia/index.html
Unfortunately, I'm not a teacher, so I'm not familiar with TuxPaint. After reviewing the information on the links provided, includeing Bitstripsforschools.com, I feel that this is a great way for the younger students to express themselves using art. The first thing that popped in my head when viewing the links was, this would be a great resource for kids to have to express certain feelings they have. For example, when discussing the subject of bullying, the children can create a comic strip of someone being bullied, how that makes you feel, then conclude with the appropriate way of handling the situation. I feel that some children have a hard time verbally expressing their feelings, so this would give them a perfect avenue to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteSometimes your can request an educator subscription to sites and they will give you a year for free. I did this at my school with Animoto in November and our teachers are still creating musical slide shows. It can't hurt to ask.
ReplyDeleteCarmin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stellarium site. I checked it out and it does look like something I will be sharing with some classes! What a great ways to explore space!