So I'm looking at the latest issue of Children's Software Revue,
and in the "All Star Awards" section, they have a little check-list that
shows how they select products.
"The following checklist was developed after observing children use a
variety of different types of interactive media products. The checklist
attempts to capture qualities that are related to a child's engagement
with a product. We use it, along with as much child testing as we have
time for, to assign ratings and select CSR's All Star products."
I thought I'd see how Tux Paint held up to their criteria. ;^)
I. Ease of Use (Can my childe use it with minimal help?)
* Skills needed to operate the program are in range of the child
- I think so ;^)
* Children can use the program independently after the first use
- Probably depends on the age of the child, but from what I saw
first-hand at the Whole Earth Festival at UC Davis in May,
kids were picking it up, and sharing their knowledge with each
other, with pretty much no interaction from any of us adults. ;)
* Accessing key menus is straightforward
- There's really no 'menu' system, but the various tools are easy
to get to
* Reading ability is not prerequisite to using the program
- It helps, but I think the icons are fairly suitable.
Experimentation makes it less necessary, too. ;)
* Graphics make sense ot the intended user
- Hopefully ;)
* Printing routines are simple
- One-click printing is quite nice. :) The ALT+click
trick that's been added to Mac OS X, Windows and BeOS is useful
to getting into useful options.
* It is easy to get in or out of any activity at any point
- Not applicable
* Getting to the first menu is quick and easy
- Not applicable
* Written materials are helpful
- I like to think so ;)
* Instructions can be reviewed on the screen, if necessary
- That's what Tux is for!
* Children know if they make a mistake
- Not really applicable.
* Icons are large and easy to select with a moving cursor
- Yep
* Installation procedure is straightforward and easy to do
- apt-get install ;) The Windows and Mac OS X installers are
quite easy. Even the Makefile is pretty good, I think ;)
II. Childproof (Is it designed with "child-reality" in mind?)
* Survives the "pound on the keyboard" test
- You can hide the keyboard, if necessary.
Completely mouse-controllable.
* Offers a quick, clear, obvious response to a child's action
- Most of the time... with sound effects, pop-up windows, etc.
* The child has control over the rate of display
- Not applicable
* The child has control over exiting at any time
- Yes, unless disabled by the parents.
* The child has control over the order of the display
- Not applicable
* Title screen sequence is brief or can be bypassed
- Yes
* When a child holds down a key, only one input is sent to the
computer
- No, but again, Tux Paint is meant to be used with the mouse
* FIles not intended for children are safe
- The save/open system handles this. Fullscreen and mouse-grab
modes also keep the system's desktop and other controls inaccessible.
* Children know when they've made a mistake
- Uh... N/A. See above? ;)
* This program would operate smoothly in a home or classroom setting
- I've seen it run on numerous configurations, including over a
network. The upcoming version, at least, works great!
The "savedir" feature helps with shared network drives/dirs, etc. :)
III. Educational (What can my child learn from this program?)
* Offers a good presentation of one or more content areas
- Not on its own. The stamp collection covers a number of areas
(animals, shapes, numbers, planets, etc.), and could be
considered educational by some, I suppose. (_I_ like to think so)
* Graphics do not detract from the program's educational intentions
- Heheh... The intentions of this program ARE graphics!
* Feedback employs meaningful graphics and sound capabilities
- Yes
* Speech is used
- In some places. I'd love to have the Tux tips spoken, as well,
but that could be difficult. It may be possible to create
localized collections of spoken MP3s or OGG/Vorbis files which
are attached to some of the internal commands. The number stamps
have had speech since the beginning.
* The presentation is novel with each use
- Heh... as much as a piece of blank paper and crayons is 'novel' ;)
* Good challenge range (this program will grow with the child)
- Since it's a paint program, there's no limitation to what can be
drawn. Obviously, at some point, the child will 'graduate' to a
more complex and powerful art program.
* Feedback reinforces content (embedded reinforcements are used)
- Not really applicable, I don't think...
* Program elements match direct experiences
- Not really applicable.
* Content is free from gender bias.
- I think so. Anyone have thoughts?
* Content is free from ethnic bias.
- There's all of the localization, but on the other hand, I'm not
sure where, if at all, Tux Paint can be improved in this respect.
Comments?
* A child's ideas can be incorporated into the program
- That's the idea!!! ;)
* The program comes with strategies to extend the learning
- Not applicable
* There is a sufficient amount of content
- The variety of tools, magic tools and stamps covers this, no?
IV. Entertaining (Is this program fun to use?)
* The program is enjoyable to use
- That's what I've heard ;)
* Graphics are meaningful and enjoyed by children
- I think so...?
* The program is appealing to a wide audience
- Boys and girls, kids and adults, people in many countries. Yes ;)
* Children return to this program time after time
- So I've heard ;)
* Random generation techniques are employed in the design
- Not applicable.
* Speech and sounds are meaningful to children
- Yes
* Challenge is fluid, or a child can select own level
- Presumably, kids will experiment with the various aspects, and
slowly start using more and more of the program.
(I compare it to how I've learned and grown using The Gimp)
* The program is responsive to a child's actions
- Yes
* The theme of the program is meaningful to children
- Yes! ;)
V. Design Features (How "smart" is this program?)
* The program has speech capability
- To a small degree. See above.
* Has printing capability
- Yes. Even smarter: can be disabled >:^)
* Keeps records of child's work
- Not applicable in so far as "you're on level 3!", but obviously
it has a "save this picture" command ;)
* "Branches" automatically; challenge level is fluid
- Not applicable
* A child's ideas can be incorporated into the program
- Asked already. See above. :)
* Sound can be toggled or adjusted
- Not from within the program. (Perhaps a hot-key should be added?)
But yes, from configuration.
* Feedback is customized in some way to the individual child
- All I can think of is the "uppercase" mode...
* Program keeps a history of the child's use over a period of time
- No. I'm not sure this is applicable. Perhaps a log could be
useful to parents and educators? ("Used program X minutes on Day 1,
saved 3 pictures.")
* Teacher / parent options are easy to find and use
- Not yet. :( I need to finish writing "tuxpaint-config"...
VI. Value (How much does it cost vs. what it does? Is it worth it?)
* Considering the factors rated above, and the average retail price
of the software, rate this program's relative value.
1 [Poor] .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 [Good]
- >:^) What do _I_ think? >:^)
-bill!
--
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Got kids? Get Tux Paint!
http://newbreedsoftware.com/bill/ http://newbreedsoftware.com/tuxpaint/
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