[Tuxpaint-users] Tuxpaint-Users: User Introduction

[Bill K. <nb...@so...>]

On Sun, Mar 27, 2005 at 03:58:37AM -0800, Jeff Jones wrote:
> Hello,
> I am the computer teacher at Chicora Elementary School in
> N. Charleston, S.C. It is a very poor school where only a few of the
> children have computers. Of course there is not a lot of money sitting
> around for software at the school either so I enjoy finding FREE
> software. Tuxpaint is awesome!

Glad we can help! :^)


> I've included it on a page of Freeware & Shareware that I like -
> http://www.chasarea.com/education/freeware_shareware.htm . Send me
> your favorite and I will add it.

Check out some of the CD compliations of Open Source software
available for Windows:

  http://www.theopencd.org/
  http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/en/


For Internet access, if you're currently using Internet Explorer, you
should strongly consider switching to Firefox or Mozilla, as they're
a bit more secure. :^)

  http://www.mozilla.org/


For word processing, OpenOffice.org is the big name in the Open Source
community, but it's actually an entire suite of office programs
(including spreadsheet, presentation, etc.).

  http://www.openoffice.org/


AbiWord is much lighter, and only does word processing.  Both programs
have varying degrees of success reading and writing Microsoft formats.
(Of course, since they're free, it shouldn't be too big of a problem
distributing them to students, to use at home instead of MS Word,
if necessary.)

  http://www.abisource.com/


Some other educational apps you might want to look at include
Tux Typing 2, a typing tutor from Tux4Kids (same as Tux Paint :^) )

  http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/

... and the excellent suite of games and activities for young kids,
Gcomrpis:

  http://gcompris.free.fr/



The Simple End User Linux (SEUL) educational application index might
be useful, but keep in mind that it's focused on apps for Linux.
Many of them (like all of the ones I mention above) may be available
for Windows and Mac, as well, but it's not ALWAYS the case...

  http://richtech.ca/seul/


Finally, you might also want to poke around Freshmeat.net, which is
a huge index of Open Source software (for all platforms).  You can browse
into the "Microsoft -> Windows -> Win95/98/ME" category here, for example:

  http://freshmeat.net/browse/218/

and then use the search box at the top to find particular kinds of apps
within that category.

(I think if you create a user account and log in, you can browse the
software categories _under_ the OS.  They have nearly 900 "educational"
applications listed, for example, so being able to cull that down to
ONLY the Windows and/or Mac versions would probably be useful.)


Anyway!  *WHEW!*  Good luck!

-bill!