Home PublicationsL&LIssuesVolume 26 (1998-1999) October (No. 2)

Presentation Software and the Single Computer How Kid Pix Can Serve the Needs of an Entire Classroom By Cindy A. Brown

Given the general sophistication of the computers and software available to the average classroom teacher, supplementing a curriculum has probably never been easier. Many teachers, however, shrink completely from using computers or let the software dictate what and how they teach. To help make their job easier, the author of this article shows how a single multimedia-capable computer and one simple program can aid but not dominate classroom instruction.

There it is, sitting in the classroom: a multimedia computer just waiting to be put to good use. The monitor has a crisp, clear picture, and amazing sounds come from the stereo speakers. You and your students are easily mesmerized by what this machine can do. So, now what? Do you throw in the towel and let the computer take over your classroom? Do you avoid temptation altogether and ignore the machine? Or do you take a path in between and use the computer with purpose, focus, and direction?

If you teach classes anywhere from prekindergarten to second grade, then you may have grappled with these questions. Better yet, you may already have a piece of software—Kid Pix—that can help you take the middle path. Let’s find out how versatile this software is and how easily you and your students can use it.

Getting Started
Kid Pix 2 and Kid Pix Studio are available for both Macintosh and Windows-based machines. Kid Pix Studio is the more advanced version and installs from a CD-ROM.

Let’s spend some time discovering what Kid Pix can offer your classroom. The best way to begin is by spending an hour at your computer with the Kid Pix manual in your lap as you discover all of the program’s features. From the main Kid Pix screen, walk through each aspect of the program and experiment with all of the tools and menu options. You will begin to get a feel for the program’s potential in your classroom. By the time you print your first creation, you’ll be hooked. 

Solving the One-Computer Problem
You’re now familiar with Kid Pix and sold on its educational value. You’re eager to introduce the program to your students, but you have a problem: 25 students and just one computer. Now is the time to ask yourself some basic questions: How can I transform the computer into a teaching tool? Do I want the computer to be used for creating projects? Do I want to use the computer as a presentation tool? How often will students use the computer? Will I encourage cooperative learning at the computer?

Transforming your computer into a teaching tool is your overall mission, so it’s important to determine how well you can do that. Can other equipment at your school be used with your computer? Is an LCD panel or an overhead projector available for connection with it? Even better, do you have access to a television and a scan converter that will project your work onto a large screen? Do you have speakers that can be connected? Do you have access to a printer so students can see how their extraordinary work looks on paper? You may be lucky enough to have access to one, two, or maybe all of these items. Most of us, though, feel lucky just to have computers in our classrooms.

If the monitor on that single computer can be separated from its main CPU (central processing unit) housing, then place it higher on a table or cart. If you have a combined unit, then elevate the whole unit and tilt the screen down for easier viewing. Be sure to place the computer where students can sit comfortably and see without straining. You might also turn out some of the classroom lights when you demonstrate activities; this helps bring the screen into better focus.

“Kids, Meet Kid Pix”
Now that you’ve arranged your single computer to enhance your presentations, it’s time to introduce your students to Kid Pix. Gather everyone around the computer and begin to demonstrate the program’s basic tools. (You might want to make a copy of the Kid Pix tools reference page from the manual for each child to refer to as you demonstrate—but be sure to obtain permission from the publisher first.) As you share what the program has to offer, watch the excitement and anticipation begin to build among your students. They will want to interact with it as soon as possible. Now you get to address that old question again: How and when will my 25 students be able to use Kid Pix on one computer?

Here’s a simple solution: Use the computer as a learning center. If you use this method, then you’ll need to plan and schedule students’ time before they actually begin the process; that’s because the computer will probably be the most popular area in your classroom. Small groups of students can rotate through the computer center for designated amounts of time while other students are occupied at different learning centers around the room.

If learning-center time in your primary classroom is a free choice for students, then you might try using the popsicle-stick system. You’ll need two jars, one labeled “Not Yet” and the other “Been There.” Write the names of your students on the sticks and place them all in the “Not Yet” jar. As the students take their turns at the computer center, they place their sticks in the “Been There” jar. The computer will be one of the more popular centers, so be sure to monitor the jar closely. One good idea is to place a timer in the computer center to indicate when each student’s or group’s time is up.

For the next several weeks, give all of your students the chance to rotate through this center. It’s important that they explore all of the options in the Kid Pix program, discovering each tool’s capabilities and options. As a result, the students will begin creating things you never dreamed possible. You will be amazed to see your students working cooperatively as they interact with the program. Once you have given them time to explore, they’ll be prepared to develop more concrete projects related to your class curriculum.

Using Kid Pix for Presentations
After you and your students have become familiar with how Kid Pix works, you can explore other ways to use the program, including as a presentation tool. Here’s how.

If you have access to a television and scan converter, then you can use your computer as an electronic chalkboard. Most children don’t have to be prompted to look at a TV screen, and most will be enthralled by whatever you present this way. You might, for example, conduct a simple graphing activity about land, air, and water transportation using the Kid Pix rubber stamp tool. Or you might give an impromptu color lesson using the paint-bucket tool to give the screen one color and the text tool to label the screen with other colors—with help from your students, of course. Finally, you might use the appropriate Kid Pix tools in a simple geometry lesson that shows the differences between rectangles and squares.

The slideshow option in Kid Pix offers another great way to illustrate your teaching concepts, and it also can be used as a management tool. One teacher of kindergartners and first graders at my school established a morning routine for her students. Instead of orally repeating her instructions day in and day out, she made a Kid Pix slideshow that demonstrated to students how to put their backpacks away, turn in their homework folders, write their estimates in the estimation jar, and quietly read their books. The teacher drew pictures of each activity for those who couldn’t read and typed a corresponding sentence for those who could. She even recorded her voice for added effect. This management slide-show was played each morning to remind students of their daily routine.

Another practical use for the slide-show feature is teaching and facilitating skills such as addition. A teacher might create a multislide presentation that consists of random addition sentences, setting enough time between each slide to give students ample time to formulate their answers before the next slide appears. Indeed, the possibilities are endless for using Kid Pix as a presentation tool. (Also see “Making a Kid Pix Slideshow.”)

Creating Projects with Kid Pix
Kid Pix and your lone classroom computer also can be used by individuals or small groups to create curriculum-related projects. To set this up, though, you must carefully plan a schedule for students to use the computer.

If you have trouble thinking of Kid Pix projects and want to see some great ideas, then refer to the teacher lessons at the back of the program’s manual. You might, for example, have your students use the rubber stamp and type text tools to create a rebus story about their favorite holidays. Or you might ask the whole class to contribute to a slideshow about the colors of the rainbow. Students can work in pairs to make slides with drawings or rubber stamps that represent the colors they have been assigned. All of the slides are then put into the slideshow and presented to the class. The possibilities are endless.

To help one computer meet the needs of students working as individuals or in small groups, it’s a good idea to teach them how to storyboard their ideas on paper before they sit down at the computer. Then the students can take turns at the computer and begin to create. Remember also to teach your students to save their work to their own disks. This task gives them a more adultlike sense of responsibility. And these disks can eventually follow your students from grade to grade, serving as electronic portfolios.

One Final Note
You probably can see how Kid Pix is an entertaining yet easy-to-use program that lets you and your students create your own projects. It offers many opportunities for creative expression through various art and design projects. Yet the program also allows you to use your computer as a teaching supplement. Both you and your students can use it to visualize and illustrate concepts and ideas in every area of your curriculum.

Resources
Bryant, M. H. (1996). Integrating technology into the curriculum. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Lifter, M., & Adams, M. E. (1997). Kid Pix for terrified teachers. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Kid Pix 2 or Kid Pix Studio, Brøderbund Software Direct, PO Box 6125, Novato, CA 94948-6125; 800.474.8840

Cindy Brown (Cindy_Brown@scps. k12.fl.us) is a technology facilitator at Altamonte Elementary School in Seminole County, Florida. Previously, she taught kindergarten for six years. She received her master’s in educational technology from the University of Central Florida. 

Richard Dillon (rwdillon@seanet.com) is editor of L&L’s One-Computer Classroom column. Contact him at 826 NE 128 St., Seattle, WA 98125; 206.366.8434.

 Making a Kid Pix Slideshow

• Double-click on the program icon to open Kid Pix 2.
• From the drawing screen, draw your title slide or the first slide in your slideshow. Don’t forget to add color and sound!
• When you are finished, move your cursor to “File” on the menu bar and move down to “Save As” and give your first slide a name (e.g., “Slide 01”; if you anticipate more than nine slides, it’s a good idea to insert a zero before the first nine numbers so they’ll play in the proper sequence).
• Now return to “File” on the menu bar and drag down to “New.”
• Draw your next slide and record sound. Then go to “File” and save it using a different name than your first slide. Continue this process until all of your slides are done.
• Now move to the “Switcheroo” menu and drag down to “Switch to Slide Show.” You’ll see rows of trucks with an icon beneath each one. The icons beneath each truck stand for:
  1. “Pick a Slide” (looks like a picture frame)
  2. “Pick a Sound” (looks like a music note)
  3. “Transition” (looks like a staircase)
• Click on the “Pick a Slide” icon to open your disk or folder and see the slides you have saved. If the slides are not shown, you will need to navigate to wherever they are stored.
• Click on and select the slide you want to be shown first. A miniature form of the slide will be placed in the truck.
• Continue adding the rest of your slides. Be sure to click on the truck where you want your slide to go first.
• To check the order of the slides, press the “Play” button (the arrow) at the bottom of the screen.
• Next, click on the “Pick a Sound” (music note) button and select the sound you want to use. You may also record your own voice by clicking the microphone in the “Pick a Sound” window.
• Once you have recorded your own sound, click “Save” and then “Select.” You cannot have more than one sound on a slide unless you put the slide in more than one truck.
• You are now ready to choose a transition. Click on the “Transition” button, choose the one you want to use, and then click “Select.”
• Finally, choose a background color for your slideshow by selecting “Background Color” from the “Goodies” menu.
• When you are finished, go to “File” on the menu bar and drag down to “Save As.”
• Name your slideshow and click “Save” to keep it as a normal slideshow. (Note: You can also save it as a “Stand Alone” slideshow if you want to be able to play it without the Kid Pix application.)
• You are now ready to play your slideshow. Go to the “Goodies” menu and drag down to “Play Once” or click the “Play” button at the bottom of the screen.
• To play the slideshow over and over, select “Play Looped” from either the “Goodies” menu or with the button at the bottom of the screen. Your slideshow will play continuously until the mouse is double-clicked.

Congratulations! You have created your first Kid Pix slideshow!

Copyright © 1998, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.