Children’s participation in schoolyard redesign using ICT design tool

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Published: Jul 27, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/χπ.1472
Keywords:
children’s participation schoolyard (re)design digital drawing Tux Paint
Ευαγγελία Πολύζου (Evangelia Polyzou)
Κωνσταντία Ταμουτσέλη (Konstantia Tamoutseli)
Abstract

The participatory process in (re)designing children’s outdoor school environment is one of the strongest and most effective processes toward schoolyard improvement and guarantees the sustainability of the effort because (re)designing, improvement and maintenance are provided by children themselves. Various methodological tools have been developed for this reason and there is ample research data. There is insufficient research data on ICT as tools for actually triggering children’s participation in schoolyard design. This paper presents data on the use and evaluation of adapted drawing software (Tux Paint) employed by primary school children, where the aim of the project was suggesting ways to redesign their schoolyard.

This design tool provided children freedom of expression and the flexibility in their own design proposals, without being restricted by design archetypes frequently seen in specialized design software. Ιt also increased possibilities for collaboration, action and boosting of creativity and imagination. A massive information database came up thanks to Tux Paint use revealing children’s desires and landscape preferences for their schoolyard, the exclusion of the stereotype reproduction of schoolyard and the creation of a green schoolyard full of activities with proposals toward an aesthetic, functional and ecological environment. Software evaluation shows that children were greatly satisfied by interactive Tux Paint, by the collaboration among them and the final designed product.
Article Details
  • Section
  • THEMATIC FIELD IV Introducing innovations for the upgrade of the educational environment

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