How to use Tech Explorers

💻 What you need

• A desktop or laptop computer with a keyboard and a mouse (or a touchpad). Chrome is recommended.
• A Makey Makey works too, if you have one. It acts like a keyboard and presses the arrow keys and Space, so it can play the arrow-key games: Jump Over!, Star Blaster, Piano, Commando Run and Pattern Pop!
• Speakers or headphones, for the sounds and music.
• iPads, phones and other tablets may not work, or may not give the results you expect.

📷 Quick access with a QR code

Print or show the QR code so learners can open Tech Explorers without typing the address. There is no sign-in. It works on a desktop or laptop computer with a camera.

• Make sure the camera is not blocked: open any cover or privacy shutter, and allow camera access in the computer's privacy settings.
• Open the Camera app and switch it to the QR code or Barcode scan mode, then hold the code steady, about 20 to 30 cm from the camera.

⬇ Download the QR code (PDF)

🎮 Getting started

1. Choose your year on the first screen.
2. Choose a group at the top: Keyboard and mouse, Design (painting and art), or Arrow keys and Makey Makey. Then choose a game.
3. Follow the guide in the game (Buddy, Bo or the on-screen hints) and collect stars.
4. Press ⏸ to pause, 🎵 for music on or off, and 🏠 to go back. Press F11 for full screen. Sound starts after your first click.

⌨️ Which games need what

• Full keyboard: Typing Club and Shortcut Lab (Years 4 to 6), Slice & Pop, Type & Build.
• Mouse: Click & Build, Paint Studio, Art Studio, Scene Maker, Magic Mix, Magic Lab, Design Studio, Word Hunt. Click & Type Quest uses both the mouse and the keyboard.
• Arrow keys or Makey Makey: Jump Over!, Star Blaster, Piano, Commando Run, Pattern Pop! They only use Left, Up, Down, Right and Space.

🍌 Using a Makey Makey

1. Plug the Makey Makey into the computer's USB port.
2. Clip the Earth lead to the player, for example a bracelet or a hand-held clip.
3. Clip the five keys (Left, Up, Down, Right, Space) to five things that conduct, such as fruit, foil or play-dough.
4. Touch the Earth lead, then touch the fruit to press that key. No Makey Makey? Use the arrow keys and the Space bar on the keyboard.

👩‍🏫 For teachers

• Progress is not saved. It lasts only while the page is open, so download the teacher report or print the certificate before closing the tab.
• Because of this, every level is open. A learner can start where they stopped last time. The certificate unlocks when they finish the last level of the game.
• Certificates print best on A4, landscape.

About Tech Explorers

💡 Why it was made

Tech Explorers began in a school computer club. Learners need a friendly place to build their first computer skills: moving and clicking the mouse, finding letters on the keyboard, and then typing accurately and quickly. The games turn that practice into something children want to do, with stars, rewards and certificates that celebrate every step.

It is a free educational resource. It runs in the browser with no sign-in and no data collected, so any school, club or family with a computer can use it.

🤖 How it was made

The ideas, the reasons, the testing with real learners and every decision came from a teacher. The code was written by an AI assistant (Claude) from those instructions. It has been tested and it works well, but it is not perfect, and it will keep growing. Feedback is very welcome.

About the author

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