Mouse Create

Mouse Create is an online learning platform designed for young people to build the tech & design skills they need to become creative problem solvers within the world around them.

Our projects and courses help educators build an environment for learners to explore, deepen, and practice creative and technical identities over time.

Educators from schools, community centers, and afterschool providers partner with Mouse to integrate Mouse project curricula into their programs and classes, choosing from courses that cover circuitry, game design, web literacy, coding, green technology, and more. Learn more about Mouse's signature program, AI Design League, which helps your students gain foundational skills in AI, computational thinking, app design, accelerated SEL growth, and a practical understanding of how to access meaningful careers in tech > 

With 16 online courses, comprised of over 200 hands-on, interactive, student-focused activities, Mouse Create provides STEM, creative computing, and design opportunities for all learners! 
 

Need help with Mouse Create? Click here for tutorial videos in English and Spanish to guide you through implementation and platform functionality.

The Circuitry & Electronics course encourages teams to design, create, tinker, and build with technology. Youth build analog circuits using LEDs, transistors, and sensors, and learn to program an Arduino microcontroller to create a digital music maker and light chaser. The course ends with participants designing and building a digital circuit prototype.

The Coding course allows groups to get familiar with one of today’s most valuable 21st century skills. This course starts by focusing on front-end web design skills with activities on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Youth then move to the command line, get experience with a few languages, and basic computer programming processes.

In the Cybersecurity by Per Scholas course, students explore how and why cyber attacks occur as well as the effects they have on organizations. Students will research tasks relating to how cybersecurity risks are managed across all industries, utilize a professional-grade network sniffing tool called Wireshark to analyze potential cyber threats on their network and demonstrate the risks of cyber attacks at a FinTech firm and what each employee can do to mitigate those risks.

Accomplishments go far beyond what you see on a school transcript. The Digital Portfolios course is aimed at helping students design digital learning portfolios that will allow them to track successes that embody the full breadth of their interests whether in school or out. Youth will learn what it takes to document projects, reflect on accomplishments and design high-quality digital portfolios that they can confidently show off to employers or college admissions counselors.

The Green Tech course turns groups into sustainable technology leaders in their community. Youth build electricity generators, make batteries with everyday materials, and add solar panels to electric toys in order to better navigate the science behind eco-friendly technology. Youth will also experiment to improve the technology carbon footprint at their school and lead an action campaign with their findings.

The Impact Game Design course introduces youth to the building blocks of game design and the world of socially responsible gaming. Participants then research, design, and code a game prototype in Scratch.

The Intro to Design course gives youth the skills they need to begin creating original graphics, visual displays, animations, and models. Participants learn the essential elements to consider when engaging in graphic and 3D design. They practice with color wheels, layout techniques, and typefaces. They also learn how to create 3D models.

The IT Admin course is a follow-up to the IT Essentials course. Youth learn the structure and design of networks and the internet while exploring interfaces through peripherals, operating systems and app design.

The IT Essentials course is an introduction to working with technology in hands-on and innovative ways. Youth start by exploring computer hardware and software, then build on these skills by designing new ways of interacting with technology.

The Scratch Creative Computing projects on Mouse Create have been adapted, edited and expanded on from the curriculum released under a Creative Commons license by the ScratchEd team at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to promote further student engagement. The course focuses on skills that learners will need to engage in creative computing and design their own programs on Scratch.

Scratch Creative Computing 2 is a computer science and game programming course for those with some Scratch experience looking to deepen their understanding of the platform and ultimately create a game that not only entertains but also has something to say.

The Sewable Tech course combines STEM learning with artistic expression and crafting. In this course, youth will learn to embed circuitry directly into fabric—creating soft circuits, fabric switches, and the sewable sensors. The course will culminate in a final project that students will sew and program to help them set and achieve goals.

The Tech Team course is for groups looking to provide technical and user support at their site as a help desk. In addition to completing both IT courses, Tech Team groups participate in team building activities, build troubleshooting skills, develop routines and professional communication, and give back through community service.

In this age of Photoshop, social networks, and the spread of fake news, visual literacy is more important than ever. Mouse’s Video Creator course aims to equip students with the basic skills and insights needed to navigate today’s multimedia landscape. Students will learn shot and composition techniques for creating impactful images, create storyboards to plan for longer media pieces, practice recording good-quality sound, and combine various multimedia assets together to create meaningful visual stories.

The Web Literacy course transforms youth from casual web users to savvy participants who can think critically, participate safely, and demonstrate good citizenship online. Group will learn about data on the web as it relates to users and privacy, develop the knowledge and skills needed to stay safe online, and explore the issues of policy, choice, and research on the web.