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What is JClic?
JClic is formed by a set of computer
applications that are used for carrying out different types of educational
activities: puzzles, associations, text exercises, crosswords...
The activities are not usually used alone, but packed
in projects. A project is formed by a set of activities and one or more
sequences, which indicate the order in which they have to be shown.
The predecessor of JClic is Clic,
an application that has been used by educators of different countries
since 1992 as a tool for the creation of didactic activities for their
students.
JClic is developed in the Java platform, is a free software
project and works in different environments and operating systems.
More recently, the JClic.js project has made possible to use
JClic activities in any web browser and on any device, including smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks, without the need of installing Java.
Two ways of accessing the projects JClic are offered in
the library of activities in the clicZone:
Playing the activities in an HTML5 block
HTML5 blocks are objects embedded in a web page. The projects
that are seen this way do not remain stored in the hard disk: JClic
downloads it, uses it and finally deletes it.
On March 9, 2017, JClic applets stopped using Java Plugin technology to run with a new HTML5 engine named JClic.js. This change has been forced due to the loss of Java support in major web browsers, like Chrome or Firefox.
HTML5 blocks can work in two different ways:
- In compatibility mode: The HTML5 block downloads the activities in a single file with extension ".jclic.zip". Then tries to decompress it in memory. In this modality it may happen that some activities are not seen correctly.
- In real HTML5 mode: This is the recommended option. The web browser will download the ingredients of the activities as needed. Most activities will look right. In order to publish JClic activities in this modality, you must use the function "Export to SCORM and HTML5" of JClic Author.
Installing the activities
JClic has a wizard which allows you to download
the activities and put them in the projects library of the computer.
The library is created the first time JClic is started, or when you
try to do the first installation of a project.
To see the projects in the library you will need to download
and install JClic.
As in the previous case, if the installer does not start automatically
you must check the
Java system of your computer.
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