Hardware

ISTE 2010: Booger-free Keyboards

The Buzz Blog explores the hygienic, germ-free keyboards at ISTE 2010.

Buzz Garwood, the technology teacher at Home Gardens Academy in Corona, Calif., blogs and produces videos for EdTech magazine. Follow him at @buzzgarwood and check out his blog.

Any teacher, computer specialist, or librarian with at least one computer in his or her room will tell you: it's really hard to get a keyboard clean. And unless you are a germaphobe like the late Howard Hughes or a clean freak like one of the Stepford Wives, your keyboard is, well, filthy. Who wants to sit down to a stained, germ-ridden, boogery keyboard anyway? Certainly not I, and neither do your students.

Then there's the issue of health. Even though the H1N1/ Swine Flu epidemic seems to have quelled for the moment, there's still no cure for the common cold and it's just a matter of time before some new virus will spread, leading to more student and teacher absences and ultimately contributing to lower academic achievement. Sounds dramatic, but it's true. Who will save us from this doom and gloom?

Enter: Matthew Grayson, the Keyboard Wizard. Matthew's company, Man & Machine, offers more than quiet keyboards, covers, and mice-- they offer a layer of disease prevention and peace of mind. It's common knowledge that merely wiping drool, boogers, blood, spills, and residue from grimy hands isn't enough to disinfect peripheral devices. Man & Machine's waterproof, disinfectable keyboards and mice offer a significant barrier to the transfer of germs in schools, libraries, and classrooms where computer peripherals are shared. You can literally put these things through the dishwasher and they'll come out as clean and as good as new. Encased in 100% silicon, I witnessed first-hand their waterproof capabilities. They put one of their keyboards under water while it was connected to a PC. I then put my hand in the water, typed, and saw my words on the screen.

This year, my school purchased numerous word processing devices. Although Man & Machine does not yet offer a fitted keyboard cover for our device, I was happy to learn that they are working with the manufacturer and should have a product available soon. For a clean, disinfectable, quiet, and nearly indestructable keyboard or mouse, Man & Machine has done their homework.

Follow Buzz on Twitter: @buzzgarwood