Student-proof peripherals - any recommendations?

[TheKrel]

Have any of you found any peripherals that can anywhere near claim that they are student proof or at least heavily resistant to the destructive nature of some of students.

Any recommendations on what's worked for you greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[Busybub]

You can get vandal resistant keyboards with trackballs made from steel. Last time I checked they cost upwards of 300 quid each.

You would need to use a router to cut out a hole in your desktop to fit one, and it does nothing to stop them taking a compass to it, and scratch the living daylights out of it.

Better off having a more consistent policy of catching and punishing the ones who actually cause the damage, and laying down some responsibility to individual teachers who are in the room at the time the damage occurs.

Besides, mice and keyboards are cheap and they do a good job of distracting kids from punching holes in monitors... Some students will have a go at whatever they're given. Better to replace cheap ones than expensive ones!

[TheKrel]

Thanks Busy, this was pretty much the conclusion that I had arrived at but wanted to see whether anyone else had come across a viable alternative that I'd missed.

I came across the silicon keyboards which would prevent the keys being removed and would prevent spillage but they would just get cut to ribbons with compasses, etc

Looks like reasonably priced peripherals and better policing of rooms is the best approach!

[maniac]

Have any of you found any peripherals that can anywhere near claim that they are student proof or at least heavily resistant to the destructive nature of some of students.

Any recommendations on what's worked for you greatly appreciated!

Thanks

I find the only infailable way to stop the kids destroying the equipment is for there to be no equipment for them to destroy in the first place!

It doesn't matter what I try, I've never found a solution, although it is interesting to note that this doesn't happen in all classrooms, only some . . . . .

[BandyQuill]

weve noticed that there is a correlation between speed of the computers and vandalism...

slow pc = bored = broken mouse/ keyboard

faster working/ loading pc = no time to get bored = more time on games = less damage because distracted by games...

[K.C.Leblanc]

Have you thought about security cameras?

[chazzy2501]

I have these formulas:


PC + Slow = Punch it, Kick it, Kill it.

PC + Fast = Wasting Time Online

PC + Old = Sweet & Crisp packet holder

PC + New = Take it Home

[BandyQuill]

the only way this will ever work is if the teachers decide to pay attention to there classes... fullstop...

[simpsonj]

It doesn't matter how good the keyboard/mouse is if they take a pair of scissors to the cable...

As people have mentioned, there isn't a technological solution to this (yet anyway), but its down to good teaching when using ICT suites. I would recommend security cameras though, if the school is putting them in, ask for one in each ICT suite.

I would highly recommend hard glass monitors; easy to clean, and no breakages yet. Every monitor I buy from now on will be hard glass, especially as prices for them are pretty much the same as standard monitors.

Mind you, if anyone knows of a laptop with a kid proof keyboard, I would be very interested!

[RinSewand]

weve noticed that there is a correlation between speed of the computers and vandalism...

slow pc = bored = broken mouse/ keyboard

faster working/ loading pc = no time to get bored = more time on games = less damage because distracted by games...

Exactly the same here - only with the addition of REALLY SLOW pc = punching the monitor. The faster suits don't get quite the same level of damage.

We just got for not-the-cheapest-but-cheap stuff, and hope it holds out. A piont to note - keybaords that bend are likely to get bent and twisted... buy something a little more substantial and they usually last a bit longer.

Glass fronted monitors are a must, but make sure it's hard for them to get pushed over - kids don't like being covered in shattered glass...

RwD

[darkmanx]

got to agree with whats been said its nigh on impossible to stop it happening. We try to put hard glass screens in areas more prone to damage although we have had a couple smashed!!

We have cctv in some areas and found them damaging some of the equipment and bills got sent home to the parents. Although one of them said take us to court because your not gonna get a penny out of us! If the parents are like that what chance have the kids got!

It can be a bit demoralising though going backwards and forwards repairing vandalism. We got one area fully back up and running before the xmas break and 3 weeks into this term have 9 machines out of operation due to vandalism

[AXE]

Here's one of the measures I've had to use in the past.
Standard connectors are easily damaged when leads are ripped out, and for various reasons, leads had to be kept very short.
I used RJ45 modules as a junction between PC and peripherals, leads pull out of the back of a module with little or no damage.

[maniac]

It can be a bit demoralising though going backwards and forwards repairing vandalism. We got one area fully back up and running before the xmas break and 3 weeks into this term have 9 machines out of operation due to vandalism

I spend half my lif pieceing back together laptop keyboards, and replacing damaged equipment. Bill runs into £1000's a year just to keep it all in one piece!

[Busybub]

Thanks Busy, this was pretty much the conclusion that I had arrived at but wanted to see whether anyone else had come across a viable alternative that I'd missed.

Hmmmmm, I haven't tried barbed wire or rigging them up to the mains yet...

Let me know if you have any luck