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170

Smaller mouse size for primary students.

170 points posted to Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) by dgweh 10/24/07

I have been an elementary school principal in Texas for 15 years and have seen first hand the positive changes that computers and technology has made over the years. The only constant problem over the years that I have seen is the difficulty of the primary grade students (Kindergarten and First grade) being able to manage or control a computer only because of the size of the mouse compared to the size of their hands. Our school has several computer labs (which are Dell computers) and I see on a daily basis the younger students working with keyboarding, instructional software, and other computer skills. A high percentage of questions or concerns from the students has to do with not being able to control the mouse as well as they want to. Yesterday I even noticed a young student using both hands to control the mouse.
My idea is to create a smaller sized mouse that fits the hand of our K & 1 students. While this would benefit the primary students, it would not prevent them from learning mouse skills the correct way. They would just simply move to the regular size mouse when needed, probably about 2nd grade (age 7).
Another benefit would be the ease and low costs for school districts to switch out the mouse on certain computers located in the primary classrooms or even a primary computer lab. I don't think this product would be too difficult to produce since it would only be a size alteration of a product that already exists. The financial benefits of the company that produces this are obvious based on the huge numbers of school districts in the U.S.

nil0lab
10/24/07		 Travel size mice are readily available. They fit small hands nicely. See the road warrior section of your local OfficeCircuitFryDepotMaxCityShack.
nboyle
11/18/07		 Definitely check out the travel mice. they are cute and small... perfect for the small hands of kids.
misterdonut
11/21/07		 It's a good idea to introduce young children to computers at an early age. But I wouldn't want to introduce them to carpal tunnel at such a young age. Maybe using a pen tablet solution such as a Wacom tablet would be better?
iemand14
Aug 20		 Great idea, but this would also mean there will be two or more mouses attached to one computer. One for each age group. Possible a mouse that can be adjusted to the size of your hand would be fantastic and go further than only children.
 
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