| We all know kids love to play whenever they | | | | Teachers know that despite having the entire |
| get the chance. Even some adults take time to | | | | class wash their hands before computer work, |
| play now and then. With touchpad keyboards, | | | | inevitably for every twenty kids at least |
| kids are discovering a new way to play. Here | | | | three manage to get dirt or crumbs stuck in |
| are some benefits for kids and their | | | | their computer mouse. With the touchpad |
| caretakers who use touchpad keyboards: | | | | keyboard, those crumbs are easily visible and |
| | | | simply cleaned. With the traditional rolling |
| "It's like my fingers are dancing!" said | | | | ball mouse, crumbs get stuck up inside and |
| Charla, age eight. On her first day of class | | | | are difficult, if not impossible, to remove. |
| at Mountain View Elementary school, she | | | | Teachers are saving hours of cleaning time |
| gravitated towards the computer at her desk | | | | with touchpad keyboards. |
| place. She had never seen a computer with a | | | | |
| touchpad keyboard before, but she jumped | | | | Whenever school funding is cut, classrooms |
| right in and began to experiment with how to | | | | get fuller. With thirty kids to watch over, |
| use it. Before her teacher had a chance to | | | | Charla's teacher must get creative about |
| explain how the touchpad keyboard functions, | | | | making space for all of thirty kids within a |
| Charla had already grasped the concept and | | | | compact room. Desks are crammed in and make |
| was adeptly using the touchpad keyboard to | | | | for only a 1.5-foot aisle. The kids' elbows |
| download music on to her iPod. So quick is | | | | are hitting each other. Luckily, the touchpad |
| the learning curve of the touchpad keyboard | | | | keyboards save some space. Eliminating the |
| for kids. | | | | traditional mouse means that each child has |
| | | | an additional ten inches of space. This |
| While Charla felt her fingers were dancing, | | | | efficiency is helping little Charla and other |
| she did not know that her brain was also | | | | kids to concentrate better and understand the |
| stretching into new vistas of creativity. | | | | concept of "personal space." |
| Studies have shown that children who use | | | | |
| touchpad keyboards have higher levels of | | | | Well-informed adults are taking advantage of |
| creative expression, due to the dancing | | | | touchpad keyboards in the home, too. American |
| drawing motion of the fingers. The fluid | | | | kids typically spend one to two hours on the |
| movement is similar to painting, which | | | | computer after school, and sometimes more. |
| encourages the brain to think in non-linear, | | | | Parents with touchpad keyboards are noticing |
| abstract formation. Children who use touchpad | | | | that they are saving much time by not digging |
| keyboards are more flexible by nature, more | | | | out dirt stuck inside a traditional mouse. |
| creative, and more spontaneous than their | | | | With a quick swipe of the touchpad keyboard, |
| classmate counterparts who use traditional | | | | all the grime is gone. |
| keyboards. | | | | |
| | | | Studies linking touchpad keyboards to |
| Little Charla may think touchpad keyboards | | | | creativity are just beginning to make waves |
| are all about fun, as the school hours speed | | | | in the parent community. Parents and teachers |
| away, but her teacher knows something else | | | | are taking advantage of the cleanliness, |
| about them. They are easier to clean than a | | | | efficiency, and creative effect that touchpad |
| traditional mouse. Kids are notoriously | | | | keyboards have. Let your kids join the dance |
| messy. Crumbs seem to travel with them in a | | | | of touchpad keyboards. It is good for them |
| trail that could reach around the world. | | | | and you. |