CODERS Keyboards Module

Technology develops quickly. Frequent upgrades often turn outdated equipment into waste. At the 2024 Summer Launch, the CODERS Program donated hundreds of outdated keyboards to teachers. These keyboards would have become waste without teachers like you who took them. To help you put your outdated keyboards to good use, the CODERS Program has collected some keyboard upcycling projects.

These projects can help introduce students to manufacturing and electronics. Additionally, the projects let students refresh, apply, and develop the skills gained in the Bulbs, Batteries, and Wires lessons.

Dismantling and Rebuilding a Keyboard (via MakeZine.com): The CODERS Program recommends starting keyboard projects by following this step-by-step guide for information on how to change the shell of a keyboard from plastic to wood. Important Note: You do not have to make a wooden keyboard shell to complete this project. You can reuse the keyboard’s original shell to complete the project without changing the shell. The step-by-step guide helps with this project. Completing this project challenges students to take apart and rebuild a keyboard while making sure it still works. Overcoming this challenge teaches students about every part of the keyboard, and this knowledge helps them with other keyboard projects.

Recycling Keyboards into Christmas Wreaths (via MakeZine): The article explains how old keyboards can be recycled into Christmas wreaths. The wreaths do not function electronically, but the project introduces students to the inner workings of keyboards and helps prepare them for electronic projects. This project could help introduce younger students to keyboard electronics.

Upgrading a Keyboard for $40 (via YouTube): The video shows the basics of upgrading keyboards, and the project is incredibly cost-effective. The entire upgrade costs only $40. This video works as both a step-by-step guide and a template for other projects. On one hand, if you want to use the video as a step-by-step guide, you could buy and upgrade the kind of keyboard in the video in the same way as the person in the video. On the other hand, you can use the video as a template for projects that do not use the same keyboard as the one in the video. Students can also use the video to plan their own keyboard upgrades.

Changing a Keyboard into a BIOS Keyboard (via YouTube): The project explained in part 1 and part 2 of this video series is a little complex. However, it can be a good way to get students excited about computer programming. The video series explains changing a regular keyboard into a BIOS keyboard. A BIOS keyboard only has the keys that operate a computer's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). These keyboards make programming more efficient. Once a student has made one, they can program more efficiently.