Finally- Taking Learning Styles into Account

I just got a notice on a Mom Bloggers feed I watch, that Master Lock has introduced a new set of locks- the 1500iD Speed Dial™ Set-Your-Own Combination Lock and the 1590D Set-Your-Own Combination Lock – that were designed with students’ unique learning styles in mind.

When I saw this, I immediately thought, Thank Goodness. My older son has had problems with his locker at school to the point where he simply opted not to use it. I have pictures of him from Middle school, carrying everything with him, and looking like a street person, underneath the piles of books and notebooks he carried with him all day long, just to avoid using the locker he didn’t feel comfortable opening quickly between classes.

The new locks include – The Speed Dial Set-Your-Own Combination Lock that opens on up-down-left-right directional movements, instead of the traditional rotary dial, and can be customized with letters, shapes or numbers, depending on how students most easily remember their combination.  The second type of lock is a set your own combination lock- a traditional rotary dial for students more comfortable with that method, but with a new reset feature that allows them to choose their own combination using, letters, numbers or both.  So you can still choose a rotary lock that may look more “normal”, but have it set so the kid never has to worry about forgetting the combination- they can choose one easy for them to remember.

It’s great to see companies like Masterlock finding ways to adapt to kids and solving what may seem like a small problem, but it’s one that has really caused us a lot of problems over the years.  By making the locker issue difficult, my son ended up carrying all his stuff with him- and became less, rather than more organized as a result.  Not being able to find your homework in your piles has academic consequences, even if part of the cause is something as simple as not being able to open your locker.  This may go a long way to helping kids not only keep their stuff safe, but keep it organized and do better in school as a result.

In addition to keeping kids’ text books and gym clothes safe, Master Lock is also helping kids keep their secrets safe and secure online with the “Master Lock Secret Vault” Facebook application. After installing the application, participants have a chance to win a cash prize in the “Master Lock $5,000 Secure Your Future Sweepstakes.”

This is pretty exciting at least for high school students, as they start to interact with Facebook and learn about what information to keep open, and what to keep “locked” behind closed doors, for their own safety.  I haven’t yet added the Facebook application myself,  but I am all for teaching kids about maintaining appropriate levels of privacy, where possible, online, and learning how to manage their digital footprint.

Disclosure:  There may be a chance that Masterlock will send us a lock to give away on the show due to this blog post.  If we are chosen, the give away information will appear in an upcoming episode of the LD Podcast.