Problem: Headphones and Dongles which must be plugged into NLE computers have a tendency to sprout legs and escape. Headphones can be replaced for about $10 for cheap ones but Dongles can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.
Solution: First, open the computer housing to gain access to the sturdy metal framework that holds the “guts” of the computer.
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For the Headphone Keeper just find a place to Zip tie the cord which is out of reach of the average student. Typically this is at a fan vent for the computer. The only way a student will be able to steal the headphones is to A, cut the cord, which ruins the headphones, or B, break into the computer housing and cut the zip tie. . . far too much work for the average 16 year old.
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For the Dongle Keeper, you’ll need to buy a USA extension cable at your local electronics store. The key is to find or create a hole in the computer housing which is small enough to allow the male (smaller) end of a USB extension cable to pass through, but too small to let the female (larger) end pass through. The Dongle is kept on the inside of the computer housing, and thus is never lost. In the pictures shown I happened to find a hole that was almost the exact same size as the male end of the extension cable. I fed the male end through the hole from the inside and connected the USB. Then I coiled the slack inside the computer housing to create a secondary line of defense. A student trying to get to the dongle would have to deal with trying to force the coil of cable through the small hole in addition to trying to get the dongle itself out. Again, far too much work for the average 16 year old. The only thing to be careful of with this situation is that the dongle itself does not end up shorting out your computer by bridging electrical connections inside the computer. Be sure to coil the cable and keep it away from interior components.
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