The ability to type faster than you can write by hand is more important today than ever. I remember as an elementary teacher and later an elementary computer lab teacher / technology integration facilitator using the commercial program Type To Learn from Sunburst Technology, to help students learn better keyboarding skills. Now, however, more FREE options for helping students learn “home row” are available than ever.
Today I learned about TypeFaster Typing Tutor (a free, open-source typing program available for Windows) as well as Dance Mat Typing from the BBC, which is also free but web-based.
What are the best tools you use with students, your own children or others (including for your own skill development) to better keyboard?
Technorati Tags: keyboarding
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On this day..
- Great reason NOT to use iBuildApp – 2014
- eBooks Sandbox: a space to share free eBook experiments! – 2012
- Secret iPhone Agreement (now public) and Apple User Ethics – 2010
- Platforms for idea sharing are essential (even family learning blogs) – 2010
- A projector in my pocket and a Netbook in my satchel – 2009
- Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (CoSN 2009 closing keynote) – 2009
- Empowering 21st Century Superintendents to Achieve a Culture of Transformation through Technology – 2009
- The Sugar User-Interface Opportunity by Anne Gentle – 2009
- Google Apps: Implementation and Changing the Way We Do Business – 2009
- Navigating Beyond the Now: The Force, Trends, and Signals that will impact Learning in the Next Decade – 2009
Comments
3 responses to “Tools to improve keyboarding skills”
More Keyboarding Links…
I have discovered some more keyboarding programmes for you to try. You could even use keyboarding practice as a homework task!
Today I learned about TypeFaster Typing Tutor (a free, open-source typing program available for Windows) as well as Dance Mat…
Came by to look at your screencasts for a primer I’m building on screencasting and saw your post.
Thought you’d enjoy this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/15557565/
[…] If School 2.0 is all about collaborative working, children directing the learning, teaching and learning for ‘Just in Time’ what does it look like in a matrix. What should I be doing with my Year 3’s? Year 5’s, Year 2’s? I’ve heard from Vicki Davies blog recently that keyboarding isn’t dead. That word-processing at the speed of speech is practically a miraculous gift. Wesley has some software suggestions that might help. Speech recognition software is no where close; currently. Perhaps if it were the learning would be impaired somewhat. I know I have learnt more since being this blog than I have ever done- perhaps.  Don Tapscott talks about the flat work place. That N-Geners prefer a flatter workplace. I wonder what a flat school would look like. Would I truly be a better place for it? Flatter in terms of the students or the staff or both? What would that really look like. Would communication with the school be better or worse? Would we achieve more or less?  […]