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Objectives Keyboarding is an excellent way to introduce students to computer literacy and to improve one's ability to interact with the computer. Once you know how to type, you do not have to search for the key to press and you can concentrate on the application at hand. Objectives for new students are to develop an ability to: Use the correct technique. Key data quickly and accurately. Demonstrate operational skills in using the computer. Be able to key accurately at a rate of 35 Words Per Minute ( WPM ). When teaching, we maintain strict control for the first few sessions. Start with the home row keys and progress in a lock-step fashion learning the basic keystrokes. Then we encourage the student to work at their own pace. In the second session, learners should try to key a home row exercise at 20 wpm or greater. Again, don't worry about errors, just concentrate on using the correct finger to strike a key. The exercises after home row are keys "g " and "h ". At this point learners should be able to key without looking at their hands. Lesson Plans? Plan on about 6 weeks, at 45 minutes per day to develop speed and accuracy proficiency. This is hands - on time. Back to Teacher's Manual Program Requirements The adult learner is one who wants to develop or improve their skills. These are generally mature learners operating in a home environment, at a self-paced schedule. |
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The elementary student will frequently be learning in a controlled environment
(such as a classroom). The young student needs simple,
non-sophisticated sentences. Unfortunately this soon becomes boring
unless the exercises are up-beat.
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A Typing Page?
The program should contain a means by which the learner is guided through the process. |
An Intelligent Guide
The learner needs a Little Professor or other device that will serve as a guide in the program and provide advice. The user should not be overwhelmed with useless statistics. Advanced programs contain an artificial intelligence program that looks for patterns in errors that may occur over time. This vastly increases the quality of the advice. General Overview: No prior computer experience should be required. Self-paced learning environment. Each learner has their own Little Professor as a guide. Exercises are fun, which means learning can be fun. It is not hard to learn keyboarding ! Lessons must be divided into easy-to-absorb modules. Lessons should be arranged in difficulty from the initial "beginning keystrokes" to more complex speed drills needed for practice. Provide immediate feedback when a wrong key is pressed. Detailed pictures of the correct finger -keystrokes should be provided. Feedback should be provided in the form of errors and tunes. Be able to turn off selected sounds. |
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Students should not progress beyond keys "g" and "h"unless they are able to key the
home row without looking at their hands.
In a learning environment, a human instructor can be of great assistance. Tape a piece of paper to the top of the keyboard, making a tent. When students put their hands inside the tent, they cannot see their fingers. They are forced to concentrate on the proper key stroke ! Or, if you do not want to construct a tent, hold a piece of paper over their hands and ask them to key an exercise. If the learners appear "upset," ask them to re-key the home row exercises. They have to train their fingers to be "nimble." It is OK to look at the finger - keystroke on the screen provided their brain, not their eyes, tells their fingers what to do. Guidance is needed so that the correct skills will be developed. Posture must be erect with feet flat on the floor. Wrists should be level with the keyboard and fingers should be curved. In a classroom environment, the instructor can point this out. In a private environment, the Little Professor can offer advice based on a detailed error analysis. |
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If you are teaching or learning keyboarding away from the home environment, it
will often be in an area maintained by computer hacks. Although they are a nice,
gentle "breed of people," getting them to operate a computer area in a professional,
business like environment is often difficult and frustrating.
Meet with the person in charge of the computer lab and establish a reserved lab time exclusively for your students. After your students get into the program they will know what to expect. The distractions of others can be somewhat tolerated. Everyone should understand that there is to be no talking, no clowning around, and never tolerate game playing on the computer. Full concentration is required to develop keyboarding skills. Distractions must be minimized. Back to Teacher's Manual |
Computer Lab Rules
A few well - posted, computer lab rules are needed. No one wants to be the enforcer, but without enforcement, the rules quickly become a joke. You might want to consider the below rules for the learning environment. No food or drinks are permitted. Food particles and liquids are the death of a computer's keyboard. No loitering. Computer hacks should not be permitted to "hang out" around a lab. Their presence is distracting and they should be told to leave. Positively no smoking or drinking. Students are the least of your problems on this rule. It's the faculty that will dart into the room for a quick puff or drink. Airborne smoke particles get into the keyboard and can cause key bounce. Key bounce occurs when a key is struck and two characters appear. Drinks spill and drip on keyboards. No game playing. Computer games are a distraction and disrupt the educational process. Repair equipment when it breaks. All equipment should be in working order with no extension cords lying about to create problems. Minimize glare. Cover all windows, even if the lab appears to be too dark. Clean the work area. The floors, desktops, and the computer screen should be kept clean. Perhaps you can get the janitor to clean the floor, maybe even the desktop, but do not even try to get them to clean the computer screens. They probably will use a mop with dirty water, or the cloth for washing the sinks. However, computer screens need to be cleaned often, even if you can't get the janitor force, or person in charge of the lab, to cooperate. Be a hero. Do not allow dust and fingerprints to accumulate on the computer screen as it may cause eyestrain. Buy a bottle of window cleaner and some soft, disposable rags (common white hand towels). Give the screens a once-over every couple of weeks. Post the lab schedule. In addition to posted lab hours, indicate the time when your keyboarding students have priority. Distribute the schedule. Others should avoid using the computers when you are conducting a class. This can be changed later, but if you start with a relaxed requirement, it is difficult to tighten up controls. Identify which computers the students are to use.If certain computers are off limits explain why. Back to Teacher's Manual |
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Before conducting a class, sit in front of each computer and use (boot up) the program so that you can identify any problems. Replace keyboards that don't have a feel when you press a key. Touch typing skills are facilitated by using keys that provide a feedback (a click) when struck. |
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Keyboarding is an excellent way to introduce students to computer literacy and
to improve an adult's ability to interact with the computer. It is easier for
people to learn word processing and how to operate a computer program if they
can type.
Here are a few more insider tips that are often overlooked. |
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Does the program start properly?
Of course you will have personally typed many of the
exercises before instructing others in the use of the program. However, there can be
last minute hang - ups that occur when the friendly computer hacks make changes
to the computers.
Can you walk to each computer? Will you be able to walk to each computer to answer individual questions and to assure that sound skills are being followed ( posture; eyes on screen, feet flat on floor, etc.)? Or will you have to have students move in order to talk with individuals? How Will the Computer Access Software? Check with the lab technician to find out how the computers will actually access software. It is best to assign a learner to a computer, and ask them to use the same computer. However, the lab people might want to have a central file server store the main program. This should not be a problem, provided you try the program out before using it in a teaching environment. Even with a networked program, assigning a learner to a computer prevents wandering around and confusion when starting a class. Report Cards? Ask the students to show their report card weekly to assure they are staying on track. Classes are best when limited to a 30 - or 45 - minute class period so that students don't become tired. Stress that students need to concentrate in order to learn keyboarding skills. Avoid over - working" the beginner. Many learners, particularly beginning computer users, become very tense when using the computers. Why not reduce the tensions so that learning can occur? Half - way through the period ask students to access a web site that has extensive exercises to improve coordination and release stress. Of course the advantage of learning in a private environment is to access the web site whenever you feel like it. Have Some Fun! The finger-coordination exercises and stress - reducing exercises will help reduce tensions. They will often produce a smile. A smile and pleasant environment can help make learning fun. Check out the "Healthy Typing section in this www.nimblefingers.com web site. |
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Keep your fingers on their assigned home row keys. Fingers should be slightly curved with the pad of the finger square on each key. |
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Keep your elbows close in, next to your side. This will accomplish several things.
First, with your fingers on the home row keys, you will be able to train your fingers
in the correct key reaches.
Be relaxed, but don't slouch in your chair. Sit square in the chair with your feet flat on the floor.  If your elbows are correctly tucked in, next to your side your fingers then have a more consistant platform from which to reach out and strike the key. If your elbows are not tucked in, close to your side, this places a twist on your wrists which is fatiguing. |
Wrists should be slightly curved and off the bottom frame of the keyboard.
This will minimize the amount of "finger - reaching" required and reduce fatigue.
 When keying data, your wrists should be sloping upward, at the same slope as the keyboard. 
Do not allow your wrists to become lazy as shown. Do NOT let your wrists rest on the desk. This transfer the additional workload to your fingers. |
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The user should re -key an exercise until they are satisfied with their performance.
keyboarding skills re motor reflex skills that develop with practice. Typing programs
should have encouragements to enhance the learning opportunity.
Note: I am NOT talking about games. I am a keyboarding teacher and I am opposed to games. A positive learning environment is needed in which enjoyment occurs via the learner's accomplishments. Games create the wrong learning atmosphere. Programs that "zap the aliens" or "type while racing" distract from the learning environment. Adult learners need a program that provides a variety of exercises to keep their interest so they will be willing to practice longer. Repetition is needed to learn the keystrokes. This requires a variety of topics so that boredom does not occur. One way to accomplish this is to utilize a learning guide. For example, if the computer detects a pattern of errors, this information can be used to assist the user. They can be sent Back to the Classroom for specialized practice. |
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In learning or teaching, do not think of errors as something horrible. The
educational philosophy should be to view errors in a positive sense. That is, errors
are Mother Nature's way of telling us there are opportunities for improvement.
Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.
When the user first begins the process of learning how to type, the program should balance errors, which tend to naturally occur, with the learning need of encouraging the user to type faster. Here are some guidelines that might be useful. |
| Exercise # |
Target Speed |
Error Limit |
| 01 - 19 | 15 | 30 |
| 20 - 99 | 15 | 25 |
| 100 - 179 | 20 | 20 |
| 180 - 200 | 20 | 15 |
| 201 - 250 | 25 | 15 |
| 251 - 300 | 30 | 13 |
| 300 + | 30 | 8 |
| Back to Teacher's Manual |
| Exercise | Target Speed |
Error Limit |
| 1 minute timed | 30 | 6 |
| 3 minute timed | 30 | 18 |
| 5 minute timed | 25 | 22 |
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All learners must maintain a professional posture and a positive attitude. I
realize that may sound trite to non -teachers, but as a teacher, I believe
in the importance of a professional learning environment.
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| Topic | Needs Work |
About Right |
Great Job |
| Keystroke Patterns | |||
| Strikes keys with quick motion. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Types with a steady, even rhythm. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Strikes Enter key without looking. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Keeps fingers on home row keys. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Strives for accuracy. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Posture | |||
| Sits erect. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Feet flat on floor. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Wrists up. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Elbows in. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Attitude | |||
| Follows directions. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Completes exercises on time. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Is prepared for class. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Has work well organized. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Has a good attitude. | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
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Click on the Little Professor to print the check list. Then "back" to return here. |
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There are often times when a picture of the keyboard will be useful. Several are provided below.
These are large black and white jpg files ,about 110k, because a high quality, full - page
picture is needed for a realistic keyboard.
Click on the small picture for a full size picture. Print it, then back arrow to return to this program. I prefer the dark, full-page landscape layouts. |
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Light keyboard; all keys shown
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Light keyboard; few keys shown
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Suppose you have mastered the basic keystrokes. Now comes the problem that there is only so much repetition
before you go crazy. No matter how hard you try, you just can not type as fast as a professional.
Why not? Do you know what is wrong?
First, you need a lot of practice. Hence, Nimble Fingers offers numerous interesting keyboarding exercises so you can build speed and accuracy. The key is to make learning interesting. But wait, there is more. Nimble Fingers also contains " Flash Cards" which develop motor reflex and response patterns. When you initially learned how to read, you had to spell out the individual letters before you could say the word. In Flash Cards you learn how to say the word and type the word as a whole. Complicated? NO. Suppose you were reading the word "if". Instead of concentrating on the individual letters i and f, read the word "if" and type the whole word "if". |
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Flash Cards quickly develop typing skills.
Look at the two letter list flashing to the right. Say the word, think the word, and type the word. When you say the word that is flashing, can't you feel how quickly you will be able to train your fingers to type the word as soon as you see it? |
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It will not take you long to master the two letter words.
Now, look at the three letter list of common words. Say the word, think the word, and type the word. |
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| You will quickly learn to type three letter words. Then you are ready to tackle four letter words. Read these common four letter words. Say the word, think the word, and type the word. |
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| Then, Flash Cards will introduce you to common word phrases. Say the phrase, think the phrase, and type the phrase. |
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I bet you are thinking: So, are you now going to tell me that it will be easy to learn how to use the numeric pad?" Answer the question for yourself. Pretend you have a common hand-held calculator laying on the desk before you. |
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Do you think you can master the keystrokes shown?
You bet you can. The trick is to think of using a calculator and soon you will have mastered the numeric pad. Every attempt is made to make the exercises interesting by using data dealing with housing prices, and expensive equipment. Back to Teacher's Manual |
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© Copyright 2007 by Prof Ware. ® NimbleFingers is a registered trademark of Prof Ware. |