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Typing Tent Trick 
No matter how often you tell some people about the Learning Tips
in this nimblefingers.com web site, they will not listen.
Yet they need to follow a proven sequence to develop the correct finger - keystroke reaches that are needed. The tent trick will get their attention. 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 don't 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. Getting Started: Confusion When using one of the Nimble Finger's programs in the home environment, seek a quiet place. Then start up the program and proceed. If you can’t find a quiet place, try to get in a zone where you can block out activities around you. That way you can concentrate on the task of learning to improve your skills. However, teaching to a group of students, is an entirely different task. Students seem to get "hyper" around computers, and its difficult to get them to settle down and listen to what you have to say. If the first meeting is in the computer lab, the distractions will be too great. Students will be scrambling to get preferred seats. They will be looking at the equipment, and not listening to directions from the instructor. If possible, conduct the first class meeting in a normal teaching environment such as a classroom. A few suggestions for the first meeting. Physically arrange the students according to where you want them to sit when they reach the lab. Then carefully go over the seating assignments with each student, one at a time. Have a class outline prepared. This outline should contain the assignments, due dates, test dates, and class policies. Discuss the computer lab rules and hours of availability. Positively do not tolerate drinking, eating, roaming around, and “horse play.” Remind them that they are there to learn, not to talk. This is not a social hour. Here are some of the typical student questions and comments. These are not “first day questions. All students have had at least one 45-minute lab sessions on the typing software. Often the identical question was just asked and answered, without anyone listening.
Typing TipsLocate the home-row keys. Force yourself to use the correct fingers to strike the keys. If you forget which finger to use, look at the picture accompanying the exercise. The beginning exercises are extremely important because you are developing correct keystroke patterns. Error reduction. If errors are occurring on the bottom-row keys, move your chair back from the keyboard and slightly raise your wrists. Use the correct finger-keystroke. Study the pictures in the Nimble Fingers typing program to know which finger to use. Whisper each letter before striking the key. Finger placement. Gently place the fingers of your left hand on the a s d f keys and the fingers of your right hand on the j k l ; keys. Your fingers should be slightly curved. Your wrists should be low but not resting on the keyboard. Your elbows should be close in, next to your side. Check your hands! Your fingers should be on the home-row keys and your hands should slant at the same angle as the keyboard. Do not let your wrists become lazy and rest against the desk or the keyboard. Elbows in. Elbows should be relaxed and near your body. If your elbows are spread outward, the first finger (the index finger) tends to glide off the keys. Relax and stretch. Periodically get up and move or stretch your neck, arm, and hand muscles to combat fatigue. Sit the same. If the keyboard or your posture position changes, sound typing skills will not develop. Always maintain correct posture while typing. If you do not sit up “straight” and keep your feet flat on the floor, the angle of your arms will change. This will change the keystroke reach, which decreases your typing speed and accuracy. Clear your brain. Spend five minutes a day on warm up and speed building drills. At first, think each letter. Eventually, think and type the word. Develop a routine. Set the work environment like you want it to optimize your typing sessions. Don’t let the chair height; tilt of the monitor, location of the keyboard or posture vary from session to session. Be patient. Once the correct finger-keystroke patterns are used, speed and accuracy occur naturally. |
What's Involved? Getting Started Flash Cards Trivia Keyboard History Typing Fable More Free Things Checklist Tent Trick Pictures Videos Finger Dexterity Limb & Body Exer. Teaching - Learning Objectives Teaching Ideas Tips Lab Rules Repetition Carpal Tunnel Data Entry Data Entry Program Data Classification Chart of Accounts General Word Wacker Busy Fingers Download Instructions Site License F.A.Q. Resources |
Which exercise would you select? With Nimble Fingers - Word Wacker and Typing & Data Entry programs, You select the drill of interest to you. A few of the over 500 exercises are shown. We will try to keep things interesting for you. Plus there are hundreds of FREE exercises available as downloads. The Busy Fingers program is a simple, easy-to-use program that does not have downloads. The exercises are different and are appropriate for that age group. How about an exercise on a meteor? A meteor is often called a shooting star. This occurs when bits of interplanetary dust and junk enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speed. Collision with air molecules produces friction, which vaporizes the particle. The vaporized atoms quickly collide with more air molecules in a process called ionization, which leaves an extensive trail. How about an exercise on a fireball? If an object entering the atmosphere is large, it will produce a brilliant, exquisite fireball. Sometimes the object itself will not be completely vaporized before reaching the ground. These surviving rocks are called meteorites. No one can predict the arrival of a fireball, and it is a matter of luck to see one. How about an exercise on a galaxy? The sun is a member of the Milky Way galaxy, which is a huge star system containing many billions of stars. The jumble of stars we see at night are in the Milky Way. The size of the Milky Way is so large that it takes light 100,000 years to travel across it. Within the range of telescopes lies a quantity of millions of galaxies beyond our own. |
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