K-12 Keyboarding

The Micro in the Media Center
by Joanne Troutner

The Issue of Teaching Typing

When can or should students be taught to type?

Most media specialists will be drawn into this debate as students continue to use microcomputers for an ever-broadening list of tasks. There is no doubt that learning to type at an early age removes one of the stumbling blocks young students find when attempting to use computers. For this reason, library media specialists are going to see keyboarding or typing become part of the elementary curriculum. The days of finding typing classes only in high school business departments are coming to an end. Although extremely young children lack the dexterity and hand size to master tough typing, students of fourth or fifth grade age can learn this technique. Here are some teaching ideas and suggested materials for the elementary typing class.

To begin, develop a time frame in which students can earn a certificate for typing skills. Tough typing lends itself very well to individualized instruction that can be offered by the classroom teacher and the media specialist. Lessons and practice time can be accomplished in the media center and group sessions, where new keys are introduced, in the classroom. Introductory lessons can easily be taught on paper keyboards. Simply develop a same-size drawing of the computer keyboard the students will be using in class. Make the necessary number of copies on the ditto machine or have them printed. These keyboards can be laminated to make them more durable. The paper keyboards can also be stapled onto one side of a manila folder that can also hold all the student's typing papers. An alternative to this homemade paper keyboard it to order printed keyboards from Computer Practice Keyboard Company, 616 9th Street, Union City, New Jersey 07087. These keyboards are printed on 8½ x 11 cardboard stock, laminated, and punched to fit into a three-ring binder. The cost is $4.95 each or two for $8.50, postage included. Versions are available for most microcomputers.

Either of these keyboards can be used to introduce students to the home keys - A, S, D, F, J, K, L, ;. When the students have been drilled on these keys, the space bar, carriage return, and shift keys can be introduced. Students can keep track of the keys as they learn them by coloring them in with a magic marker.

Posters listing good typing habits can be displayed around the room to help remind these young beginners of proper posture and other rules. Another idea for a classroom display or one which decorates the media center computer lab is a large computer keyboard with the home keys color coded. A pair of hands made from clear plastic can also be added to further illustrate the "home" position on the keyboard. Following this, the students are ready to go to actual typewriters. Provide a typing center or corner in the media center for students to utilize for extra practice time and individual lessons. Garage sales and school system auctions are excellent sources for inexpensive typewriters to stock the classroom and the media center. Typing games help students practice their new found skill. Try a variation of "Simon Says" in which the students must correctly type what Simon or the ldader tells them. Be sure the leader provides plenty of practice in words that the students will use on the computer such as RUN, PRINT, FOR-NEXT and the like.

Provide a box of activities on index cards from which students may select their own tasks. Include some sample computer programs, scrambled sentences that must be typed correctly, and sentences containing spelling and vocabulary words for the week. Have a class drill. Write a phrase on the chalkboard or overhead. Check for accuracy and be sure the students are not looking at the keyboard when they are typing. The winner is the student who types the most phrases correctly. Try a musical drill. Play a song that does not have lyrics that will distract the students. Ask the students to type a simple drill phrase, such as "Pip got a hat," for the time the song plays. Then have students circle the phrases they typed correctly. Post the best speed and have students work to break the record. Another suggestion is to record typing drills, such as lists of spelling words, on cassette tape. Place a variety of these tapes in the media center typing corner. Students can also practice their typing skills on the computer.

Several keyboarding programs are available. Many of these programs provide a video game atmosphere for the student. An excellent example of this is Master Type for the Apple, Atari, and IBM computers and Type Attack for the Apple, Atari 800 and 1200, and Commodore computers. These programs require the student to shoot a moving letter before it hits a spaceship on the screen. Both programs allow the teacher to create original lessons. The speed and difficulty of each lesson can be set by the user.Typing Strategy, available for the Apple, IBM, VIC-20, and commodore 64 microcomputers, is another program designed to help teach touch typing. The user sees a keyboard and a pair of hands on the screen. Correct finger placement as well as accuracy are reinforced through the color graphics and sound in this program.

The days of just teaching typing at the high school level are over. This is a skill now required in the elementary grades. Media specialists now need to develop some typing activities that can be used by the classroom teacher and set up a typing corner in the media center. Put your teaching skills to practice again.

References

Computer Keyboarding. Dictation Disk Company, 240 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016."Is typing the key to computer literacy?" Instructor September 1983, pp.178-180+.

Typing Fun. The Learning Works, Box 6187, Santa Barbara, California 93111.Ordering Information

Master Type, Lightning Software, Box 5223, Stanford, CA 93405, Apple and Atari versions $39.95, IBM-$49.95.Touch Typing, Atari, 1265 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. $24.95.

Type Attack, Sirius Software, 10364 Rockingham Drive, Sacramento, CA 95827. $39.95.

Typing Strategy and Letter Man, Behavorial Engineering, 230 Mt. Hermon Road, Suite 207, Scotts Valley, CA. $29.95.Typing Tutor, Microsoft Consumer Products, 400 108th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004. $24.95.

Joanne Troutner is the Creative Computer Teacher for the Lafayette School Corporation, Lafayette, Indiana, and is on the advisory board of NAEC and chairperson of the American Association of School Librarians Microcomputer Discussion Group.