Sandi Margolis's List: keyboarding

• mperative that students are taught the proper way to sit when keyboarding and that it is reinforced by both teachers and parents (Hajic, 2008; CUErgo, 2000).
• Keyboarding is a psychomotor activity tha
• needs to be taught through introduction,
• repetition, and reinforceme
• Educators generally agree that students have developed the proper level of dexterity and eye-hand coordination for efficient keyboarding by third or fourth grade.
• escribe how they were able to successfully introduce first and second graders to keyboarding
• hrough half-hour instructional sessions three days a week.
• Type to Learn 4 is designed to address the specific needs of K-2 students as well. Pr
• These K-2 lessons are shorter to accommodate the younger learners’ shorter attention spans.
• ost frequently seen keyboarding instructo
• at the elementary level has changed
• to classroom teacher
• his initial stage involves the students deliberately thinking about the rules of technique (body, arm and hand position; key stroking; and ergonomics).
• Each of the 34 lessons involves a series of exercises
• On-going practice through
• exercises and activities that are of high interest, high motivatio
• ngage in the repetition necessary
• This stage of learning is the longest of the pha
• 30 minutes per week for 36 weeks = 18 hours
• Either way, this is not enough time to reach a level of competence or automaticity with keyboarding.
• reasonable to expect students to type at 10 – 15 WPM after 15 – 18 hours of instructi
• As mentioned earlier, the goal of learning to keyboard is to develop automaticity in one’s keyboarding skills. This level of expertise is not seen until one is keyboarding at 50 WPM
• This proficiency requires practice beyond that available in the typical school classroom or computer lab.
• using Type to Learn 4 outside of school can provide this important extended learning environment.
• Efficient keyboarding skills clear the path toward effective expression.
• a great deal of practice t
• Teaching and promoting technique and ergonomics are at the foundation of the program.
• This research project represents the second follow-up to Dr. Harriet Rogers’ 1993 and 1996 surveys of 428 school districts in Wisconsin. The purpose of these surveys was to determine the status of elementary keyboarding in the State of Wisconsin and to make comparisons in the data from 1993 and 1996. The hypothesis for these surveys was that there would be no significant difference in the number of school districts introducing keyboarding at the elementary level in 1996 compared to 1993. In “A Longitudinal Study of Elementary Keyboarding Computer Skills,” Dr. Rogers details her findings. She found a significant difference in the number of school districts that introduced the “touch” method of keyboarding at the elementary level in 1996 as compared to 1993. Therefore, the hypothesis was rejected.

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