• KEYBOARDING SKILLS

    Keyboarding is not a skill that is formally taught in elementary school. Touch-typing is a skill that needs to be taught every day for a specific length of time with a systematic introduction and practice of each key. Elementary schedules along with the not-yet-complete development of children's hand-size and coordination make teaching touch-typing in elementary schools problematic.  Couple this with devices with no physical keyboards, like iPads and cell phones, and it creates frustration for young students in learning touch typing.​ However, that doesn't mean that kids can't develop a knowledge of the location of keys and also practice keyboarding, going from "hunt & peck" to "know & peck".
     
    I started as a typing teacher 36 years ago. With devices without keyboards and also the improvement in voice recognition (available in Google Docs) and audio/video recording (available in Schoology Discussions and Assignments), I believe that it is important for students to learn the keyboard, but how and when they learn the keyboard is different today.
     
    Here are some resources that I believe will help the K-4 student understand, learn, and "know & peck" on any device.  It may even help the Kindergarten student know their letters and numbers by sight recognition and not just by sequence.  With practice at home, your child can be quicker at inputting letters and numbers on any device which will help them with the technology used in school.
     
    --Miss Kocher, Old Typing Teacher/Now K-4 Technology Integration Specialist :0)
     
    Click on these links for help:
    • KEYBOARDING HELP SHEETS
      • Print these worksheets out
      • Laminate them or put them in sheet protectors
      • Have your child use a dry-erase marker
      • Wipe clean for your child to use again
        • Keyboarding Charlie
          • Instructions on the first two sheets
          • Answer Key on the last two sheets - for student self-check
          • This practice helps students learn the caps and lowercase of each letter plus letter placement on the keyboard.
        • Blank Keyboard
          • Have your child write the letters and numbers in the appropriate keys on the sheet
          • Parents can write in a few keys to give markers/guides to their child(ren).