Kids feel bored learning how to type

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Permalink Reply by Shaun Fletcher on April 17, 2008 at 3:02am

I still can't type properly, but get by just fine. Still look at the keyboard! It would would definitely speed up some of the stuff that I do if I could type faster than 25 wpm, but I think I get by pecking away. Maybe they could get used to the keyboard by typing and sharing some of their stories they have created in a blog or wiki. Classblogmeister or wikispaces. You can keep them private if you wish too, but if they felt they were creating something meaningful(and practicing keyboard skills) it would be more fun and interesting. Maybe they could take one of their favourite stories and use it as typing practice?

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Permalink Reply by Derwin Kitch on April 17, 2008 at 4:40am

There are many online typing resources that you can use. After students complete their assignments, I let them choose from around 8 or 9 online typing programs. If they get bored with one, they can move on to another.

The most popular would have to be BBC's typing program. It's very animated and has lots of dancing and singing in there as well. There are many great websites out there.

I share these links with parents as well and many have told me that their children play these online games at home.

It's one way...I'm sure that others have other great ideas as well.

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Permalink Reply by Marlen Rattiner on April 17, 2008 at 6:08am

I remember trying a free online typing game over at popcap games - but it is likely too mature for 5-6 year olds.
http://www.popcap.com/games/free/typershark

Popcap designs entertainment, not educational software. Since it was designed with entertainment in mind, games like this could help motivate the students in conjunction with a more formal typing program. It certainly kept my attention:

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Permalink Reply by Chris Campbell on April 17, 2008 at 7:06am

I've been directing the kids to Super Hyper Spider Typing. It's fast paced and gets them in the competitive mood. Before that I used Fingerjig, simple but effective.

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Permalink Reply by James Dykstra on April 17, 2008 at 7:16am

When I did a typing class the last few years with Grades 7 and 8 we'd sometimes zip over to typing games. One of my favorites (and theirs) was Qwerty Warriors. http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/qwerty-warriors/ It's a good typing lesson (it can get quite tough) but also has an arcade game feel to it.

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Permalink Reply by Vicky S on April 17, 2008 at 10:06am

Wow, I personally think 5 & 6 is too young to have extended keyboarding lessons. I only do small amounts of typing at this age and it's mostly things like their name or things that stress learning the letters and sounds, etc. rather than those that stress touch typing. The only things I try to start teaching at this age is the home row keys, using 2 hands for typing & using your thumb for the space bar.

My Kindergarten & 1st Grade students like key seeker - http://annrymer.com/keyseeker/ - I do something so that they know which is the purple hand and which is the green - stamps, stickers, bracelets made of pipe cleaners, etc. and then they "play" this for 5 minutes or so. We do this during the year to start teaching them to use 2 hands for typing. I don't stress proper fingers on this - just starting out in home row and then using the correct hand for each letter. Since they often don't even know right from left well yet starting them in home row and having the visual purple or green helps them to figure out which side of the keyboard they should be looking for the letter on.

They also enjoy the typing at http://www.growing.course.com/index.html for the appropriate grade level. And, my 1st graders really enjoy Super Hyper Spider Typer that was previously linked. My 1st graders also enjoy some of the games at http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp - lots of ads here though so turn on your pop-up blocker and ad blockers before going here. You can set the level of play and I just use the beginner & home row typically.

The attention span of the younger ones just isn't that long and to require that they type for any extended period of time will bore them and probably frustrate them too. Heck, it can frustrate my middle schoolers to have to just use a typing program for an entire class.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Epps on April 20, 2008 at 5:54am

I think 5-6 is too young, too, as Vicky S said below. They barely know letters. (I also think they should be doing other things with their time, like playing with clay, sand and water...)

Keyboarding is really a muscle skill, learned through repetition, and in a sense bored is good - the brain should disengage, and let the hands and fingers take over and repeat the trance like motions. But you have to be literate for it to make any sense!

We use Type to Learn 3, too, from the 3rd Grade up. That age is OK, but I think 4th grade is prime time. They can read and write, and can understand why it's a good thing to write faster, with fewer errors. They can understand keyboarding as a useful skill. ( "You gotta type fast to be able to keep up in the chat room!")

After they've got the letter-finger relationships down pat, then play the online typing games. I find the game format encourages cheating, in order to advance or win, rather than developing good keyboarding skills.

We also run a Keyboarding Challenge with the kids who think they're "ready" and teachers who keyboard with nice speed - the all time champion is a teacher with 62 wpm, no errors. That is really something to strive for for our older students!

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen on April 20, 2008 at 8:48am

Is there any research out there about what is the age-appropriate time to start? Does anyone have a continuum of these skills? Just curious.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Grove-Stephensen on April 20, 2008 at 10:20am

Yoke, I really congratulate you on teaching your kids to learn at this age. The ability to think at the same time as you type (which non-touch typists can't do) will stand them in good stead all their lives.

I learned at the age of 27, my excuse being that the computer typing tutor had only been invented that year. I discovered two things:
1. 10 minutes was my max concentration span, even with regular changes of exercise. At 5, I'm quite sure it wold have been shorter still.
2. Totally impossible to learn if you can see the letters on the keyboard. If you don't have blank keyboards, do what I did and build cardboard 'hutches' to sit over them. It's the only way I know to teach you to trust your fingers to know where to go.

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Permalink Reply by JoNelle on April 20, 2008 at 6:14pm

With 5-6 year olds in the computer lab, we change activites every 10 minutes or so. Alternating with active moving, individual computer, and taking turns on the SMARTBoard (or even at the teacher's computer with projector) helps keep the class going.
Nimble fingers has exercises and we talk about not staying at the computer for long periods.
They enjoy the online Dance Mat Typing from BBC as mentioned above too.
Type to Learn, Jr teacher's edition manual has many off line large and small group activities to help students with letter recognition, right/left orientation, ect. They do not like any more than 10 minutes of TTL, Jr at one sitting.
I agree with others here about not starting small hands too early. This age is not ready and will turn them off to keyboarding. Type to Learn Jr shows red and purple keys, so we just encourage right side/left side of the keyboard.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on April 20, 2008 at 6:36pm

Hi, I would say that they are too young to focus on keyboarding. Get them to do other computer activities using the mouse, with little keyboard input (if they do have to use keys, don't worry about correct fingers at this stage). I would not attempt taking a keyboarding class with young students till they were at least 8. For one thing, it is hard for their fingers to reach all the keys any younger. They don't have the concentration and if they have good reading skills it will be easier for them (being a bit older). There are lots of other activities (learning programs, online learning) kids can do in your lab time for the duration.

Marie

PS I have written a post on this: Keyboarding: a vital skill
In the post, there are some great guidelines suggested by Linda Starr for when, why and how.

Hope this is helpful.

Marie

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Permalink Reply by Vicky S on April 20, 2008 at 8:40pm

I don't think they're too young too learn - IMO, just too young to have focused touch typing lessons. There are 5 year olds that don't even know all their letters yet and the I on the keyboard isn't like the "I" they're used to seeing so it can be hard for them to even find the letters let alone learn touch typing. Even my Kindergarteners like to play on the keyboards and love to spell out their names. But, IMO, they're young for focused lessons on touch typing.

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