Posts Tagged ‘Dance Mat Typing’

Keyboarding Camp 2013

I know there are differing opinions on whether or not to teach keyboarding. Frankly, I just don’t have a lot of time to spend on it which is the main reason I wanted an online program – so students could practice at home. However, the teachers want students to know where the keys are located so that they don’t take so long typing. Hence, the idea for Keyboarding Camp. A solution to satisfy everyone!

To jump start the year, I had a mini keyboarding camp for 2nd and 3rd graders. The students met with me for 15 minutes for 4 days. We discussed proper technique, home row keys, and finger stretches for tired hands. I talked about the importance of practice – but only a few minutes per day so as not to tire themselves.

I started both grades in Typing Pal but quickly learned that the 2nd graders were becoming frustrated quite easily! The problem was that they were having trouble logging in – not necessarily due to the program (although it was rather slow) but more due to the fact that they they didn’t always type in their password correctly. So, I moved them to Dance Mat Typing and they had a FUN time! This is a perfect program from BBC Schools for keyboarding for younger students. I’ve encouraged the students to use this to help with keyboarding for the first semester. Later in the year, we’ll revisit Typing Pal.

The 3rd graders were eager to get going in Typing Pal because of our “Nimble Fingers” Club. When the students finish the program and can show me that they can type using proper form, they become members. It’s a huge deal to have their name read on the morning announcement when they have accomplished this!

We do discuss the fact that practicing just a few days will not make an accurate nor a speedy typist. On the last day I told the students that this was just the beginning – just like anything else, practice is critical. I’ll be sending a email to parents to share the importance of keyboarding at home.

Enjoy a glimpse of Keyboarding Camp 2013!

Keyboarding with First Graders

I have mixed feelings about teaching keyboarding to first graders – their little hands are so tiny that it’s very difficult to keep fingers on the homerow keys. With that said, it is important for children to begin to get familiar with where the keys are located.

A few years ago we bought Color-Coded Keyboards from Chester Creek Technologies.

These keyboards are helpful in that student see which keys correspond to each finger. When a child is searching for a letter, it’s also easy to say, “The N is a blue key on the bottom row.”

I haven’t done much with keyboarding with the first graders this year because we lost the software we used to use. In our upgrade to Windows 7, we discovered that Typing Pal, Jr. does not work! However, Dance Mat Typing from the BBC is a fun alternative!

This is one of the best keyboarding sites I’ve come across. Students love it because it is engaging and fun! In fact, even if a student finishes the program, they absolutely do not mind going through it again!

On Wednesday, I introduced Dance Mat Typing to our first graders. They worked hard for the 10 minutes that I’d allotted for practice and all agreed it was something they would like to practice over the summer.

I got a kick out of listening to one of the students – he was practicing the homerow keys by typing words. I could hear him spelling out each word as he typed: d-a-s-h, h-a-s, s-a-s-h. I don’t think he had any idea he was saying anything outloud!

Students won’t have perfect form right now (and it’s certainly not expected!) but this wasa good introduction to keyboarding!