Proper technique forms the foundation for successful touch keyboarding.
The importance of demonstrating and continuously encouraging proper technique
with the students cannot be over-emphasized. Technique should be observed
and closely monitored whenever students are operating a keyboard, whether they
are keying a story or practising keyboarding drills. It is extremely important
to encourage and develop good keyboarding habits right from the start.
The following is a complete and comprehensive technique checklist. Look for
the following elements in the technique of students.
The following is an abbreviated technique checklist, developed by Schrader
(1987). It may be used by the teacher or by the students to evaluate their own
or a partner's technique.
Computer No. ________________________________________________________
Develop a bulletin board display illustrating proper care and handling
of the equipment (hardware) and/or software students will be using.
Develop a display illustrating the basic parts of the equipment.
Show a film or a video illustrating proper technique while keyboarding.
High school students could model and develop the video.
Demonstrate proper and improper technique while keyboarding. Technique
is extremely important in the development of keyboarding skill and must be continuously
encouraged. Keyboarding should not be taught sitting down but rather by moving
around the room motivating and praising students. Written evaluations of students'
techniques are important, but verbal encouragement and reinforcement of good
technique on a daily basis will be beneficial to learners.
Videotape students so they can evaluate their own technique.
Make use of brightly coloured wall charts and/or overheads when
teaching touch keyboarding.
When introducing a new key, have students find it on their keyboards.
Encourage them to look down at their hands only during the introductory phase
of each new key. Vocalize the strokes while the students key, using rhythm and
a suitable pace. For example, call out "J space J" or "J U J" as the students
key. For a change of pace, have students be the "callers" as they key. For the
purposes of key location, allow your students to look down at their hands during
the keying of one or two introductory lines accompanying each new key. Once
the new key has been located, extensive drill work is required with "eyes on
copy" to promote key security.
Identify and use appropriately a variety of resources including
textbooks, examples of other copy material (such as handwritten drafts, overhead,
chalkboard) guest speakers and demonstrators, video/film and software. The resources
should be evaluated for their appropriateness and to ensure they are free of
sexism, racism, etc. Check the school library for print and audiovisual resources
which support keyboarding.
The overhead or the board can be used effectively to ensure students
are keeping their eyes on their copy while keyboarding. Putting the alphabet
on the board or on flash cards, writing a list of "backwards" words (keyed from
right to left, such as "deer" and "reed"), and keying the names of class members
keep students interested and challenged.
Use simple "art typing" designs to add interest and to assist the
student with manipulation of the keyboard. Art typing is the creation of a diagram
or graphic on the screen using a variety of keys such as x, /, *, etc.
Have students work in pairs if the number of keyboards is limited.
One student could complete a simple checklist of each partner's technique, then
roles could be reversed.
In the early grades, it may be helpful to physically divide the
keyboard in "half" for the students to help them discern which half of the keyboard
to use with their left hand and which half to use with their right hand. Insert
a narrow piece of tin foil or a piece of brightly coloured yarn between the
keys separating the left side of the keyboard from the right. Explain that the
index or the "pointer" finger of the left hand should be used for keys on the
left side of the keyboard while the index or "pointer" finger of the right hand
is for keys on the right side of the keyboard. The thumb of the right hand is
the preferred choice for the space bar. Mastering the use of the correct hand
to key the alphabetic and numeric keys will go a long way to enhance the development
of the skill of touch keyboarding.
During the readiness phase of keyboarding (before touch keyboarding is
introduced), encourage students to use the index finger of the left hand for
keys on the left side of the keyboard. Alpha-numeric keys to be keyed with the
left hand include the following: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, q, w, e, r, t, a, s, d, f, g,
z, x, c, v, and b. Alpha-numeric keys to be keyed with the index finger of the
right hand include: 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, y, u, i, o, p, h, j, k, l, semi-colon (;),
colon (:), apostrophe ('), quotation marks ("), n, and m. The right hand will
also be used for the period, comma, question mark, and diagonal (/) keys.
Time the students for one minute while they copy a passage in longhand.
At the end of the keyboarding program, their keyboarding speed should be at
least equal to their handwriting speed. This will emphasize the usefulness of
keyboarding to the young learner.
Use a colouring activity to help your students with key location.
Use the keyboarding chart showing both the left and the right hand at the bottom
of the keyboard. Each finger has the name of a colour on it. Have your students
colour the finger nail of each of the fingers with the appropriately coloured
crayon. For example, the finger nail of the baby finger will be red, the ring
finger will be blue, and so on.
Now ask your students to outline the home row keys (a, s, d, f, j, k, l,
and ;) in black. The next step is to colour the home row key the same colour
as the finger that is used to strike the key. For example, the "a" key will
be red; the "s" key will be blue, and so on. The space bar is struck with the
thumb; the suggested colour is black. As more keys are added to the list of
learned keys, they can be coloured the appropriate colour as well. The growing
number of coloured keys will give your students a sense of accomplishment in
addition to helping with key security.
This can be taken a step further by the purchase of coloured sticky dots
from a stationery store. Allow the students to put a red sticky dot on their
baby fingers, a blue one on each ring finger, etc.
Sample keyboards have been included for your use, and are found
on the following pages.
Activities originally developed by Manitoba Education are included,
with their permission, following the keyboard charts. These charts and others
serve as templates/masters for classroom activities.
