Keyboarding Skills

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Keyboarding Skills

• Everyone Should Learn to Type

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Janet Wahl, Ph.D.

• www.janetwahl.com
• E-mail janet_at_janetwahl.com
• Tel. FAX [phone]

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Overview of Presentation

• Advantages of touch typing
• Equipment
• Exercises to prevent injury
• Typing program demonstration
• Proficiency tests

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Advantages of word processing

• Appearance is neat and legible.
• Grammar and spell checks are available.
• Editing is easier and more efficient.
• A neat paper levels the playing field.

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Typing skills are necessary for

• School work.
• Most employment.
• Social communication e-mail.
• Gaining information online.

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Why should I learn to touch type?
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Increased efficiency

• Handwriting 20 words per minute
• Hunt and peck generally 10-20 words per minute
• Touch typing 70 to 100 words per minute

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Less mental fatigue

• Focus on one thing content

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Less physical fatigue

• Stress on fingers is more evenly distributed.
• Look mainly at monitor head and eyes are not
  moving frequently.

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Touch typing enables people

• To think about writing content.
• To produce attractive papers.
• To revise easily.
• To edit with grammar and spell check.
• To expand vocabulary with the thesaurus.

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Challenges

• People with weak small motor and spatial
  abilities may take longer to learn the keyboard
  patterns.
• The person who had difficulty learning
  handwriting may need more time to master keyboard.

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At what age?

• Can begin as early as 8 years old.
• Fingers must be long enough to reach the keys
  comfortably.
• Fewer bad habits are learned if keyboard is begun
  at early age.

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Equipment

• Proper height for
• Seat
• Table
• Keyboard

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Proper seating and positioning

• Will increase efficiency.
• Will decrease stress on body.

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Proper position
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Poor posture leading to injury
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Poor posture leading to injury
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Diagrams compliments of

• http//www.tactuskeyboard.com

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Furniture and accessories criteria

• Correct height for
• Feet flat on floor
• Sitting - erect
• Keyboard wrist placement
• Looking at monitor
• Slightly downward gaze

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Furniture and accessories criteria

• Durability
• Longevity for growing children

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Adjustable tables

• http//www.ikea.com
• Height is adjustable
• Adjustable legs with separate table tops

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Furniture Adjustable Workstation

• BretfordEC-1000 Adjustable Computer Workstation
• http//www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_in
  fo/cPath/CAT11_CAT82/pfam_id/PFAM115/products_id/P
  RO68

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Childrens Work Desks

• http//www.childrensdesks.com/

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Keyboard rests with wrist rest

• One example
• http//www.ergodirect.net

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Separate cushions

• For keyboard
• For mouse

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Sources Keyboard trays, wrist rests

• http//www.intellaspace.com
• Dealers
• Key International, Inc 317 Madison Avenue, Suite
  807New York, NY 10017Phone [phone]Workwe
  ll Partners 245 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1104New
  York, NY 10016Phone [phone]Office
  Furniture Heaven 22 W. 19th StreetNew York, NY
  10011Phone [phone]

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Sources Furniture, trays

• http//www.specialneedscomputers.ca/kb-trays.htm
• http//www.ergodirect.net
• Salli
• http//www.homeofficeandschool.com

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Kneeling chairs

• http//www.ultimatebackstore.com/product-exec/prod
  uct_id/112/SwivelPostureKneelingChair

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Kneeling chairs

• http//www.kneelsit.com/

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Another chair

• Salli chair http//www.1stergo.com/c/saddleseats

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One keyboard variation
www.fentek-ind.com
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Left-handed keyboard

• Mouse and number pad is on left
• http//thelefthand.com/lefhankey.html

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To avoid injury

• Take frequent mini rests.
• Do exercises.

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Wrist flexion exercise

• Forward bending. Hold 5 sec. Repeat 10 times. Do
  3 sets.

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Wrist extension exercise

• Bend your wrist backward as far as you can. Hold
  for 5 sec. Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets.

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Wrist side to side exercise

• Move your wrist from side to side. Hold for 5
  seconds at each end. Repeat 10 times. Do 3 sets.

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Wrist stretching exercise

• With your hand bent forward stretching into the
  flexion position, apply pressure with your other
  hand to push it farther. Next, with your palm up,
  apply pressure on your fingers with your other
  hand to bend your hand and fingers backward.

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Wrist stretching exercise
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Wrist extension on table top

• Standing at a table with your palms down, your
  fingers flat, and your elbows straight, lean your
  body weight forward and hold this position for 15
  to 30 seconds.

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Wrist extension on table top
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Wrist flexion on table top

• Standing with the back of your hand on the table,
  your fingers and palms facing up and your elbows
  straight, lean away from the table. Hold this
  position for 15 to 30 seconds.

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Wrist flexion on table top
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Exercises compliments of
University Sports Medicine160 Farber
HallBuffalo, New York 14214
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Hand-finger tendon glide

• Start with the fingers extended straight up (a).
• Make a hook fist (b) return to a straight hand
  (a).
• Make a full fist (c) return to a straight hand
  (a).

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Hand-finger tendon glide, cont.

• Make a straight fist (d) return to a straight
  hand (a). Repeat. Hold each position for 510
  seconds. Keep the wrist straight throughout.
• Hands Strategies for Strong, Pain-free Hands, A
  Special Report from Harvard Medical School.
  (2006) Harvard Health Publications, PO Box 9306,
  Big Sandy, TX 75755.

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Keyboarding Programs

• Multisensory
• See the key position on monitor
• Hear or say the letter as it is typed
• Sequence
• Logical
• Feedback
• Level of proficiency before advancing

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Check mastery

• Child should meet proficiency goals before
  advancing to next mission.
• A short practice each day (10 minutes) is better
  than one hour once a week.

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Programs

• Type to Learn 3
• Sunburst.com
• Mavis Beacon
• Broderbund.com