KEYBOARDING CAN BE FUN!

Fast and accurate keyboarding is a critical skill for today's students. A number of software programs can help students learn and practice keyboarding skills, but sometimes kids need a break from the tedium of formal keyboarding exercises. The following activities will add a little fun to your keyboarding practices.

Play Spider!
Ask each student to choose a partner, and then have each pair sit side-by-side at a single computer. Tell students they are going to practice using the keyboard. Point out that keyboard keys will be covered, and they will be expected to use correct keyboarding techniques. Explain that the difference between this practice session and other sessions is that, this time, each pair of students will work together to type a single document.
Have students type a paragraph using each of the techniques below, changing techniques every 5 minutes:

1. The student on the right puts his or her left hand on the left home-row keys (ASDF) and types from that position. The student on the left uses his or her right hand to type from the right home-row position (JKL).
2. The student on the right uses his or her right hand to type from the right home-row position. The student on the left uses his or her left hand to type from the left home-row position.
3. The student on the left uses his or her left hand to type from the right home-row position, and the student on the right uses his or her right hand to type from the left home-row position. (This is tough!)
4. One student dictates a paragraph while the other student types that paragraph with his or her eyes closed. Repeat with students performing opposite tasks.
5. One student dictates a paragraph while the other student types that paragraph with his or her left hand in the right home-row position and his or her right hand in the left home-row position. Repeat with students performing opposite tasks.

This is a silly, yet worthwhile activity for a rainy day or other time when students are a little squirrelly. The activity also shows students how important good positioning technique is to fast and accurate typing.
For more information on keyboarding basics, check out the techtorial, Keys to Keyboarding.

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