Certain studies have revealed that though kids these days are called “digital natives” because they have lived their whole lives surrounded by technology, many lack basic tech skills.

Some schools are trying to address this problem head-on by providing students with keyboarding classes during ages as young as four and five.

"The hope is that in the future,” said Omaha.com, "middle schoolers can focus less on rote typing techniques and more on advanced skills like coding and website development.”

The recent push for more programming-savvy adults aside, the fact that state exams are increasingly being switched to online platforms makes skills like typing become a necessary skill for future success.

In Elkhorn Public Schools, second graders will soon become part of the group of students who are receiving mandatory keyboarding instruction.

Bonnie Sibert, the career field specialist for business, marketing and management with the Nebraska Department of Education, spoke to Omaha.com about the push from state officials to teach keyboarding to students ASAP.

"State education officials now recommend that schools start getting kids familiar with keyboards in third grade. More formal lessons, in which kids practice speed, focus on specific keys and work on looking at the computer screen and not down at the keyboard, should proceed in fourth grade and continue throughout middle school,” she said.

Of course, with technology use comes many questions about what devices to use and how much screen time is appropriate. As always, experts agree that is important for a teacher or specialist to be properly leading the instruction for maximum effectiveness.

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Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

5/26/2016