Good morning everyone!
We all know that keyboarding skills are paramount to the 21st-century learner. Commercial keyboarding instruction programs are everywhere in schools but the problem is once kids get home, they usually can’t keep working on the lessons. Worse, even the most engaging keyboarding lessons in a commercial product aren’t usually the sort of thing a kid would actually WANT to do on their own time! As an aside, I have heard parents say that getting their child a Webkinz has done more for their keyboarding skills than any instruction they’ve ever gotten in school or elsewhere. But I digress…
Fortunately, the internet is full of fun (and free) programs that can help students build keyboarding skills. Dance Mat Typing is one of the best:
While the pronunciations and spelling are distinctly British, the gameplay is universal, and this is one of the better programs out there because it actually provides instruction. Definitely let your kids know up front to expect some unusual accents and words but trust me, they’ll adapt pretty quickly. What’s more, they’ll have fun and actually be strengthening critical skills at home, not during valuable class time.
You can find more great sites like Dance Mat Typing here on this page maintained by Mrs. Olson, a first-year teacher at Longfellow Middle School. Some of the sites are pure games, some actually provide lessons, but all are worth checking out, because student tastes and abilities vary. Give ‘em choices and then get out of the way…
Hope this helps!
-kj-
(Clarification – DanceMat Typing is a production of the BBC – my site only LINKS to it)
Thanks for the great post on keyboarding, I’m a firm believer in kids practicing on their own at home. Keyboarding advocates need to stick together, there aren’t many of us left!
Thanks also for the mention of my site :-)
Kate,
You’re welcome! Great to see another corporate refugee in the ranks of education! I walked away from an I.T. consulting career in 2002 to pursue my dream job in the classroom. Spent almost 20 years in a range of jobs from HR, Finance, Marketing, Sales and Management Consulting, ending up in I.T. Even got my M.B.A. along the way. Just as your experience is helping you in the classroom, mine is as well, but I sometimes wonder what life would be like if I’d gone straight out of college into teaching, as I wanted to … until my Dad convinced me that a business career was a “better choice.” HAH! No thanks! Been there, done that!
-kj-
Good sharing !!
My kids loved it.