Instructify

BY KEVIN HODGSON

I learned how to type when I was in the Army National Guard as a communications specialist. For hours a day, we typed and typed. Later, as a newspaper reporter, I spent my days at the keyboard. If there is one skill that I am thankful for in the computer age, typing is it. I lament that our school does not have even a basic typing program for our students in the younger grades. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to watch my students slowly hunt and peck with forefingers for letters, only to lose their train of thought.

Typing Test is not designed to teach you how to navigate the keyboard, but it will give you a good sense of how fluent a typist you are. The site does not require any log-ins and it is easy enough to use — type the words that show up in the box (the text comes from novels) and every correctly spelled word turns green while incorrect words turn red, and a little alarm sound buzzes.

When you are done, the site gives you data about your typing skills. For example, after hacking my way through a passage of The Godfather (the next passage was from Walden), I found out that I was typing at about 60 words per minute, with a 97 percent accuracy rate. A little chart also broke down some of my errors for me. A highly motivated student might get extra practice trying to beat their high scores, and Typing Test would work nicely in conjunction with other sites that teach a person how to type.

Typing Test

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Go, TypeRacer, Go!

Learn to type at TypingWeb

BY BILL FERRIS

If there’s one foundation skill kids need for the 21st century, it’s typing. Yeah, it seems basic, but in a computerized society, pretty much everything is done on computer. The keyboard is how we interact with computers and the internet, and therefore, much of the world. It only makes sense that kids develop a good working knowledge of the keyboard beyond the hunt-and-peck method. They can do that without signing up for a typing class at TypingWeb.

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BY BILL FERRIS

I must have wasted at least an hour of my life typing email signatures and other oft-repeated text (an hour seems like a lot of time when you know it was spent typing, “Sincerely, Bill Ferris” over and over). Signatures, addresses, and standard responses to frequently asked questions eat up a lot of time over the long haul. Take those precious minutes back with Texter.

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Not everyone is a wizard of the qwerty keyboard. Your students may be able to thumb their way around a cell phone keypad, but still can’t find the home keys on a computer keyboard. Here are some resources for you (or your students) to work on typing speed and accuracy while having fun. I love doing them even with a solid 50+ wpm speed.

1. Aunt Lee Dot Com is a collection of different typing games (some of which are featured below). My favorite is under Typing words that has Type, Type, Revolution (yep, just like the dancing game, only with typing).
2. Dance Mat Typing is probably the most well-known online interactive typing program, and is brought to us by the BBC. The narrator (a goat) does have a pretty heavy Scots burr, but it just adds to the flavor of the place.
3. TypingTest.com and Online Typing Games – Bubbles Game let you assess yourself, then play a really great game of typing letter bubbles. I’m addicted.
4. Custom Typing Training has a training module, and a fun soccer typing game. You need to sign up to get the full version, but it’s still free.

Add fun – and more words per minute – to your typing repertoire with these online typing games. -ALICE MERCER

Aunt Lee Dot Com
Dance Mat Typing
TypingTest.com
Online Typing Games – Bubbles Game
Custom Typing Training
Best sites to learn typing skills via Larry Ferlazzo

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Go Type Racer, Go

Photo credit: ollily on flickr

I used to think I was hot snot because I could type 70 words per minute. I found out the hard way how average I am when I played TypeRacer, a game where you race head-to-head against other typists to see who’s the swiftest.

Unlike most typing tests, TypeRacer features lyrics to songs by Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan, as well as quotes from books like A Clockwork Orange. All that pop culture soothed my bruised ego after getting crushed by people who can type more than 200 (!) words per minute.

Even if you’re not a typing or computer skills teacher, typing is a core skill required by most technology your students will use. TypeRacer provides a fun way to get better at it while exposing students to classics works like Star Wars. Maybe you’ll see your students’ names on the list of high scores. It’s doable, provided they reset the scores – personally, I think a speed of 210 words per minute has to be a typo. -BILL FERRIS

TypeRacer