Lately I have found myself spending a lot of time thinking about typing skills. When I was younger we had classes in school that taught us the “proper” way to type, with our hands on the home row. I also vividly remember practicing my typing skills at home with the program Mavis Beacon, striving to become proficient at typing.
Today, the majority of my students come to school with little to no typing skills, and resort to “hunting and pecking.” While I understand that times have changed, and students are used to having access to the world at the touch of their finger tips, I often find myself wondering if students should still be taught the “proper” way to type.
Now, more than ever, students are expected to work on computers accessing information online, publishing papers, and completing projects. There are certainly some students that manage to get by with “hunting and pecking” and have it down to a science, but there are students who truly struggle to type one word in a timely manner. How are students supposed to utilize technology when they can’t use the keyboard effectively?
I guess that leaves me with a couple of questions. What expectations should we have of our students? Do you think students should be taught to type the “proper” way, and if so at what age should this instruction take place?
I wish I could answer these questions for myself, but I go back and forth on the topic. After watching some of my students sit and type three lines during a half an hour on the computer, I find myself getting frustrated; however, I seem to be ok with the hunters and peckers who know what they are doing! As part of my centers I have implemented a typing center in which students use BBC typing, allowing students to pass through different levels of guided typing instruction, but at the end of the day I always find myself wondering if this center is really worth the time or should I scratch it and add another literacy center.
What are your thoughts?
The questions you raise are definitely relevant, especially when you consider the current testing craze that has captured the focus of our education system. If students are expected to take standardized tests solely on computers, it seems sensible that these same students would be taught how to use the computer proficiently. Can you imagine what might happen if a child who relies on the "hunt and peck" method tries to type in their answer to a test question? This child might actually know the right answer, but might become so frustrated at trying to locate the right keys they could just give up and say the heck with it. As a second grade teacher, I often ask the same questions, but in regards to handwriting. It seems like handwriting too is a lost art. As with typing, I feel that if I expect them to be able to write exciting stories, I need to also make them comfortable with the process of handwriting. I feel if I don't, they will never get to experience the joys of writing. Instead of writing fluently and thinking more about their story, they will be slowed down and allowed only to focus on the process of letter formation.
ReplyDeleteIn a technology driven world, I think being able to type "properly" is a must. I cannot even imagine how frustrated I would become if I had to "hunt and peck." Even watching my students, like Krista said, I become frustrated for them. I also agree with Kate that handwriting is lost art. I cannot tell you how many students say they don't know how to sign their name when they need to sign the school contract that they have read the handbook. I know that our middle school has a class in which students learn the proper way to type; however, I wonder if some of the students ever really break their habit of the hunt and peck method. In my opinion, I think it is definitely a lesson for the students to be learning.
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