Bored Keys

In sixth grade, I recall taking a typing class and found it somewhat boring at first but learned to appreciate it greatly afterward.  I always remember how our teacher used 45's on an old record player to keep a consistent tempo.  We listened to songs like "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and countless other classic quasi-hits ad nauseam while we typed.  When we increased in ability, she increased the speed of the record player or used a song with a faster beat.  Later in life, I have found this typing talent terrific to have and have always felt gratitude for having been taught this simple yet important skill.

In my classroom, I'm already incorporating some teaching typing color-coded keyboards I picked up at RAFT for a dollar a piece (yeah, I went overboard and bought 32 of them in order to be prepared for future classes).  It does mean adding time so students can get the keyboards out and attach them to their laptops but man are they having fun with them!  They're so enthusiastic, already sitting up straight the perfect distance from their desks, curled fingers feeling for the f's and j's, writing what I have them practice and then what they choose. They truly try to use the proper fingers for each key and some even tilt their heads up toward the ceiling to see if they can do it without looking.

Even though I learned to type early on, in high school I'd still sometimes ask for favors and even pay others to type work out for me.  I'd procrastinate every now and then and need someone who would type faster than me who I could dictate to so I could get assignments in on time.  In terms of having someone type for me (not in the procrastinating part, right?) I kind of still do this when I use Siri and Dragon Naturally Speaking to write on my phone or computer.  These programs are so much faster and require much less effort, the latter software being quite amazing as it learns from your speech patterns every session you use it.  I actually used it to write PACT in Spanish a few years back.  It made a horrendous task such as that at least a little bit easier.  With advances such as these, one might almost think keyboards will soon be neglected peripherals gathering dust in the corner of a district warehouse.

Yet, even though existing technology makes writing faster, typing is still an absolutely basic element in data input on virtually any computer system.  It's key to being a well-rounded tech user and is less prone to having a bug that prevents it from being used.  Keyboards aren't going anywhere anytime soon.  Typing allows us to think through our writing at a more precise level, without the pressure of saying it right the first time when dictating.  It's wonderful that using a keyboard at an acceptable level is now included in the 21st century skills on our report cards.  20 words per minute in fifth grade is a necessity not a luxury.  Just as we teach students accurate and neat printing and cursive, teaching to type on a keyboard should be as important a skill to be introduced at a decently early grade as any other.