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Both of my children (11 and 14) are pretty computer savy, but have terrible typing skills. I'm looking for a non-boring and effective curriculum to help them to learn.
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Hi Jewels, We have tried several programs: Type to Learn 3 -which is aimed at younger kids than yours. Looks like from the publishers website you can download a free 30-day trial of Type to Learn 4 Roller Typing -also for younger kids Ten Thumbs Typing -for all ages and a free trial can be downloaded from the internet, plus you also play songs from your itunes to provide a soundtrack to your typing lessons. Mavis Beacon -we haven't used it, but have heard great reviews Our family preferred Ten Thumbs. It is more basic, with fewer bells and whistles, but also less distractions than the programs with games as rewards. Although truly, nothing taught typing like wanting to chat with friends online! As for the the more "fun" programs, I found I really had to stay on top of my daughter. She would quickly pass a level, but she spent the rest of the time she was supposed to be practicing typing instead playing the game that had been unlocked by completing the level! So, Ten Thumbs was more back to basics and I appreciate that. I also found this website with reviews of some of the typing programs for kids. If you didn't like these options, you might find something else intriguing there. If you do, please let us know what you find! Good luck! These are fantastic suggestions. I really appreciate your help, thank you so much!
Apr 10 at 11:13 AM
Jewels
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TuxType is a flexible, designed for kids and fun typing tutor program. Should be available for free with virtually any Linux distribution. Here's the link , for those who are interested in acquring this learning resource: https://alioth.debian.org/frs/download.php/3270/tuxtype_w_fonts-1.8.1.tar.gz Thanks for mentioning this resource! .
Apr 03 at 04:14 PM
tallship
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I don't know if there's such a thing as non-boring. IMO, that's rather dependent on the pupil, the emphasis that the pupil and coach place on the significance of the subject matter, and also the desire of the student to actually master the material or skill. Also, I've found that mixing things up helps quite a bit. Math for a while, then a break and off to typing and then history or art, etc., and of course, giving the most praise for the least favorite of subjects can affect the pupils eagerness to master a subject. In the beginning, typing progress is measured in muscle memory, and the aches that a student experiences, revisiting earlier lessons will probably yield less complaints about how weird their hands feel - these are milestones that can be pointed out to the student, long before you're able to demonstrate that they're beginning to master the skill by showing their progress in speed or accuracy. What we use here at our home is a web-based system that is not only complete, but also comes with industry certs if you're job hunting and need a WPM stamped on a piece of paper to carry into interviews. Although such 'awards' aren't as important to children as praise and the sense of mastery itself, I use the same system to brush up on my skills and demonstrate to my daughter that we all need to consider improvement. When she sees that I am willing to participate in the same program along with her, and she gets to enjoy tracking my improvements and note the difficulties I'm experiencing as well, it becomes, once again, game-like, and fun, because regardless of the differences in our skill levels, we're both experiencing the same levels of difficulty at our respective levels and get to share our progress with each other. For that reason, I wholeheartedly recommend TypingWeb as a superior solution to take you and your children from the home row to 100WPM! I hope that helps! Kindest regards, Bradley D. Thornton . Awesome suggestion! I had never heard of this program before, but it sounds like it might do the trick! My kids are sometimes motivated by getting "the award," so the prospect getting a certificate might encourage them to practice and try to excel! Thanks Bradley.
May 17 at 01:53 PM
Elizabeth ♦♦
np Elizabeth :) And, BTW, it works for us too, no matter what our skill levels ;) My daughter gets a kick out of watching me go through the exercises.
May 17 at 01:58 PM
tallship
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My son enjoyed learning how to type with this free program (around 8th birthday): http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ It may not get you to the point of being a fast typer, but it teaches the basics and then your student can practice and improve while typing.
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My parents tried several 'programs' and games on me to help me learn, but it did not really help. So they decided that I needed a project that I would teach myself to type quickly and to learn the keyboard and the computer. So, they had me type up various written documents, such as essays over the past four years so they had a digital copy of it. I did not know at the time that they were 'teaching' me how to type, but it worked wonderfully. Now, they and I are big supports of learning by personal benfit and experience. Just by typing I was learning how to type, and If I did not learn, then I would never have time to play, so I learned.
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