FAQ
I am considering a Writer
Q. What is the goal of this keyboarding program?
Q. Is The Writer Keyboarding Program adequate for a middle school or high school level keyboarding program?
Q. At what grade level should formal keyboarding begin?
Q. Should we spend time in primary K-2 grades on keyboard instruction or orientation?
Q. I don't know how to "touch type". Can I still teach this program?
I am currently using The Writer keyboard in my classroom
Q. If we are using The Writer Keyboard Instruction Program, do we still need to do keyboard instruction in the computer lab?
Q. How much time each day should we spend on keyboard instruction?
Q. What is the minimum number of days each week that we should work on keyboarding?
Q. How often should I do an "Assessment"?
Q. How often should my students get a progress report printout?
Q. What type of review or reinforcement schedule do you recommend?
Q. Should I grade my students?
Q. How many days does a formal keyboarding program require?
Q. What is the most important role for the teacher during the keyboarding period?
Q. My students often look at the keyboard while typing. Is this a bad thing?
Q. How can I help my students to not look down at their keyboard while typing?
Q. Which is more important: Speed or Accuracy? Which should I concentrate on?
Q. My students say the letters or words out loud as they do their drills. Is this okay?
Q. Should I interrupt my students while they are doing their keyboarding lessons to remind them to stretch or rest?
Q. Some of my students like to lean back during lessons. How important is "good posture?"
Q. My students are doing a good job during keyboarding lessons, but outside of the lessons they're not as diligent with their skills. What can I do to help my students maintain their good keyboarding habits outside of my classroom?
Q. Sometimes my students complain about aches in their back or neck or hands. What should I do about this?
Q. When and how should the PowerSkin keyboard covers be used?
Writer instruction FAQs
I am considering a Writer
Q. What is the goal of this keyboarding program?
A. The goal of The Writer Keyboarding Program is to provide an easy to implement and cost effective means to deliver high quality keyboard instruction to a large number of students. The ultimate goal being: Every student masters this fundamental literacy skill. The digital divide is now more about skills than access to computers.
Q. Is The Writer Keyboarding Program adequate for a middle school or high school level keyboarding program?
A. The Writer Keyboarding Program can (and is) be used successfully in both middle school and high school. Not only will The Writer provide well structured lessons, technique reinforcement and assessment, but it will allow for students to apply those skills in a number of different writing formats. More and more secondary educators and technology leaders are refusing to use their powerful technology facilities for simple finger training drills. Instead, they turn to The Writer. It's effective, convenient and compared to computer facilities...cost effective.
Q. At what grade level should formal keyboarding begin?
A. Studies confirm that formal keyboard instruction should not begin before the third grade. While many kindergarten, first and second grade students can learn to keyboard, there are good reasons to wait until third or fourth grade. Many primary children do not yet have the dexterity to gain keyboarding skills quickly. Often, teaching these very young children requires a great deal more time and patience than if instruction began later. In most cases students are not asked to write lengthy papers and reports until third and fourth grades, at which time there is a natural application of keyboarding skills to written assignments.
Q. Should we spend time in primary K-2 grades on keyboard instruction or orientation?
A. No. Keyboard orientation programs are really unnecessary during the early primary years. With daily practice and instruction, students in the third and fourth grade learn proper technique very quickly (whether they have had earlier instruction/orientation or not). Additionally, "Application" is a critical ingredient in keyboard mastery. Students must apply this new skill in their daily writing to develop keyboard fluency (just like learning a foreign language). Students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades are receiving lengthy writing assignment. These are perfect application opportunities. Use The Writer as a word processor to do all thoughtful writing assignments. Not only will students develop keyboard fluency, but they'll improve their writing skills and enjoy the writing process.
Q. I don't know how to "touch type." Can I still teach this program?
A. Absolutely. While it does help to be a typist, it's not critical. Ideally, you should be involved in some type of in-servicing or training, but if that is not available just read our guide and you'll have all the information you need to do a good job instructing your students. We also have the ‘Ready, Set, GO!" video instruction series. This provides all of the instruction you and your students will need. Learn along side of them. You'll be glad you did.
I am currently using The Writer keyboard in my classroom
Q. If we are using The Writer Keyboard Instruction Program, do we still need to do keyboard instruction in the computer lab?
A. No. While review and reinforcement in the lab will help instill good habits, The Writer keyboarding program is designed to be a complete and thorough program. We recommend elevating the use of your computer lab to higher level, more stimulating applications.
Q. How much time each day should we spend on keyboard instruction?
A. Between 10 -15 minutes. With many software programs, there is far too much wait time; bells and whistles, games and graphics. The Writer provides a very concentrated keyboarding program. It is brief, daily, focused practice that is critical to acquiring good habits.
Q. What is the minimum number of days each week that we should work on keyboarding?
A. Three, but that's the very minimum. Aim for four to five days each week. And if you can, a couple of brief sessions each day can really be powerful. Ten minutes, five times a day for 6-8 weeks will instill proper homerow technique.
Q. How often should I do an "Assessment"?
A. At least once each week. Having students do an assessment each week lets that student know that their progress is being measured and monitored. Additionally, students enjoy seeing their progress. Simply have students press the "A" key in the main keyboarding menu. A 60 second assessment exercise will automatically begin. The score will automatically be recorded and printed out on their progress report. There is also a "Chart Your Progress" sheet in the Resource Materials section of this guide. Students can chart their speed and accuracy over the course of the program.
Q. How often should my students get a progress report printout?
A. We recommend that students obtain a progress report once each week. Ask students to come to the printer or computer in groups of 2 or 3. If you have a Writer Version 2.0 or higher, you can easily and quickly acquire a one-page class report. Contact Support for more information.
Q. What type of review or reinforcement schedule do you recommend?
A. Review and reinforcement is critical. Frequent application of this new skill is important to ingrain good habits developed during the keyboarding program. After a solid 6-8 week keyboarding program, your students should practice at least once each week for 20-25 minutes.
Q. Should I grade my students?
A. Yes. Students know that this is important, thus it is graded. Along with the automatic progress report printouts, you can find "Progress Report" forms in the Resource Material section of this guide.
Q. How many days does a formal keyboarding program require?
A. This really depends on the age or your students and their current level of keyboarding skill. Very broadly, your formal keyboarding program will require anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
Q. What is the most important role for the teacher during the keyboarding period?
A. Monitoring. Teaching keyboarding skills is 10% instruction (days 1-5) and 90% review and reinforcement. A teacher or other conscientious adult must be a roamer, monitoring students for proper posture, hand placement and finger technique. Copy the little NOPECK Bucks from the Resource Material section and keep a supply in your pocket. Hand one to every student sitting up straight, paying attention, using good form, etc. They work like magic!
Q. My students often look at the keyboard while typing. Is this a bad thing?
A. Yes and No. Our goal is to develop a reflex response. We want to bypass the brain all together. Students who depend on looking at the keyboard are still making conscious decisions about the keys they are pressing. Additionally, many times, we are asked to type from written material. Looking back and forth can be very time consuming and interrupt the flow of keyboarding. Often students will start by looking at their keyboard, but with the amount of repetition built into our keyboarding lessons, this eventually goes away.
Q. How can I help my students to not look down at their keyboard while typing?
A. Telling students to stop almost never works. The only way to make students who look at the keyboard stop is to force them to stop. Our PowerSkin overlays are perfect for this purpose. PowerSkins are very thin silicon rubber key covers. They allow students to type out their lessons, but does not allow them to see the keys. By eliminating all visual cues, students must rely on and develop their memory.
Q. Which is more important: Speed or Accuracy? Which should I concentrate on?
A. Neither! Posture and technique are the only things that you should concentrate on as a teacher. All good things in keyboarding follow from laying a good foundation in posture and technique. Technique means good homerow orientation, good shift key usage and proper fingering on the keyboard (using the right finger path). Teach, review and reinforce posture and technique. Speed and accuracy will follow.
Q. My students say the letters or words out loud as they do their drills. Is this okay?
A. Absolutely! As long as they are not interfering with the concentration of others, this type of vocalization can be beneficial to the memory process. We want students to eventually type words, not letters. So if students are reading the words on the screen as they keyboard, they will be reinforcing "word typing."
Q. Should I interrupt my students while they are doing their keyboarding lessons to remind them to stretch or rest?
A. Yes. Students must be taught that stopping, resting and stretching are important. That is the reason we placed a "Pause" key at the top of each keyboard.
Q. Some of my students like to lean back as they do their lessons. How important is "good posture?"
A. Very important! Just like proper positioning is critical for the baseball player or basketball player, good posture and proper positioning is critical for the keyboardist. Good posture contributes not only to accurate keyboarding, but also to good muscle and spinal alignment. This alignment allows for good body support, good blood flow and less aches and pains. This is truly a health concern. Poor posture should not be an option for your students.
Q. My students are doing a good job in my class during our keyboarding lessons, but in the library or other classes they're not using their skills. What can I do so that my students maintain their good habits outside of my classroom?
A. This is very common, especially for those schools using a lab-based keyboarding program. The kids are fine in the lab. They just peck on every other computer they use. Two things can be done. First, do a great job with your keyboarding program. By practicing everyday, your students will begin developing habits... good habits. The second thing that must be done is to make proper keyboard use a school-wide expectation. Every teacher and every adult in that school needs to, if necessary, correct students who may be using a keyboard incorrectly. Make a point at your next faculty
Q. Sometimes my students complain about aches in their back or neck or hands. What should I do about this?
A. Aches and pains arise from poor posture and tension. Monitor of good posture and remind students to "Stop, rest and stretch" often. Beginning students are especially prone to tension aches. They are usually very tense as they begin their keyboarding lessons. It helps to actually make them press the Pause key and force them to take 15 second breaks initially. Teach the habit of occasionally taking a very brief break to rest and stretch.
Q. When and how should the PowerSkin keyboard covers be used?
A. We recommend that the PowerSkin keyboard covers be used as often as possible. There are a number of different ways these can be used. You may have students use the "Practice" mode every day to do the three lessons prior to their current lesson with the PowerSkins on. (If the student is on lesson 24, have that student use the practice mode to go to lessons 20-23 with the PowerSkins). The skins can also be used after all keys have been introduced. Lessons 70-116 are review and reinforcement lesson.
