We are living in a digital world and our kid is a digital girl (or boy, but yeah, now I have the original song in my head).
Technology surrounds us, our life is dependent on and made better by digital inventions. However, what I have noticed we are losing is the ability to type! When I was in elementary school, we used to use these little red keyboards to practice our typing skills. Then, when I went to middle school, we had to take keyboarding as an elective. We had timed tests, with our hands and the monitor covered. When I was in ninth grade, the same class was a requirement.
But guess what, it paid off! As I am typing this post, I am watching television and yet I know that my typing is accurate (or I feel each time I make a mistake and look to correct it). The point of this ramble is this: in a time of digital dependency, typing is becoming a lost art! If you've ever tried to have your child type a few sentences, you understand what I am talking about. Something that would take you less than a minute could take 15 because they don't know key placement.
Parents are always asking me for ideas of things they could work on with their child at home. I'm really thinking typing is at the top of my list right now. If you have a child who enjoys independent projects or seems to be given individual opportunities, I would suggest some of the websites listed below. Rather than spending their time searching for keys, they will be able to focus on the task and the learning!
Provides instruction in a fun way:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
Games to practice placement:
http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html
Technology surrounds us, our life is dependent on and made better by digital inventions. However, what I have noticed we are losing is the ability to type! When I was in elementary school, we used to use these little red keyboards to practice our typing skills. Then, when I went to middle school, we had to take keyboarding as an elective. We had timed tests, with our hands and the monitor covered. When I was in ninth grade, the same class was a requirement.
But guess what, it paid off! As I am typing this post, I am watching television and yet I know that my typing is accurate (or I feel each time I make a mistake and look to correct it). The point of this ramble is this: in a time of digital dependency, typing is becoming a lost art! If you've ever tried to have your child type a few sentences, you understand what I am talking about. Something that would take you less than a minute could take 15 because they don't know key placement.
Parents are always asking me for ideas of things they could work on with their child at home. I'm really thinking typing is at the top of my list right now. If you have a child who enjoys independent projects or seems to be given individual opportunities, I would suggest some of the websites listed below. Rather than spending their time searching for keys, they will be able to focus on the task and the learning!
Provides instruction in a fun way:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
Games to practice placement:
http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html