Comments on: Keyboarding, or the lack thereof. http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/ my ideas, thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned in education Thu, 06 May 2010 14:43:55 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Pamela Carr http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-324 Pamela Carr Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:50:34 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-324 I have spent a lot of time wondering if my students would do their composing and creative writing for blogs and assignments quicker if they had typing skills (yes typing skills). I had never stopped to think of the time it takes students to think creatively and put their thoughts into writing on paper. I was just considering how fast I could type and get a thought down quickly! But it is a hard earned skill from many years ago and used consistently through the years. Gail's statement about students struggling with the keyboard is truth in action, but typing skills is not the only way to help the struggling! A push to do typing before acquisition of complete understanding of alphabetizing would be chaos. Using the keyboard before 3rd or 4th grade, however, as a way of communicating and familiarization would develop skills. Glad you brought it up! I have spent a lot of time wondering if my students would do their composing and creative writing for blogs and assignments quicker if they had typing skills (yes typing skills). I had never stopped to think of the time it takes students to think creatively and put their thoughts into writing on paper. I was just considering how fast I could type and get a thought down quickly! But it is a hard earned skill from many years ago and used consistently through the years. Gail’s statement about students struggling with the keyboard is truth in action, but typing skills is not the only way to help the struggling! A push to do typing before acquisition of complete understanding of alphabetizing would be chaos. Using the keyboard before 3rd or 4th grade, however, as a way of communicating and familiarization would develop skills. Glad you brought it up!

]]> By: woscholar http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-312 woscholar Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:31:45 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-312 Absolutely! Get some experience and build in the skills as they go. It is imperative that we start that keyboarding experience in schools with younger students. Throwing them into a keyboarding class at middle or high school just does not make sense. Our kids are on keyboards from the time they realize they are there to play with. Maybe adding a lab to your campus will help with that as well. :) Should be ready this week. Absolutely! Get some experience and build in the skills as they go. It is imperative that we start that keyboarding experience in schools with younger students. Throwing them into a keyboarding class at middle or high school just does not make sense. Our kids are on keyboards from the time they realize they are there to play with. Maybe adding a lab to your campus will help with that as well. :) Should be ready this week.

]]> By: woscholar http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-311 woscholar Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:27:24 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-311 Thanks, Gail. I wonder if a larger organization, say NWP or NCTE, has thought of making this a focus in their work. It would be a good start to move the larger group of English teachers in that direction, thus helping motivate the smaller group of keyboarding teachers to make a change. Maybe Paul Allison needs to add this to his TTT show agenda. Thanks, Gail. I wonder if a larger organization, say NWP or NCTE, has thought of making this a focus in their work. It would be a good start to move the larger group of English teachers in that direction, thus helping motivate the smaller group of keyboarding teachers to make a change. Maybe Paul Allison needs to add this to his TTT show agenda.

]]> By: woscholar http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-310 woscholar Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:25:34 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-310 I appreciate you starting it for us. Maybe at some point standards will change, and then practices will morph into something more compatible with the way students are using all types of keyboards. I'm just glad I don;t have to stuff a carbon paper these days to make a copy. ;) I appreciate you starting it for us. Maybe at some point standards will change, and then practices will morph into something more compatible with the way students are using all types of keyboards. I’m just glad I don;t have to stuff a carbon paper these days to make a copy. ;)

]]> By: Emily Richeson http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-309 Emily Richeson Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:12:10 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-309 This article reminds me of how I used to (and our current K. teachers still do) start teaching kindergarteners to write when they don't even know all the letters of the alphabet. This is what they do: Put a pencil in their hands and get those babies started! They learn to form the letters as they use them. It's the same concept really. This article reminds me of how I used to (and our current K. teachers still do) start teaching kindergarteners to write when they don’t even know all the letters of the alphabet. This is what they do: Put a pencil in their hands and get those babies started! They learn to form the letters as they use them. It’s the same concept really.

]]> By: Gail Desler http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-307 Gail Desler Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:42:03 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-307 Scott, I agree with you on the extreme practicality of providing students with the time and structure to learn keyboarding. It's so simple to teach and, if done, as you suggest, regularly for short periods of time, students soon see the results. I recently introduced blogging with several groups of 4th graders at three separate sites. Those who were already familiar with the keyboard could focus on the content of their comment. It was painful to watch the kids without keyboarding skills trying to complete what had to be a tedious task. Heading in to read Jeff's post... Scott,

I agree with you on the extreme practicality of providing students with the time and structure to learn keyboarding. It’s so simple to teach and, if done, as you suggest, regularly for short periods of time, students soon see the results.

I recently introduced blogging with several groups of 4th graders at three separate sites. Those who were already familiar with the keyboard could focus on the content of their comment. It was painful to watch the kids without keyboarding skills trying to complete what had to be a tedious task.

Heading in to read Jeff’s post…

]]> By: Jeff Utecht http://scottsfloyd.com/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/comment-page-1/#comment-306 Jeff Utecht Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:00:19 +0000 http://scottsfloyd.edublogs.org/2009/08/28/keyboarding-or-the-lack-thereof/#comment-306 Thanks Scott for adding to the conversation. What I find interesting is how many people commented on my blog post telling me that I have it wrong, yet nobody can point me to a school where those beliefs of teaching typing are actually being put to practice. In every school I've been at it has been up to the individual teacher to in elementary school to spend time on typing if they choose. Many Middle Schools and High Schools have typing classes, or classes where they can practice that skill....but is that too late? We talk about having authentic purposes for students to want to type faster/better. Maybe going paperless is that authentic purpose for your students. If I had to type everything all the time you better believe I'm going to get faster. :) Thanks for the conversation and the research! Thanks Scott for adding to the conversation. What I find interesting is how many people commented on my blog post telling me that I have it wrong, yet nobody can point me to a school where those beliefs of teaching typing are actually being put to practice. In every school I’ve been at it has been up to the individual teacher to in elementary school to spend time on typing if they choose. Many Middle Schools and High Schools have typing classes, or classes where they can practice that skill….but is that too late?

We talk about having authentic purposes for students to want to type faster/better. Maybe going paperless is that authentic purpose for your students. If I had to type everything all the time you better believe I’m going to get faster. :)

Thanks for the conversation and the research!

]]>