Learning to Type

Goal

Students will visit several typing tutorial sites and choose the best one.

Students will critically evaluate the pros and cons for the tutorial.

Students will analyze ergonomic factors that are related to typing.

Overview

Knowing how to type is essential today. It seems that word processors and computers are used for everything from creating documents and looking for information.

Reading

Go to the following typing websites and inform yourself about two of the different tutorials that are available online for free.

Peter’s On-Line Typing Course - http://www.typing-lessons.org/

A Basic Course in Dvorak - http://www.gigliwood.com/abcd/

Other Resources:

Dvorak vs. QWERTY - http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/dissent.html

The Typing Injuty FAQ’s - http://www.tifaq.com/

Activity

Choose a typing tutorial that you find useful. It can be one of the websites listed above, or another one that you found during your research on this topic. Look for the positive and negative aspects of the tutorial, and identify ergonomic issues that are related to typing.

Assignment

First, write a paragraph of no more than 300 words that describes three benefits and three negative aspects of your tutorial. Make sure to address which style of typing that it teaches.

Secondly, list five ergonomic issues that a typist needs to be aware of while they are typing. Note whether these were addressed within your chosen tutorial.

Finally, create a hyperlink to your chosen site so others can visit the site, and be sure to use the following format:

The Typing Injuty FAQ’s - http://www.tifaq.com/

Submission – Create your activity as an html file and post it to the McDaniel Web Server. Create a link to the file on your index page. Send your instructor an email notification containing a hot link and the URL.

Rubric

	Accomplished - 3	Developing - 2	Beginning - 1
Paragraph	Well-constructed paragraph which discusses three pros and cons of the tutorial, discusses typing style that is being taught.	Cohesive paragraph, discusses two of the three plusses/minuses, mentions typing style.	Few sentences describing a tutorial, no benefits or drawbacks, and no mention of style.
List of Ergonomic Issues	Five or more ergonomic issues which are important to a typist.	Three or four ergonomic issues that affect typists.	One or two items in the list of ergonomic issues.
Hyperlink	Proper format for hyperlink of name and website, able to see URL without underline.	Name of tutorial and hyperlink to tutorial, but in wrong format.	No hyperlink to tutorial.

ISTE
Standards

The following ISTE Standards are addressed in this module:

I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS - Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:

B. Demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.

V. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE -Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:

A. Use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.

C. Apply technology to increase productivity.

A complete listing of all ISTE standards can be found at:

National Educational Standards for Teachers - http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html