NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 We have tried Typing Instructor for Kids, Dance Mat, Type to Learn and they were OK but did not give us the result we want. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 What results are you seeking? Typing Pal is good and you can get it for a discount through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. Typing is a skill that can take time to master. What was lacking from the other programs? (We switched programs too. Just wondering what needs were not being met.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Laura~ Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 What results are you wanting? The best practice I've found was dictation, except with typing instead of writing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 What results are you seeking? Typing Pal is good and you can get it for a discount through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. Typing is a skill that can take time to master. What was lacking from the other programs? (We switched programs too. Just wondering what needs were not being met.) I would like to see hi fairly proficient at typing. He experienced frustration with Type to Learn since it would not allow you to move on until you got to a certain speed from what I recall. Typing Instructor for kids did not seem to have enough instruction as well as Dance Mat. Granted we probably did not practice enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 What results are you wanting? The best practice I've found was dictation, except with typing instead of writing. I will be honest. dictation was a no go here until they were more solid on the muscle memory for typing. Trying to juggle how to spell, capitalize, etc. while remembering proper posture, proper finger placement and proper weight to the key strokes was a dismal failure for us. A systematic typing program teaching key strokes in a very specific order worked a lot better. Dictation was way down the line, once muscle memory/fluency was more solid. But I have heard that other kids do really well with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I would like to see hi fairly proficient at typing. He experienced frustration with Type to Learn since it would not allow you to move on until you got to a certain speed from what I recall. Typing Instructor for kids did not seem to have enough instruction as well as Dance Mat. Granted we probably did not practice enough. For success in typing in our house, I had to have them typing daily. In the beginning I set the w.p.m. requirement to 5 and the accuracy to 95 so that the focus was not on speed, it was on accuracy. I had it at 95% accuracy because expecting 100% meant lots of frustration and the beginnings of a hatred of typing. Not something I wanted to happen. Once I reduced the accuracy to 95%, things weren't so frustrating. Having the goal be 5 w.p.m. they stopped trying to rush and could focus on accurate finger placement and key strokes. Speed comes once accuracy occurs. Accuracy occurs if every single time they type they are working on proper posture, finger placement and key strokes. Over and over and over. Daily. Someone needs to be there, especially in the beginning, to make sure they are making proper key strokes. Positively reinforce those key strokes. Accuracy and fluency may be a loooooong time coming if proper key strokes are not emphasized right from the beginning. And a lesson doesn't have to be long. Just consistent. It takes time to build up muscle memory. If some days they use different fingers, or try to rush to pick up speed before key strokes are down solid it will take a lot longer to get fluent at typing. For some, typing can take years to master. The more consistent and frequent the lessons, the faster they can achieve mastery. You might look at Typing Pal or Touch-Type Read and Spell. They are usually both available at Homeschool Buyer's Co-Op. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 We did dance mat last summer. It worked very well for my boys; dd was horrendous at typing though. However, I started her back in it again two weeks ago. Three lessons throughout the day, usually the same lesson. And I finally put a cover over the keys. That has been the biggest help of all! Her downfall was always looking down, and now she can't. Her typing has improved so much! and she is enjoying it. It might not be the program so much as the lack of consistent practice or peeking at keys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 We are using Abeka's Keyboarding book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 I did make some adjustments to Type to Learn by decreasing accuracy to 90% and what not and hopefully it will be less frustrating. The key cover sounds like a good idea but last night he was not looking at key cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 My kids liked Type to Learn 4 so we stuck with it for quite a while. We did have several areas of frustration with that program, though. When the subscription ended (we got the school version through HSBC) DS switched to Touch-Type Read and Spell and DD switched to Typing Pal. I honestly like all three for different reasons but TTRS has been especially great for DS. It works on reading and spelling as it teaches typing. DS is thriving with it. DD is doing fine with Typing Pal and she got to choose the look/environment on her screen. More appealing to a teenager maybe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Laura~ Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 A key cover made the difference when I was learning to type (and play the piano). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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