Keyboarding Skills -- A Necessary Evil

 When I started teaching in Channahon School District, the kids at the junior high had a computers class as an arts rotation. The kids were using Apple IIe computers, and the curriculum was light on games and heavy on keyboarding. It wasn't the most exciting class, but the kids enjoyed it because they got to use some high tech devices in those Apple IIe's!

Now that you're all thinking, "Sheesh, how old IS Renee????" I'm going to use that attention to step on a soapbox.

Keyboarding.

It's not exciting to teach or learn. It doesn't seem to fit in any particular curriculum. It tends to be seen as a time suck in the classroom. But I would like to make the case for incorporating the opportunity to teach and practice keyboarding skills in ALL grade levels and curricula. Yes, even YOU, junior high teachers!

Speaking as someone who somehow managed to avoid taking keyboarding at all during elementary, high school, and college, I have developed my own weird version of typing. As you can see in the video below, I don't use all my fingers. I also have to look at my hands when I type. Now, I am actually pretty efficient at this "Bogacz" method -- but that's because I have "perfected" it over about 30 or 40 years (back to my age again!). It would be so nice if I actually knew the proper way to type.

Now, I'll be honest. I would LOVE for kids to learn how to touch type! Even as an adult, I am mesmerized by people who can type without looking at their hands. Realistically, I know that without a dedicated keyboarding class, the chances of the kids knowing how to touch type are probably not real great. In that case, I'll take a high level of keyboard familiarity. To achieve that, kids need constant opportunity to use a keyboard. The only way to get away from "hunt and peck" is to know where to go on the keyboard. That's why I am able to make my goofy keyboarding work -- because I know the keyboard.

If you're not sure what the value is in kids knowing how to keyboard, let me share this great article I found that sums it up pretty well! You don't have to read it if you don't want to because here's the TL;DR for you:

• Keyboarding is a necessary skill for education and most careers. It is required for fun (social media) and work (communication).
• It helps conserve mental energy. By not having to think about finding the keys, brain power is available for students to think about what they are typing. It is a less mentally exhausting experience if part of it can be done on "auto-pilot."
• It helps improve computer-based test scores. I know that it's wrong to put too much emphasis on standardized test scores, but it happens. People care about them. Kids who know their way around a keyboard are at an advantage because they will use less time trying to find the letters and symbols they need. Kids who have to use time to look around the keyboard may get tired of typing and give up without finishing their task or simply run out of time because they are slower -- and that ends up in a lower test score which is a less accurate reflection of what they know.
• It eases frustration. This has been hinted at on the previous points. Some kids may refuse to do an activity altogether because keyboarding is so frustrating. The more chances we can give kids to find their way around a keyboard, the less frustrating it becomes.
• It can increase student confidence in their work. By knowing that the keyboard is not something to be conquered, students can work more freely to do quality work.
• It supports digital equity. Since we know that keyboarding is a life skill, we also need to recognize that not all kids have equal access to keyboards. If we assume that kids will be able to practice their keyboarding skills at home and eschew it here at school, that puts kids without computers at home at a disadvantage that will only increase over time. By making sure kids get keyboarding time at school, we can help keep that gap as narrow as possible.

Now it's time to hear from YOU! How do YOU encourage keyboarding skills in your classroom? Let's crowdsource ideas in the comments below! This way, we can get ideas from each other and hopefully give our students a skill they really need but is too often brushed aside. I've got some fun stickers for anyone who comments!