"Byte" Sized -- What Should the Kids Know How to Do? Keyboarding

via GIPHY

 Todays' blog post is the next post in a series of posts sharing the TL;DR information available in the Illinois Computer Literacy Knowledge and Skill Development Continuum adopted May 2022. In this  series, it is hoped that you will have a better understanding of what technology skills our students are expected to have at different grade levels. Of course, each student is different -- some will acquire these skills sooner than their peers; some will acquire them later. These are meant to be a guide for teachers. 

Computer literacy isn't just something that is taught in "computer class" by a "computer teacher." Because the use of computing devices impacts our students at school and at home, for school work, for socializing, and for fun or entertainment, computer literacy is something every educator needs to assist students with. It is my hope that by summarizing these skills for you, it will be easier for you to find ways to help students develop, refine, and retain the computer literacy skills they will need and use for the rest of their lives.

You can find the actual continuum here. What you will see in these posts and the linked spreadsheet are my interpretations and summaries.

Keyboarding is as fundamental a skill as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Yep, I said what I said! No matter how technology changes, knowing your way around a keyboard is going to be something that sticks around, even if it becomes the "primitive" way of inputting data or information. But for the foreseeable future, keyboarding is a primary skill kids must have. It starts with keyboard familiarity (knowing where to find letters, numbers, and other important keys) and moves on to proficiency using the keyboard. The gold standard in keyboarding skills is touch typing. I was one of the odd ducks who never took a typing or keyboarding class in my life, so I never learned to touch type. Instead, I have my own weird way of typing, where I do look at my fingers when I type, and I usually only use my index finger and middle finger on each hand to type. I'm efficient at it because I've been doing it my whole life. However, our students should not be doomed to awkward typing! We have a districtwide subscription to Typing Agent, so every student can work on their keyboarding skills either through structured lessons or through keyboarding games. And yes, I'm talking about kids at TRS and CJHS, too!

At the link above under the Keyboarding tab, you can get a better idea of what kids are expected to know regarding keyboarding. A quick summary:

• By the time students are in grade 4, they should have mastered the ergonomics of keyboarding, locating keys like space bar, return/enter, shift, letters and numbers, and using home row (touch typing)
• Students in grades 7 and 8 should also be able to locate special characters on the keyboard as needed.
• Please share in the comments how YOU are going to try to give your students keyboarding practice! I've got yummy Halloween treats for every person who comments with an idea or suggestion!