ETC BP5_2009102_Web 2.0_TypingWeb

In considering which web 2.0 tools would be most important to implement in my classroom, it would be hard for me not to include TypingWeb. As technology advances, so does the need for students to learn proper typing skills at an early age. At my current school, all students are engaged in at least 20 minutes of computer use daily. While much of this time is spent with “point-and-click” programs, especially in the primary grades, the need to develop typing skills at this level is becoming ever more important.

Typingweb.com is a free online typing program that offers tutorials in keyboarding for typists of all skill levels. Users can sign up for a free account and have their progress saved and charted. You do have the option to participate in individual lessons without creating an account, however these results will not be stored. TypingWeb also offers a typing certificate, which users can print for their records and which displays the skill level obtained.

I first learned to type in a high school keyboarding class. Students today simply do not have this luxury of being able to wait that long. For my sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, the time is definitely now for them to develop solid typing skills.

Ideally, TypingWeb would be a staple in my classroom on a daily basis. If it were up to me, I would encourage teachers as low as third grade to incorporate these lessons into their instruction. More than just looking into the long term, where computer skills in general will be in high demand, but for educational progress to be made, students will need to rely on their ease of use of the keyboard to complete countless tasks to make the grade.

TypingWeb offers schools and companies options for site-licensing to create an easily manageable system of learning and record-keeping. Visit http://typingweb.com/ for more information.