Re: ELEM, SEC: keyboard skills

[Betty Dawn Hamilton <bhamilt@TENET.EDU>]

On Sun, 11 Feb 1996, Cheryl Sturgeon wrote:
> -- [ From: Cheryl Sturgeon * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
>
> keeps coming up.. The high school principal thinks we should teach typing to
> the 4th grade.  He wants everyone to touch type BEFORE reaching high school.
>
> As a non-traditional typist I think that it is not a necessity and those who
>  are feel it is essential.

This is an interesting discussion topic, Cheryl.  Being in a high school
where students are now *required* to type (word process) some of their
papers, I see the frustration of the slow typists. Consequently, I have
been an advocate of *early* and *continuous* keyboarding training.

However, since you say you are a "non-traditional" typist and you seem to
do very well, perhaps it isn't necessary. Perhaps lots of *use* of word
processing is the answer.  My husband took typing in high school and did
very well with it -- he was probably one of the fastest ones at the time.
Because his career did not require typing, he didn't use it daily for 20
or 30 years until computers entered the picture. You might say he is now
a "non-traditional" typist also since he doesn't use all fingers on the
"home keys" etc.; but he, too, does very well. He isn't as fast as I am
because I continue to use the typing skills as I was taught, and I have
typed as a part of my various jobs since high school.

Now, I wonder if keyboarding *is* necessary and to what extent? Students
*do* need to know things like holding the shift key down to get the
capitals and symbols, and they do need to know to space after a comma,
etc.; but that *could* be taught in other subjects as a part of the
process of composing a paper, I suppose.

What do you other lm-netters think?

Betty
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