Keyboarding techniques (EPP LESSON)

Learning proper keyboarding techniques forms the foundation for a successful touch keyboarding. In this age of computers, it is a big plus to have good keyboarding skills because it means efficiency in inputting data to a computer.

Here are some techniques in using the keyboard. Follow these tips to improve your keyboard efficiency!

Body posture

• Straighten your spine against the back of a chair, leaning slightly forward from the waist.

• Center yourself in front of the keyboard. Your body should be directly in front of "J" key.
• Sit at a comfortable distance from the keyboard (a hand span is recommended).
• Feet on the floor (if possible), slightly apart for body balance.

Arm and hand position

• Relax your arms, your elbows naturally close to body.
• Position your forearms nearly parallel with slope of keyboard.
• Curve your fingers. Tips of your fingers must rest lightly on the keys.
• Your hands must be close enough together to "lock" thumbs. Fingers must be upright and not leaning toward little fingers.
• Your hands and wrists should be almost motionless.
• Wrists should be low but the palm of your hands must not rest on the keyboard.

Keystroking

• Begin and end all keystrokes at home row position (row with the letters a, s, d, f, and so on).
• Use the right fingers in pressing keys.
• Use your right thumb in pressing the “space bar”.
• Use your appropriate "little" finger in pressing the “shift” key.
• Use the "little" finger of your right hand in pressing the “enter” key.
• Keep your eyes on the screen rather than on the keyboard.

For practice, try visiting these online typing tutorials and games. 

Typing Master – practice typing through games such as pacman and brick game!
Learn 2 Type for Kids – provides exercises to practice keyboarding skills
Kid's Typing Skills – offers free downloadable software with keyboarding drills and exercises
ThinkQuest: Computer Circus – provides eight online typing lessons that can help you remember the right positioning of your fingers on the keyboard
Keyboarding Practice – provides series of drills to improve your keyboarding         technique and speed
BBC: Dance Mat Typing – an animated website that provides 12 typing games with different levels of difficult. It also has print-out versions of the lessons.

Common computer problems

• Programs suddenly stall or freeze. When your computer hangs, press the buttons ‘CTRL’, ‘ALT’ and ‘delete’ simultaneously so that a dialog box appears. Click the ‘task manager’ button to view all the open programs and their status—‘running’ or ‘not responding’. Click the program/s that are not responding then click ‘end task’ to close the selected programs. After this, you can then try opening them again. Sometimes, applications/programs just need to be refreshed to work properly. 

• Power button will not start the computer. Sometimes when our computers do not open, it does not necessarily mean that it is defective. In many cases, we just forget to check if it’s plugged in! So, next time your computers would not turn-on, check first if your power cord is plugged securely or if the power outlet is working.

• No sound. When your computer has no sound, check the sound volume. It may be set at a minimum level or may be in mute mode. The sound icon can be found in the bottom right corner of your window. You may right-click on this icon to see the control options for your sounds. If you are using external speakers, make sure it is plugged in, switched on, and connected to your computer.

Sources:

“Basic Troubleshooting Tips.” from
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computer/lesson.aspx?id=1433&p=2
“Five Technology Lessons Every Teacher Can Teach!” from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson285.shtml