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Important Features of a Keyboarding Program that Teachers Need

Important Features of a Keyboarding Program that Teachers Need

Chassie Lee

October 10, 2019

Blog

Although keyboarding is a primarily physical task, instructors who teach keyboarding need to rely on the instructional software to provide engaging, exciting ways for students to learn.

Read below to learn more about essential features for a keyboarding software that will best serve your needs.

Engaging across all disciplines

A great keyboarding software provides interesting material across multiple disciplines. Keyboarding affects much more than just language arts, and students of all interests should be able to enjoy their keyboarding lessons. Ideally, your keyboarding software will be applicable to all subjects, not just keyboarding.

Typing

Automatic grading

Teachers need to be able to analyze student progress to determine the next steps for each student. Your keyboarding software should enable you to make those decisions more quickly by providing an automatic grading feature. Many software tailor the feedback on student submissions based on your ideal grading system – pass/fail or percentage – and have features that will allow you to share the results with parents.

Sound and proven pedagogy

The software should guide students to learn great typing techniques based on the science of structured repetition.

Structured repetition will strengthen muscle memory, which is the central skill associated with touch typing.

Programs that don’t follow the science will waste time in getting the student to his or her goals.

Rich library of content

Children lose interest in subjects quickly, so it’s essential to keep things moving. Keyboarding, in particular, can feel very repetitive, so it is especially important to provide new lessons and courses regularly.  Keyboarding software needs to have a large selection of lessons with videos for each advanced grade, as well as high-quality animation and story-based curriculum for younger students.

Keyboard skills

Excellent user interface design

Even before children don’t know how to type well, they can recognize and be irritated by a clunky interface. The only concern your students should have is learning the material. Keyboarding programs must deliver a modern user interface that follows Google Material Design principles without invasive ads. The design will impact how students learn and remember crucial concepts.

Support different platforms

The software should be downloadable from the Cloud, from the disc, or from a specific location, and you should be able to access your program regardless of the type of computer you use. Hardware style should not hold you or your students back from learning to type.

Conclusion

It’s important for students to learn from an early age how to use a keyboard properly, but a keyboard is only as good as the software behind it. The software should make it easier for teachers to educate students on how to use the keyboard.

Your keyboard software should enhance student learning and promote mastery. Some of the crucial elements of a good piece of the software include clear, rigorous instruction that is entertaining, natural, challenging, social, fun, easy to access and use, motivating, teacher-friendly, and engaging. Teachers who use a keyboarding program with these features will always be a step ahead.