Keyboarding Revisited

Every year we start 3rd grade with keyboarding. I know. It seems sorta trite, considering many people learned how to type in an actual typing class. But it's still an important skill, especially when you're trying to get ideas out of your head and onto "paper" and you need your fingers to keep up with the ideas!

Anyway, 3rd grade always starts with keyboarding, and this year's group absolutely loves it. For added incentive, once they reach 100 typing stars (given by the amazing platform we use, typing.com) they earn the privilege of putting stickers on their Chromebook cases.

Side note: we learned from last year that passing out stickers for every typing star became quite a commotion. Now they get their first sticker at 100 typing stars. Way more manageable!

It's amazing how adept at keyboarding those little fingers are! The kids earn stickers at 100 stars, 500 stars, 750 stars, and 1000 stars, and by the time they get to 1000 stars, most kids are typing at the expected 15 words per minute for 3rd grade!

When I'm teaching, I can quickly tell who is practicing their typing vs who has not continued once they earned their basic stars - responses in PearDeck and Seesaw come much smoother from the typers. Plus, it's a great way to start the year - low stakes tech practice while the kids are learning to navigate their new class.