Using computers and keyboarding skills for written communication have been common adaptations recommended by occupational therapists which are now important for all students. We used a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test design to examine the effectiveness of a developmentally based curriculum, Keyboarding Without Tears®, as compared to free…

Legible written communication is essential for students to share knowledge (Rogers and Case-Smith 2002). If students lack proficiency in written communication, their composition skills will suffer, which can affect their self-esteem and grades. Whether or not this proficiency is in handwriting or keyboarding is a question worthy of discussion. In…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the writing assessment scores for each of the four traits--development, focus and organization, language, and conventions--as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) of students who had a formal keyboarding course compared to those who did not. A…

Introduction: This study seeks to examine the association between the age of the Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) and the frequency at which they carry out technology job tasks. Methods: A secondary data analysis was performed, using chi square to test for an association between the age of the VRT and the frequency at which they carry out 11…

Classroom teachers sometimes struggle trying to find time during the typical school day to provide the writing instruction students need to be successful. This study examined 29 fifth through twelfth grade classroom teachers' survey responses about their perception of the effectiveness of using an online blogging tool, Kidblog, to plan and provide…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of initial touch speed achievement of fifth grade keyboarding students on their touch keyboarding skill retention in seventh grade. This was a longitudinal study generating quantitative data. The subjects for this study were 132 seventh grade students from a suburban middle school in…

Adults in a therapeutic workplace working on a computerized keyboarding training program earned vouchers for typing correct characters. Typing technique was evaluated on review steps. Participants could pass the review and earn a bonus, or skip the review and proceed with no bonus. Alternatively, participants could continue practicing on the same…

A computer teacher in a middle school in East Tennessee observed that his students were entering the middle school program with computer familiarity but without the touch keyboarding skills necessary to operate the computer efficiently. It was also observed that even with instruction and practice using drill and practice keyboarding software, the…

Discussion of effective teaching methods for keyboarding skills in elementary schools focuses on a study that investigated the use of sensor-key caps. Results provided no evidence that the use of sensor-key caps improved keyboarding speed or accuracy over standard keys without the key caps. (Author/LRW)

Two third grade classes in a private school in North Carolina were given keyboarding instruction using Sunburst's "Type To Learn." So that the effects of color-coding could be examined, one class was given standard keyboards to use (control group), while the other was given keyboards that were color-coded according to proper finger placement…

This study examined the impact of keyboarding instruction on the acquisition of word processing skills. Over a 6-week period, 6 third grade students were studied as they used the "Type to Learn" keyboarding program. Each student spent an average of 45 minutes on the computer each week. Data collection consisted of observations, questionnaires, and…

Contends that the amount of piano study required of music education majors to pass the piano proficiency examination is insufficient. States that keyboarding across the curriculum will enable music education majors to become proficient in playing the piano. Offers suggestions for including the keyboard within other courses. (CMK)

Today's children enter classrooms with skills and expectations that challenge adults. Kids with superior keyboarding skills may resist penmanship lessons. Learning is a two-way process. Computer-literate kids should be encouraged to share skills with other students and teachers. Teachers should pass on acquired skills to students. (MLH)

Describes a Web-building class aimed at motivating English-as-a-Foreign-Language students to improve their English writing and editing skills while building a homepage. All students had a basic or better knowledge of keyboarding and Internet search techniques, two had advanced computer skills, but none had ever created a homepage. (Author/VWL)

This document is intended to give business teachers a few best practice ideas. Section 1 presents an overview of best practice and a chart detailing the instructional levels, curricular areas, and main competencies addressed in the 26 papers in Section 2. The titles and authors of the papers included in Section 2 are as follows: "A Software…