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…

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)

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…

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…

In this study, the authors identify the components of a precollege curriculum needed by learners who are blind and visually impaired, and investigate the importance of acquiring various competencies in predicting whether students with visual impairments and blindness successfully complete a four-year college degree. The findings suggest that…

Researchers have demonstrated that video-based interventions are effective at teaching a variety of skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities. To replicate and extend this line of research, we initially planned to compare the effects of video modeling and video prompting on the acquisition of a novel work skill (i.e., data entry) in two…

This document contains 20 papers on the challenges that business educators face in integrating technology into the learning environment. The following papers are included: "Teaching in a Dynamic Technology Environment: An Overview and Introduction" (Ann M. Remp); "Learners and Technology: Experience, Attitudes, and…

Cognitive skills are associated with academic performance, but little is known about how to improve these skills in the classroom. Here, we present the results of a pilot study in which teachers were trained to engage students in cognitive skill practice through playing games. Fifth-grade students at an experimental charter school were randomly…

For the typical early childhood administrator, there will never be enough hours in a day to finish the work that needs to be done. This includes numerous hours spent on a computer tracking enrollment, managing the budget, researching curriculum ideas online, and many other administrative tasks. Improving an administrator's computer efficiency can…