| Author | |
TradCathMom
Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 94
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 10:06am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Does anyone have a suggestion for an easy (maybe even fun!  ) typing program? I'd like to teach the children to type. I remember learning it in highschool and it is a life-skill that I have used eversince and am grateful I can type without hunting and pecking! I wish I had learned it when I was younger than 12th grade!!!
Thanks!
Julie
__________________
Julie
 Wife to Tom
Mother of 11
Julie's stuff
Trinity Acres
JMJ * AMDG
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
jdostalik
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2935
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 1:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just purchased Mavis Beacon teaches typing and my dd, aged 9, really likes it and is learning easily...
__________________
God Bless,
Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
allforjmj
Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 15 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 1:27pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi,
Newbie here, but I thought I would let you know what I did, my oldest son wanted to learn to type so I got out on OLD typing book I used in school.  Plus we used a modern program (Mavis Beacon) that taught basic skills and 10 key on the computer. What he and I both liked is that my old school book taught the basics that are not really used anymore (like how to type an informal letter,formal,business etc..) It was kind of like having your child learn the basics of math before you let them use a calculator. He has really used this info from my old text and is a great typist, which has really helped him in highschool and now college.
My younger children our learning the basics with the Mavis Beacon program now and will do the typing book when the get to the 9th grade.
Jackie
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 2:15pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'd like to also throw in my vote for Mavis Beacon -- we used it when I taught Computers in a K-8 parochial school and I've used it at home.
You can have more than one student using it and it will keep track of progress, what needs to be worked on and you can make sure they're doing the drills and not just playing the games.
Very worthwhile! 
Blessings
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TradCathMom
Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 94
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 2:37pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
There were 3 Mavis Beacon items: 12, 16 or 16 Deluxe. What is the difference and what would you recommend? And silly question but is this software? 
Julie
__________________
Julie
Wife to Tom
Mother of 11
Julie's stuff
Trinity Acres
JMJ * AMDG
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 5:13pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Julie (by the way, I love your stuff -- my kids had a great Christmas thanks to your online store !)
The three different Mavis' are just different editions -- the highest, being the newest. Unless they're REALLY close in price, I'd go with the cheapest as it probably has everything you want anyway and the latest edition may be overkill -- we're still using 12 and it works fine on XP, etc.
Yes, it's software , ver yeasy to load and as I mentioned earlier, you can track different students....this makes it very useful in the classroom setting or the homeschool....
Hope this helps!
Blessings
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
tovlo4801
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2005
Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 386
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 5:20pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm wondering if anyone knows of a free way to teach typing. Are there any on-line free programs that would be sufficient?
God Bless,
Richelle
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Cindy
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 01 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 235
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 8:47pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Another vote for Mavis Beacon. We did short lessons (5, then 10 min with timer each day) and within a few weeks they were proficeint and can now touch type very fast. I think this really contributed to their love to write.
And.. we are not a super-discplined family and doing things daily.... but glad we did that. 
__________________
Cindy in Texas
It Is About The Journey
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 10:08pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
tovlo4801 wrote:
I'm wondering if anyone knows of a free way to teach typing. Are there any on-line free programs that would be sufficient?
God Bless,
Richelle |
|
|
Check Target or similar places if you're looking for Mavis Beacon; I've seen older versions very cheap ($5-10). By older, I mean last year's, not ancient. I found the one we have for $8.99 I think there, and it was a previous version, but it's not like typing changes every year and you need the newest one!
Karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TradCathMom
Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 94
|
| Posted: March 03 2005 at 10:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I started to do a google search for a free one but ran out of time. I bet there is one somewhere... everything is on the internet somewhere, isn't it?!
I found there are heaps of the Mavis Beacon programs on eBay for pretty inexpensive. (You shoudl try using the "compare" button it is great) I found a copy for $4.50 + $3.99 shipping... it isn't over yet so don't outbid me!
Julie
__________________
Julie
Wife to Tom
Mother of 11
Julie's stuff
Trinity Acres
JMJ * AMDG
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TracyQ
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1323
|
| Posted: March 08 2005 at 4:36pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000066R4X/qid =1110321072/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-1639998-9050502?v=glance& s=software&n=507846
We use Roller Typing. We have Mavis Beacon somewhere. Maybe I'll check it out for my daughter. She complains about everything, including typing.
But I wanted something more fun for this skill, so I opted for something more *game oriented* for them. It's premise is roller blading. So far, they're doing pretty well. They type something like 30-40 words per minute while doing their typing.
I noticed our oldest types quite fast, and I was pretty impressed, so it must be working pretty well.
I posted the link above for Roller Typing. There are other programs. Here's the link for the search I did at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=dp_ sr_00/102-1639998-9050502
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index%3D software%26field-keywords%3DJump%252520Start%252520Typing%26 store-name%3Dsoftware/102-1639998-9050502 (that's the link for Jump Start Typing)
Hope this helps!
Tracy
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: March 11 2005 at 8:24pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
One day when I first set up Mavis Beacon for ds to use, I decided to do a timed test on myself, just out of curiosity. I used to type >80 wpm in hs, using *manual* machines, and I know I can type way faster now on a computer keyboard. I was very surprised to see a lot of errors, until I went back and looked at what I'd typed.
First of all, if you accidentally put in an extra letter or space, or leave one out, even if everything after that is typed correctly, it doesn't match up with what they have so you get penalized severely. Second, what threw me off was I was taught to use two spaces after a period, exclamation point or question mark, in other words, at the end of a complete sentence. MB only uses one space between sentences. Am I totally out to lunch here, or have the rules changed, or what?
As you can imagine, with me using two spaces and MB only wanting one, all the rest of my typing was off-kilter so I scored extremely low.  I haven't tried it again; I really don't want to change my spacing habits after this many years!
Karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: March 12 2005 at 8:01am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Karen T.
I had the same problem with Mavis -- and I used to type 90+ wpm on a manual.
However, I found that typing on a computer has taught me sloppy typing. It's so easy to hit the backspace -- I'm almost as fast at that as at the "home keys" And on a computer you don't have the "white-out" problems we used to have in typing class!
Also, with spell check (espcially automatic) I've gotten lazy.
The 2 spaces after full sentences was the traditional way to teach typing. Soemthing to do with the spacing of the old machiens and typesetting in general. Because of the onset of word-processing and computer-generated typsetting, the extra space is no longer needed and, in fact, somepublications that I've written for, require only one space after a period -- so I have to go in and take out all the extras. Colons are a similar issue.
So, don't feel bad -- Mavis is your friend -- 
Blessings,
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
teachingmom
Forum All-Star
Virginia Bluebells
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2120
|
| Posted: March 12 2005 at 11:27am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mary G. wrote:
| The 2 spaces after full sentences was the traditional way to teach typing. Something to do with the spacing of the old machiens and typesetting in general. Because of the onset of word-processing and computer-generated typsetting, the extra space is no longer needed and, in fact, somepublications that I've written for, require only one space after a period -- so I have to go in and take out all the extras. Colons are a similar issue. |
|
|
Now, this is interesting, Mary. I also was taught to use two spaces after a period. I have been telling my 10yo to do the same when she types on the computer. Do you think I should tell her to use only one space? Making the switch for me at this point would be very difficult, but I want to teach it correctly to the children. My dad suggested just this past week that I should pick up the Mavis Beacon cd rom for the girls. I guess if we go that route, the program will teach them one space only, right?
__________________
~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: March 12 2005 at 1:49pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mary, thanks for making me feel normal! I'm so relieved to know I wasn't doing it wrong all this time! I guess I just won't do any typing tests on MB for me, but I feel better continuing to let ds use it.
Karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Victoria in AZ
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 672
|
| Posted: March 13 2005 at 5:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'd like to put a vote in for the AVKO Keyboarding class. I heard about it from Elizabeth. We tried several "game" programs for learning to type and got nowhere. AVKO is a dyslexia research foundation and I already knew ds has dyslexia.
What I found interesting is that my instinct was to pull out my high school typing book and teach him the old-fashioned way (the way I learned to type). AVKO's course is very much like this.
One important reminder AVKO gave us is to type slowly to begin with. Speed will come with practice. Find them at www.avko.org.
__________________
Your sister in Christ,
Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: March 13 2005 at 5:33pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Karen T wrote:
Mary, thanks for making me feel normal! I'm so relieved to know I wasn't doing it wrong all this time! I guess I just won't do any typing tests on MB for me, but I feel better continuing to let ds use it.
Karen T |
|
|
Karen: Your welcome -- now could you reciprocate and help me feel "normal"
One thing I really like about Mavis is that her's has games, but she won't "let" you play until you've earned the playtime. And she keeps track, so Mom knows too -- kinda 1984-ish but very helpful if you've got older game-addicts 
I would teach the one space after periods -- I'd also teach the one space after colons -- we learned 2 when I was in school some 25 years ago!
Blessing, y'all
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: March 16 2005 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mary G. wrote:
[
One thing I really like about Mavis is that her's has games, but she won't "let" you play until you've earned the playtime. And she keeps track, so Mom knows too -- kinda 1984-ish but very helpful if you've got older game-addicts
I would teach the one space after periods -- I'd also teach the one space after colons -- we learned 2 when I was in school some 25 years ago!
Blessing, y'all
|
|
|
Yes, I'd forgotten about the colons as well; I do 2 spaces there also. I did find, though, that there is a place in Mavis Beacon the check whether you want 1 or 2 spaces after periods, so you can change it.
For some reason, though, our program has stopped saving any info other than ds's name. I can't bring up any history on his tests, and it won't let him print the certificate, either, showing he did it. I'm going to try re-installing it and if that doesn't work, I'll probably get a newer version. I think ours is 12?
Karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Typing/Keyboarding
