Why You Should Learn to Type

1. Why You Should Learn to Type Typing is a skill you need in school, at home, and eventually when you get a job. Learning to type properly will help you get your work done faster. Below are the top 10 reasons why learning to type properly will help you now and in the future. Your typing speed will get faster. You will make less errors when typing. You will type essays and reports faster. Your work will always look neat. You will be better at using other software, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and PowerPoint. Employers will want to hire you. You will be able to focus on writing rather than typing. You will save time doing your homework. Your reading, spelling, punctuation, and proofreading skills will get better. You will be able to concentrate better.

2. Keep Your Fingers on the Home Row Having your fingers correctly placed on the home row of the keyboard is a big part of typing because it helps you type faster. Proper finger placement lets your fingers easily reach to the other keys on the keyboard. In this lesson, you will learn where to place your fingers when you type. The Home Row Keys When you type, you should always keep your fingers positioned on the home row keys. The home row keys are A, S, D, F, J, K, L, and ; Your LEFT HAND should look like this. A, S, D, F Your RIGHT HAND should look like this. J, K, L, ; Placing your fingers on the home row lets you easily reach the other keys on the keyboard. As shown in the picture above, curve each finger a little so that your thumbs gently rest on the space bar.

3. Use Proper Posture To type properly, you need to sit in a certain way. If you sit correctly, you will breathe more easily and type more quickly. Not sitting the right way can cause you to tire easily! See the picture below to make sure you are sitting properly as you type. Does the way you sit at your computer match the picture? Great! You’re well on your way to becoming an expert at keyboarding.

4. Keep Your Eyes on the Copy When you’re first learning how to type, you might have to look at your keyboard now and then. But don’t make looking at your keyboard a habit. Looking down at your keys while you type will slow you down and cause you to make typos! Always use your keyboard cover. You will type much faster and more accurately if you look at what you are typing from instead. You might be typing from your computer screen, a book, or a piece of paper. As you learn, you might still have to sneak a look at the keyboard sometimes, but that’s okay. Keep practicing, and before you know it you will be able to type without even looking at the keyboard!

5. To do your best on timed writing tests, follow the tips below. • Flex Your Hands • Before you begin, flex and move your hands and fingers to warm them up. • Warm Up • Before you start, warm up your fingers by keying a few practice sentences. • Take a Few Deep Breaths • Just before the timed test begins, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The extra air in your lungs will help calm your nerves. • Keep Your Eyes Focused • During the timed test, keep your eyes on what you are typing. This will help you keep a steady pace and increase speed and accuracy. • Relax, Mistakes Are Okay • If you make a mistake, don’t worry. Mistakes are part of learning how to type. Just move on so you can keep a steady typing pace until the timed test is over.

6. Follow the tips below. Which ones do you already do? Which ones do you need to work on? • Practice, Practice, Practice • To get better at something, you have to practice. The more you type, the better at it you will be! • Sit Up Straight • Sitting properly will help you type faster and keep you from getting tired easily. • Keep Your Wrists Straight • Try to keep your wrists up off the desk and as straight as possible. This will help keep your wrists from hurting. • Fingers on the Home Row • By keeping your fingers on the home row, you will learn where the different keys are more quickly. • Don’t Worry About Mistakes • When you are learning to type, it’s okay to make mistakes. That’s how you learn! The more you type, the fewer mistakes you will make. • Keep a Steady Pace • By typing too fast, you might make too many errors. Type at a speed that is comfortable for you. Your goal is to not have any errors.