Does anyone know of any FREE typing sites out in cyberland?

I am so tired of seeing my ELLs slowly peck away at the keyboard one or two keys at a time. They have no funds to buy typing software (or a computer for that matter). Due to the dismal state of the economy, there is no money to buy such software. I have to believe that there is some free material out there. Can anyone help me here?

Thanks.

Denise

www.ellteacherpros.com
www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com

Tags: ELD, ELLs, ESL, Wordprocessing

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Permalink Reply by Georgina Farmer on February 28, 2010 at 5:50pm

Hi Denise,

BBC Dance Mat is probably the most fun of the suggested software programs. I trialed it along with 8 other programs last year (my trial results are at www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutor/preview/keyboarding.html)

Fun is good, but it still takes 12 lessons to learn the letters on the keyboard and correct finger use. The problem with this is that, between lessons, students have to revert back to hunting and pecking and are highly likely to forget everything they have learned

I hope I am not being pushy when I say please also trial the free LEFT side Nail It Now PowerPoint slide presentation classroom version (www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutorlicence/everyone/how.html). What have you got to lose? Just 35 minutes of your and your students’ time. That’s how long it would take. It’s fun and fast. The other benefit to your situation would be that your students don't need a computer at home to revise the method. Two “key” pages - each containing 15 mnemonic association words - are all that’s needed to revise the method in class or at home. Paper keyboards can also be used

I know the Nail It Now method is not free (it would cost around US$188 with 50% discount for feedback), but time is money and to have your students learn the mechanics fast and, then, immediately and continually practice using their daily computer work until they become proficient would be fantastic

Cheers,
Georgina Farmer
Director
Nail It Now
http://www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutorlicence/index.html

PS I strongly recommend you cover your students' computer keys (I like glue dots) when you are trialing the suggested software programs. I discovered that most of them only recognize when the correct key is hit, not what finger is used. This could lead to students, used to two-finger typing, reverting to their familiar old habits

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Permalink Reply by Denise Stewart on March 1, 2010 at 3:06pm

I want to thank all of you for your quick responses. I have shared the information with administrators at my site and we are going to pass it on to other teachers with the same concerns I have about the need to teach ELLs to type:)

Denise

www.ellteacherpros.com
www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com

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Permalink Reply by Kylie Kay Nelson on March 2, 2010 at 8:33am

If you have secondary students, freetypinggame.net is one our school uses.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Stewart on March 2, 2010 at 8:56am

Yes, I am a high school teacher and intend to try this one in lab today:)

Thanks:)

Denise

www.ellteacherpros.com

www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Pearson on March 2, 2010 at 8:55am

one site I have used in the past is http://www.learn2type.com/
It is free. THey aven sent me posters displaying color-coded finger placement. I could monitor student progress and students could work on it anytime they had Internet access.
I found another one, but I have not had a chance to go through it yet. It is: http://www.goodtyping.com/

Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Lynne Bailey on March 4, 2010 at 2:44pm

DanceMat Typing is a fun site ... I introduced keyboarding to my 10th graders with that site, but went on to actually use another site. I highly recommend the free site, www.goodtyping.com. Once you register it keeps track of your progress. Students can take a typing test, go at their own pace, and teachers can easily supervise their progress and coach them. Sometimes I would also play music while the students were practicing which was very popular.

Goodtyping.com is all online (no downloads), comes in 6 languages (and 20 different keyboard layouts). There are 27 different lessons that gradually go through the keyboard and require 97% accuracy before allowing students to go to the next level. If student skip ahead, they will be put back at the last lesson they completed accurately the next time they log in. If students are already typing at 30+WPM, then you might try giving them other projects to work on, or use a different site that gives them unique paragraphs, such as learn2type.com that Matthew mentioned.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Stewart on March 4, 2010 at 2:52pm

Playing music while they type is something that mine would love. I will send these two websites to them via their new emails. Their parents have been impressed with the sites I have sent home via email to date:)

Thank you very much.

Denise

www.ellteacherpros.com

www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com

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Permalink Reply by Georgina Farmer on March 4, 2010 at 5:37pm

Hi Denise,

If the creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he surely meant us to stick it out . . . so here goes. Not one person has commented on my two posts about the Nail It Now keyboarding method. I know it's totally different to traditional typing software and it is not free (I know you wanted free), but I would have really valued any comments anyone made (even constructive adverse comments). I am Australian and we are inclined to say it how it is, forgive me if I have offended

Cheers,
Georgina Farmer
Director
Nail It Now
http://www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutorlicence/index.html

"If we never try new things, we'll never find new things that work"—Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education

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Permalink Reply by Denise Stewart on March 4, 2010 at 5:56pm

Hi Georgina,

Give me a sample view of it. My district has no money (California is almost bankrupt and we missed out on qualifying for President Obama's Race To The Top education grants). However, if it is as good as you say and I can have more information on it, I can share it with others. We might be able to put your program on our website if you put ours on yours. Just a thought. Over 3,000 people from 30 countries have visited our site from its start 13 months ago.

Denise

www.ellteacherpros.com
www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com

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Permalink Reply by Georgina Farmer on March 4, 2010 at 7:16pm

Thank you, Denise, I like your style (and appreciate the way you responsed),

I don't have your email. If you send me an email to georgie@nailitnow.com.au, I will send you the LEFT side of the keyboard and Exercises PowerPoint slide presentation. Then, all you do is project each slide (View/Slide Show), in turn, onto a wall and all the students have to do is open Microsoft Word, change the font size to 20 (more exciting to see the words they type in large font) and start typing. By the way, they type words, not random letters, within 5 minutes of starting

Alternatively, you can access the above PowerPoint slide presentation at www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutorlicence/everyone/how.html (you will probably need to save it to your computer as some browsers won't let you open it)

I know the abovementioned typing software programs are free, but what about the time it takes to learn . . . and how can students remember anything if they have to revert to their old two-finger typing between lessons?. You may disagree, but I believe the best way to go is to teach the students the letters on the keyboard and correct finger use FAST and, then, use a vast resource at your fingertips, and it's free, for them to practice and build up speed until typing without looking at the keys becomes automatic . . . and that vast resource is their daily computer work in class and at home (instant messaging and blogging make for great practice)

For this to work, ie for students to become proficient at typing without looking at the keys in the fastest time possible, you need to ensure students never look at the keys again (after typing with two fingers for many years, the temptation will be there at first), so . . . we strongly suggest the use of removable, adhesive dots to cover the keyboards in class and at home!!!

I very much would like teachera to try the Nail It Now keyboarding method (that's all I am asking for) and would really appreciate your suggested ideas and would definitely put a link to your site on the Nail It Now site (the Single-User Licence home page has had 817,436 hits as of today).

Thanks again, Denise, have fun with Nail It Now and I look forward to hearing from you "down the track"

Cheers,
Georgina Farmer
Director
Nail It Now
http://www.nailitnow.com.au/typingtutorlicence/index.html

PS Oh, by the way, the Multi-User Licence also includes classroom teaching versions for both elementary school students (a fun game on a body-sized keyboard) and higher-grade elementary school students.(another PowerPoint slide presentation)

PSS Feel free to check out a free Microsoft Word tutorial, Getting Started (CONFIDENCE Builder) at www.nailitnow.com.au/word/free2002/tocheadings.html that many educational sites link to.