One of the reasons I began taking classes at Full Sail University (FSO) was to learn how to make my Computer Basics class an online class. One of the areas I was ‘wrestling with’ was the ‘typing’ section of my class. It is a vital part of the students learning and understanding to pass the class. Well, this week I was required to explore Web 2.0 applications to use in my classroom. The one that I found that excites me the most is Typing Web ( http://www.typingweb.com/ ). It will allow for the typing component to be a part of the online Computer Basics class!
Currently, typing comprises 25% of a student’s grade. I feel it is necessary for the student to meet the states minimum standard of 45 average words per minute (AWPM) to pass the class. Typing at 45 AWPM provides student the ability to pass a typing test for an entry-level job within the state. I have also found that the typing is critical for the students to be successful at our school. We are a college prep high school and our teachers have the students writing a lot, so for them to be able to get this done quickly and efficiently they need to learn to type. It is the one thing that they ‘hate’ to learn, but the upper classmen come back and ‘thank’ me for teaching them to type.
My class is currently a one-semester class and is required by the state as a part of the core 40, but, at our school, it is ‘viewed’ as inconvenient to ‘lose’ a whole semester when they could be work on another ‘core’ class. Essentially time is money to many parents. This is how the discussion of my class being made in to an online class began. Students could take my class online during the summer before they start school for a fee. This would allow it to be replaced during the school year with another ‘core’ class.
Typing Web, a screen shot pictured above, will allow the typing section to be an important part of that class still. It will allow the students to have an official certificate to show when applying for jobs and it allows for a certificate in 10 also. However, it has left me with a few questions: How will I know that the students are typing for themselves and not having someone else do it for them? Should we make Typing Web a part of ‘our’ network or leave it as an online module? Do we have the students come to the school to complete the online class, so that their typing can be monitored? These are all logistical questions, yet this application has answered the biggest original question: How are we going to teaching students typing through an online class?
Reference:
FTW Innovations. (2009, October 11). Typing Web: Free online typing tutor. Retrieved from http://www.typingweb.com/
Although this isn't a necessary part of my math curriculum, I think it deserves recognition as a useful tool for anyone (like me) who never actually learned to type. I've toyed around with different software a number of times, but never followed through to actually achieve a decent level of proficiency. A web-based platform would give students the ability to hone skills away from school, assuming they use a standard program while in class. This would be available whether they are actually enrolled in a typing course or not. As you eluded to, there is also the possiblity of an "independent study" approach that will not consume classroom time.
ReplyDeleteI think that typing is a skill that students need to learn and master. I think it is a skill that should be easy for students with the amount of time they spend on the computer but many of my students do not have that skill. Some of my students can text faster than they can type. I think you bring up some great questions about how are you going to know if it is that student typing or not. I think with an online class it is hard to know that any of the work that is completed is a product from that student. There is a trust factor involved with an online class and if the student does not actually do the typing part of the class then the rest of the class is going to be difficult for them and take more time than it should. That is why you are teaching that part of the class. It is not a bad idea that all online classes do a typing session. Those students who can already type would fly through the assignment and those students who are not great at typing would greatly benefit with some practice before the class actually begins.
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