Way back when, before I had kids, back before the onset of computers in every household or the internet at our fingertips, I was part of the cutting edge word processing movement back in the mid 1980s and could type 120+ wpm with accuracy, but my children have learned to use computer keyboards through more of a hunt and peck method, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review The Typing Coach Online Typing Course from The Typing Coach.
What is The Typing Coach?
The Typing Coach teaches typing through a series of online lessons that include 7 lessons along with an introduction, practice and testing center, and conclusion info. It also requires a small amount of printing of the pdfs provided. The course is set up for students to take it at a pace of one lesson per week over the span of 10 weeks to provide lots of practice at a slow and steady rate for accuracy and success. The lessons include audio dictation, videos, online testing, and pdfs for printing as well as links to open documents for additional information:
- Introduction
- Practice and Testing Center
- Before and After Snapshot
- Having Good Posture
- Home Row
- Top Row
- Bottom Row
- Shift Keys
- Typing Practices
- Number Row
- Final Practice
- Conclusion
It is important to complete each lesson in order, as the lessons build on each other. It teaches proper hand and sitting positions and stresses accuracy while gaining speed with audio instructions and printed materials.
I received a one-year subscription to this online course to use with one or more of my children. I chose to start with my youngest, age 10.
I received a one-year subscription to this online course to use with one or more of my children. I chose to start with my youngest, age 10.
How Did We Use It?
I first explained to my 10-year-old that I had received this course for review and that I thought she would benefit from it. I sat her down at my computer laptop. I was honestly surprised that she not only seemed to be somewhat interested in the typing instruction but she actually got quite excited about learning that there are guide bumps on the letters F and J so you know where to properly position your fingers. She has been using keyboards since she was quite small but somehow never knew what those nubs were for.
What Did We Think?
I will start by explaining that typing is something I absolutely love and am quite adept at doing, but my children have taught themselves through more of a hunt and peck method. I often feel my typing teacher cringing as I watch, but they seem to have a handle on maneuvering their fingers quite quickly across the keyboard.
FIRST, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY BACKGROUND:
I am going to admit this at the risk of sounding ancient, but when I was in high school, I actually learned on a manual typewriter. I remember using an electric typewriter for the first time after learning proper hand positioning and doing speed typing tests on a manual. It was a bit of a transition to then also get used to using a word processing keyboard which was what my very first job out of college entailed. I was a word processing operator, operating a Wang standalone computer. This was before the days of the internet. I even remember when the law firm I worked for was beginning to integrate personal computers into the offices of each individual attorney which our department would oversee.
WHICH BRINGS US TO WHAT WE THOUGHT OF THE TYPING COACH
I have to first say that out of all of my high school teachers, my typing teacher is one whom I remember even today. She taught us the method and proper sitting and procedures of typing, and to this day I am grateful. I mention this because as I was going through the Typing Coach instructions, I often felt as if I was back in my typing teacher's classroom.
I love the instructor's approach teaching proper style with interjections of humor. There is a method and an art to typing, and it often seems to me to be one that is overlooked in today's rapid world of thmb texting and mobile devices. But, typing is definitely still a much-needed skill, and I'm very pleased with the way this course goes about the teaching using audio, visual, and printed materials.
FIRST, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY BACKGROUND:
I am going to admit this at the risk of sounding ancient, but when I was in high school, I actually learned on a manual typewriter. I remember using an electric typewriter for the first time after learning proper hand positioning and doing speed typing tests on a manual. It was a bit of a transition to then also get used to using a word processing keyboard which was what my very first job out of college entailed. I was a word processing operator, operating a Wang standalone computer. This was before the days of the internet. I even remember when the law firm I worked for was beginning to integrate personal computers into the offices of each individual attorney which our department would oversee.
WHICH BRINGS US TO WHAT WE THOUGHT OF THE TYPING COACH
I have to first say that out of all of my high school teachers, my typing teacher is one whom I remember even today. She taught us the method and proper sitting and procedures of typing, and to this day I am grateful. I mention this because as I was going through the Typing Coach instructions, I often felt as if I was back in my typing teacher's classroom.
I love the instructor's approach teaching proper style with interjections of humor. There is a method and an art to typing, and it often seems to me to be one that is overlooked in today's rapid world of thmb texting and mobile devices. But, typing is definitely still a much-needed skill, and I'm very pleased with the way this course goes about the teaching using audio, visual, and printed materials.
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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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