Keyboarding – Dance Mat Typing
Here’s another link from Kevin Jarrett. Actually if you’re on the look out for new tools to use, check out Kevin’s blog, Welcome to NCS-Tech!, as it is a good source of edtech resources.
If your keyboarding skills are not quite up to scratch, this could be a good way for you to spend the next couple of ‘tropical, wet and windy’ days!
The internet is full of fun (and free) programs that can help students build keyboarding skills. Dance Mat Typing is one of the best:
While the pronunciations and spelling are distinctly British, the gameplay is universal, and this is one of the better programs out there because it actually provides instruction. Definitely let your kids know up front to expect some unusual accents and words but trust me, they’ll adapt pretty quickly. What’s more, they’ll have fun and actually be strengthening critical skills at home, not during valuable class time.
You can find more great sites like Dance Mat Typing here on this page maintained by Mrs. Olson, a first-year teacher at Longfellow Middle School. Some of the sites are pure games, some actually provide lessons, but all are worth checking out, because student tastes and abilities vary. Give ‘em choices and then get out of the way…
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