Touch typing

[kid]

Has anyone successfully taught themselves to touch type? I am using a free online programme to try and learn but at the moment, its making me type even slower.
I can usuallly type quite fast, as long as I look at the keys! But as I am trying to use all of my fingers while looking at the screen, its not as easy as I thought it would be!

Yes, I have. Persevere - you have to unlearn all the old habits of one finger typing - once you get to grips with the fingering, you'll be much faster. The Mavis Beacon software is pretty good for teaching yourself to type.

I seem to lose the same letters all the time! Also, how am I meant to reach the numbers and the shift key? My fingers can cope with the three rows of letters (just!) but I can't work out the rest!

it IS painfully slow to start with but it's been one of the best things that i've learnt. I was taught with no letters on the keys of our electric typewriters at school and we had an enlarged poster infront of us with the letters on, so we learnt to look straight ahead whilst typing. Try to use the shift key on the left when you have a capital with the right hand, and the left shift key when you have a capital on the left hand if that makes sense@! TBH, i'm always a bit slower with the capitals bit but then speed up mid sentence. Good luck

I agree, it's really slow to start with - and it does actually hurt your fingers! But it does get easier with lots of practice.

I did a brief course a few years ago which I hated to start with but now am really glad I did it. One thing is to remember your positioning - it's very important.

good luck!

I forced myself to type properly after giving myself backache typing the first chapter of my Ph.D thesis. I'd tried various books to learn before then, but only forcing myself not to look down actually worked for me. kid, you will spend a few days working slowly and making mistakes, but then you will be able to do it. As ItalianJob says, persevere! It'll be worth it.

What's the site. DP wants to learn.

I don't know which one kid is using, but \link{http://www.senselang.com/\here} is one DS1 and DS2 have tried out. (I think they'll have to force themselves not to look down when using Runescape before they'll get the hang of it properly though!)

Learning to type was one of the best things I ever did! (well most useful anyway). If you have the keyboard to yourself, then do what I did and stick little labels over the keys so you can't "cheat" and look down to check! Frustratingly slow at first, but now I can type as fast as I can speak and don't end up sticking caps lock on by misTAKE HALFWAY THROUGH A SENTENCE

I taught myself from a 1960's text book my Mum had when she was at school. It is slow to start with but you get better.

I was taught at School and it is a very useful skill. If you are tempted to look at the keys whilst typing sellotape a piece of paper to the keyboard so that it covers your hands.

sounds like I just have to keep practising then, I'm typing this without looking (sort of!)

I have looked at a couple of sites, the one Hallgerda linked to is one I have looked at but another site I found today is \link{http://www.typeonline.co.uk/index.html\here}

If you go to popcap.com, there should be a link on the main page to a free little game called Typer Shark. Playing this has really improved my touch typing. You are a little diver and have to electrocute the sharks with words on by typing the letters. It starts off gentle and then you end up typing manically. Good for kids too I would imagine.

I just tryed that game you suggested MummyinCH, it sure speeds up my typing!!!

when I was at secretarial college sometime before the war, we practised The Quick Brown Fox Jumped Over The Lazy Dog as it gets all the letters in.

I remember typing something about a fox years ago, but couldn't remember exactly how it went! Thanks for that

If you want to teach the kids to touch type(or you want a distraction) try bbc.co.uk dance mat touch typing. Sorry cant do links.

It IS slow to start at first but in the long run its well worth it.

I was taught at school so a little different. But on a good day i can type up to 85 wpm which is pretty good going (might explain my prolific posting on here sometimes too )

Definitely worth it. I learnt with Sight and Sound years ago. Blank keys, voice in earphones, qwerty board on screen ahead.

Gosh.. this is bringing back memories....

A A A A

QAZ QAZ QAZ

lol!

Yes, keep going. It is completely worth it. I found it very useful when temping in the East European department of a credit card company in London and so having a keyboard with Russian letters on. Hey presto, change the keyboard map on the computer (so pressing what would be our 'a' key resulted in an 'a') and I was away. If I was dependent on looking at the keys I would have been done for.

It is slow going at first but you soon speed up. I forced myself to do it when I was leaving a job so had six weeks' notice and didn't care any more how long it took to type anything :)

I used Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, a very old version thereof, you had to race cars by typing the words that appeared at the top of the windscreen. If you typed faster than expected, your car would overtake the others and you'd win the race. Too slow and you would see the other cars speed away from you. Classic!

You could buy a keyboard called "Das Keyboard", it doesn't have any letters/numbers/characters on at all! I was tempted to buy it so I'd stop people using my PC at work!

www.daskeyboard.com/

I learned to type at school, but Mavis Beacon is supposed to be good, if slightly irritating!