This page is now an EAC mini-class, and has been made into an Open Office presentation.

It can be found in the Instructors Documents repository. Ask Nate, Anne, or Doug for more information.

The following information is “old”. Please send an email to info@bworks.org to request the Open Office presentation.

You will get more work done and have more fun working on the computer if you use “Touch Typing” rather than “Hunt and Peck”. When you train your fingers to type without looking at the keyboard, you can concentrate on what you're typing, rather than how to type it.

• Touch-typing is a method of typing where your fingers are always placed in the same position, and the same finger is used to press the same key.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_typing
  • This document will help you to use Touch Typing.
• Hunt and Peck is used by people who aren't familiar with touch-typing, and they usually have to look at the keyboard to find the key they want to press.
  • Very slow
  • Attention is divided between the screen and the keyboard. If you're looking at the keyboard, you will miss typos on the screen, and have to backtrack to fix your mistakes. With Touch-Typing, you're focused on the screen, and can immediately see errors.

Keyboards are one of the few components of a computer system that haven't changed much since they were invented. Many newer ways of entering data have been invented, such as speech-to-text, and touch-screens, but the computer keyboard has remained relatively unchanged in over 40 years of usage.

Most keyboards have the QWERTY layout.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY

Images courtesy of

• http://www.danbury.org/moderndeafcommunication/teaching_touch_typing.htm

Fingers should be placed on the keyboard in the position shown below.

• Most keyboards have niches (little bumps) on the F and J keys, so you know where to put your index fingers.

Each finger has its own territory, and should only press keys in its territory.

Pictures were copied from excellent tutorial found here:

http://www.ckls.org/~crippel/computerlab/tutorials/keyboard/page1.html

• Function Keys (F1, F2, F3, etc) - Most programs use the function keys as shortcuts. For example, F1 usually shows the Help screen.

• Backspace - Moves the cursor to the left, deleting characters along the way.
• Special characters (!@#$%^&*()) - Hold down the SHIFT key while pressing a number to insert the !@#$%^&*( above each number.

• Tab Key - Moves the cursor to the right several spaces.

• Caps Lock - Tells computer to type in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
• Enter - Enters a blank line, or tells the computer to Do Something!

• Shift - Hold SHIFT key down, and type a letter. Letter will be UPPER CASE. Release shift key to type in lower case.

• Control (Ctrl) Key - Often used with keyboard shortcuts. For example, most programs use Ctrl-P to print.
• Space Bar - Inserts a space at the cursor
• Windows Key - Windows computers have a key with the Windows logo on it. This key is also used for shortcuts.
• Alt Key - Another shortcut key.

• Home - Moves cursor to the beginning of the line.
• End - Moves the cursor to the end of the line.
• Delete (Del) - Removes character to the right of the cursor.
• Arrow keys - Moves cursor without deleting data.
• Page Up/ Page Down - Moves cursor up/down many lines, instead of one line at a time.

The number keypad can be used to type numbers OR navigate.

• To type numbers, make sure the NUM LOCK light is on (See below).
  • Press the NUM LOCK key at the top left corner to enable/disable num lock.
• CAPS LOCK light will be on if CAPS LOCK is ON. Press CAPS LOCK key (See above) to turn CAPS LOCK on/off.

It's important to know where the computer will put what you type. Computers use a cursor to tell you where it will put the keys that you type. The cursor is usually a blinking vertical line or box on the screen. Anything you type will appear where the cursor is located.

Example 1: Cursor is at the start of the sentence in the example below.

Example 2: Cursor is at the end of the sentence in the example below.

• Excellent Tutorial at: http://www.ckls.org/~crippel/computerlab/tutorials/keyboard/page1.html
• Typing Game (Note: Slow Download): http://www.smallcampus.net/building-study/it/typing/TypingTut.html
• Tux Type Game (http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/)
• In Edubuntu, Go to Applications→Games→Tux Typing

• Learn where each key is.
• Use the same finger to type the same key. For example, always use the left index finger to type the T character.
• Look at the screen when you type. This helps you concentrate on what you're trying to type, rather than how to type it. It's o.k. to cheat once in awhile.

Perhaps Notepad or some other basic editor should be used instead of Word.