Keyboarding Is It a
Basic Skill for the 21st
Century???????????
Peggy Keohane
Thesis project
Overview
• Does acquiring keyboarding skills help
students of lower socio-economic level,
certain cultures, and students of blue
collar parents attain the power needed to
gain technology skills needed in the 21st
century? If so, how do we keep this
important basic skill as part of the
elementary school curriculum.
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Overview cont
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To understand this problem and help try to solve it we need to look
deeper into some facts. Most children of blue collar parents
acquire blue collar work themselves, will they need technology
skills for blue collar jobs in the future? Students of certain
cultures and socio-economic levels do not have computers at
home. Therefore, they are unable attain basic technology skills at
home, and many schools are not teaching these basic skills starting
with keyboarding. Many schools in lower socio-economic areas do
not have the equipment or the staff qualified to teach basic
technology skills in the elementary schools. Instead of teaching
basic technology skills to help increase students critical thinking
and knowledge building by using the technology available, an
emphasis has been on standardized testing.
Definitions
• Keyboarding
• Adequate Keyboarding skills
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Questions to be
Researched
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Is Keyboarding the necessary Basic skill for students to effectively use
technology to acquire 21st century skills?
Do Students need to be taught Keyboarding Skills to Have Successful
Technology Skills?
Is there a relationship between good keyboarding skills and increased test
scores in Reading/Language Arts due to ability to concentrate on the
process of writing instead of the skill of keyboarding?
In districts with increased reading/language arts test scores on MCAS is
there a keyboarding curriculum in place? Is it consistent over a few grade
levels?
In districts that have dropped their keyboarding curriculum or do consider
this skill a high priority have MCAS reading/language arts scores dropped?
MA Instructional Technology Standards now include grade level
competencies for keyboarding. How are we going to check to see if
students are completing the grade level competency?
Lit Review
1. Increased keyboarding skills leads to increased in writing skills, students
don’t worry about typing skills- are able to use higher order thinking in
writing process. Better finished product less spelling errors, better
sentence structure, stronger thoughts in writing. Also compared to writing
by hand = to many revisions students give up
2. good keyboarding skills =decreased computer anxiety
3. Grade 3-5 best grade to start instruction
1. Best way computer program with teacher guiding
2. Teacher directed - reinforcement, teaching of correct technique, personal
contact, encouragement, constant monitoring(no skipping of lessons)
4. needs to be reinforce every year
5. Hunt and Peck ok for short assignments catches up with longer
assignments- students frustrated, anxiety, hostility and resistance to use
of technology
Lit Review
1. keyboarding instruction should begin year before using
software applications that require keyboarding skill
2. Keyboarding instruction sporadic in US
1. 1996 4 states mandated keyboarding in curriculum
2. little evidence of systematic instruction
3. Keyboarding-skill need to practice= more you do it better
you become
4. Entry level jobs require keyboarding skills- 50% workforce
use computer in daily work
5. Study needs to be done of schools with keyboarding and
schools without keyboarding
6. Keyboarding too important to be left to chance
Lit Review
1. keyboarding basic skill for efficient
use of computers
2. Some believe students learn as they
type,
3. Gatekeeper skill
Lit Review
Factors with increased keyboarding skills
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1. Home computer = increased keyboarding skills
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White collar parent
Higher socio-economic area
cultural
Increased Age =increased skills until after grade 7 too
hard to change bad habits
Students committed
Use computer for HW incr skills
Fast handwriting= faster keyboarding (coordination)
More time on drill and practice incr skills
Tenative Schedule
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Tentative Schedule
May 2007 First Proposal
June 2007 Revised Proposal
July 2007- August complete readings literature review of
all readings
Obtain data needed
Sept 2007 interviews, obtain and organize data
October- Dec 2007 work on first draft organize and format
January, 2008 Present first draft
January – March, 2008 Revisions as necessary
April 1, 2008 Submit final thesis
Research Methods:
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A, Data from Typing program of students’ keyboarding level attained: Is
there a pattern within my school and the feeder elementary schools?
B. Data from interviews and students:
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1. Interview teachers at middle school, elementary school, high school, and
principal, mayor, superintendent some first year college students about the
importance of keyboarding skills as a stepping stone to attaining technology
skills.
2. Have my students interview these same people after obtaining the survey
about the importance of keyboarding and how it has helped them become
successful in their life. Students will write essay or will ask questions in a
discussion forum or blog.
3. Teachers will be re=interviewed about the importance of keyboarding after
students have completed their project.
C. Data from different school systems: that has keyboarding implemented
into the curriculum on success rate of student use of technology. Look at
students of different classes, socio-economic levels, see if there is a
pattern.
D. Interview schools with keyboarding curriculum In place
E. Data from MCAS Reading Language Arts Scores from schools with
keyboarding instruction in curriculum
Research Limitations:
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• Short amount of time
• Must keep population small
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Bibliography
• The following books to be reviewed:
• Way With Words: Language, Life and work in Communities
and Classrooms by Shirley Brice Heath
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• Other Peoples Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
by Lisa Delpit
• This deals with at-risk students, cultural differences of
students written by and African American female
educator. She stresses that teachers need to know their
students cultures to understand and help their students
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• Learning to Labor: How Working Class Kids Get Working
Class Jobs Paul Willis
Keyboarding Articles Reviewed:
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Rates of Development of Keyboarding Skillsin Elementary School Aged
Children With and Without Identified Learning Disabilites
Bart Pisha Doctoral dissertation
A Comparison of Effect of Teacher-Directed Instruction and Interactive
Touch-Keyboarding Skills in Two Sixth-Grade Classes
Master degree thesis by Irene Russin
Running Head: Preparing the Modern Workforce:Computer Competance
defined for 2000 and beyond
Daniel Norris and Roger Yin
Increasing Touch- Keyboarding Skills in the Middle School Student:
"Keywords" vs "Type to Learn," Hand covers vs. No Hand Covers
Reagan, Steven Dallas Masters Thesis
The Status of Elementary Keyboarding: A Longitudal Study
Harriet Rogers
Typewriting/Keyboarding Instruction in Elementary Schools
Lloyd W. Bartholme
Practical Considerations for the Implementation of Keyboarding
Allen Bullock
When and How Should Keyboarding Be Taught in Elementary School?
Shannon Fleming 2002
Bibliography
Keyboarding Articles to Be
Reviewed:
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Artwohl, Mary Jane 1989 “ What Research Says about Keyboarding Skills and Computer Anxiety
Balajthy,E. 1986, 1988 Microcomputers in reading and language arts and Keyboarding, language arts
and the elementary school child
Binderup, Denise 1988 Computer Keyboard Savvy
Condon, Gregg; Hoggatt, Jack; Weston, Anita 1989 Puablic school administrators; perceptions
concerning elementary school keyboarding
Daiute, C. 1985 Writing and computers
Erthal, Margaret 1985 The Status of Keyboarding
Fry, E. The value of keyboarding as “basic skill” is stressed
Fry, E. Computer keyboarding instruction for children
Hoot, J. L. 1986 Keyboarding instruction in early grades: Must or mistake?
Hoot, J.L. 1988 Keyboarding in the writing process: Concerns and issues
Jackson, T.H. & Berg, D. 1986 Elementary keyboarding- is it important?
Khan, J. & Freyd, P. 1990 Touch typing for young children: help or hindrance.
Kissner, E. 1984 Keyboarding A must in tomorrow’s world
Keyboarding articles to
be reviewed
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Lalor, E.T., Algozzine, J., & Daggert, W. R. 1986 Developing keyboarding skills to support elementary
language arts program
McEntee, Arthur 1994 Expanding horizons in business Education
Meyer, A. & Pisha, B. 1987 The keyboard-communication link or communication barrier?
Meyer, A. & Rose, D 1987 The word processor: A tool for life
New York State Education Dept. Albany Burearu of Curriculum Development 1986 Developing
keyboarding skills to support the elementary language arts program
Olinzock, Anthony 1998 A Computer Skill building The Answer to Keyboarding Instruction?
Owston, R. D. Murphey, S. & Wideman, H. H. 1992 On and of computer writing of eighth grade
students experienced in word processing
Prigge, Lila and Braathen, Sandy 1993 Working with Elementary students in keyboarding
Sormunen, Carolee 1993 Learning Style: an analysis of factors affecting keybaording achievement of
elementary school students
Sormunen, Carolee; Adams, Mary Ellen; berg, Diane; and Prigge, Lila 1990 Teaching keyboarding:
instructional practices of elementary school teachers
Wetzel, K. 1985 Keyboarding skills: Elementary, my dear teacher?
Wetzel, K. 1987 A survey of elementary students’ attitudes toward wordprocessing
Wronkovich, H. H. 1988 The relationship of early keyboard instruction to computer proficiency
Bibliography
• Articles from class