little hands in the computer lab

Little Hands in the Computer

LabIntroducing pre-touch-typing skills to kindergarten and first grade classes

(Photos deleted to protect student privacy. )

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

Color the left-hand letters red.

Color the right-hand letters blue.

Many curriculum choices for older

elementary students.

But few for kindergarten and first

grade.

Challenges faced by early

elementary students in the computer lab:

size

A kindergartne

r’s hands

Adult hands

Copy text from a book

Keyboard

Lack of experience.

Tools I use

Overhead Projector

Solo Mouse

Solo Keyboard

POSTURE

INPUT – You talk to the computer.

OUTPUT – The computer talks to you.

Develop our MOUSE SKILLS

Use the mouse to

point, and click

… drag …

and release.

Practice making circles and ovals. Get a feel for the

mouse.

This snowman was made using only the

oval/circle tool.

Introduce the Space Bar.

Attempting to use the thumbprint to hit the space bar results in an

awkward and time-consuming motion.

A dot on the thumb helps students find the correct hand position.

What does

QWERTYmean?

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

KATE

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

KATE

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

KATE

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

KATE

Name _______________________________

Color the letters in your name!

KATE

Why the emphasis on typing the student’s name?

•Recognizing one’s own name in print is an Indiana state standard for kindergarten.

•Cross curricular activities reinforce the skill.

•Students can type names and use that as on-screen text for other lessons without having to follow book text.

Backspaceand

Delete

Anchoring hands!

“Anchoring” the hands on “a” and “;”

Our goal is NOT to teach proper touching typing.

Our goal is to teach that the hands have a proper resting

place when they aren’t working.

The divided keyboard

Students still aren’t properly touching typing, but by the end of first grade, we have students

who can …

•Name the parts of the computer

•Tell what each part does

•Classify each as “the computer talking to you” or “you talking to the computer”

•Find the letters in their names on a QWERTY keyboard

•Use the backspace key

•Use the delete key

•Use the tab key

•Hold hands in proper position

•“Type” without hands that “fly away”

*Students who are not afraid to use a computer

*Students who are ready to begin touch-typing

Marti Kramer Suddarth

St. Joseph Catholic School

512 N. Mulberry Street

Corydon, IN 47112

mesuddarth@gmail.com