In our digital world, keyboarding is an essential 21st century skill for students. Proper typing technique allows kids to get thoughts onto the screen efficiently. Not only that, but strong keyboarding abilities will set them up for success throughout their academic and professional careers. That's why it's so important to make keyboarding practice engaging and fun! This week, we discuss ratatype.com, typingclub.com, and typinggames.zone!
And so we thought this week we'd do a quick episode of just some fun, practical typing activities. So this is for all of those awesome computers teachers, all of those like probably sixth grade and under, but you know what, some of these middle schoolers, they use them all, you know, they all can text real fast, but when it comes to actually typing on a keyboard, they're not so fast with it.
Um,
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So we're talking about three different sites today. One of them is a little more straightforward. One of them is more video based. The last one, well, there's games involved. So here we go. The first site is called Rat type rat type.com. So it's R-A-T-A-T-Y-P e.com. Rat type type faster. Learn to type faster with ratta type typing tutor.
Take your typing lessons for free. Okay? 'cause we love free, there's several different things you can start with. So at the top you've got your typing tutor. So start typing type B to find out how many words per minute you can type. What are you at?
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They have a little typing certification test, so you can go through and follow all of that and they can go through. So it's a lot of just fun, little practice things. You can get little certificates that say how many words you can do, and you can earn different levels if you choose to. So you can take the real typing test, and then it'll check your speed and accuracy like any typing activity would.
It's fun. The typing test itself is like two or three minutes and then the kids can practice from there. So really, retotype is just a great way to kind of introduce kids to typing. It doesn't have a lot of extras in it, but it's, it's engaging and it'll teach them the skills that you want them to know.
It even has like the little. Invisible hands on the keyboard, and that type of thing. So, ratotype goes through all the basics.
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And, uh, what the teachers build into the curriculum. So it really is on a, like, district by district basis. So for a while there, typing was taught in third grade, sometimes taught in second grade. Um, actual typing skills, which actually here at Ratatype has it too, where you have like sitting posture, home row position.
For our kids, that's reviewed again in sixth grade. For like a couple weeks though, it's not spent. Like regularly, but they used to have like those little like layover things, like those orange, I don't think anybody uses those really anymore. So it really depends on the district as to what their expectation is for typing and for computer skills.
So a lot of kids are based now it's digital literacy, which is the big push. So making sure that they are aware of their surroundings, what emails they're sending. What they're posting online. And there's all kinds of cool activities based around that. Like Google has Interland and there's all kinds of stuff.
So that is started at a young age. So kindergarten, first grade, they have like little red, green, yellow lights. What's safe, what's not to put online. And then that's where they start younger kids and then social media, stuff like that. That's a big push for sure. Okay. All grade levels. And then the keyboard thing is based on.
They're hoping by third grade they have some keyboarding skills, especially in Wisconsin, because our forward exam is based around, like, third graders have to type their responses. So hopefully they have some keyboarding skills by third grade, but even then, like the accuracy and stuff that takes time.
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So by third grade is where we're hoping that they have some skills.
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Thank you.
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All right. So Ratatype is our first one. Try it out. There's a quick little typing tutor. There's a test. And then it also, like I said, goes through some of those basic skills. So sitting up, posture, keys. So we all don't get carpal tunnel, those types of things.
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Is called typing club. Typing club.com. So it's T-Y-P-I-N-G-C-L-U b.com. And what's interesting about this one is, so this is gonna be more of a video based lesson. So like home row, you click and you wa like, each video is about a minute or so. And it shows you like, it shows the kids how their hands should be moving and how they should be typing and what that should look like.
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Or if you have a small group and the kids, like, you can say, all right, they're going to watch the video and they're going to practice. Or you can do as a whole class is like a typing lesson. It's going to walk them through the step by step process, which is what you want your kids to learn. So it kind of does your basic computer keyboarding lessons that you would like for it to do.
Um, and you don't have to plan it all because it's done. for you. So typing club. com goes through, has a whole little video set and explains all the different things. And that goes into the top row and bottom row. And Basics. And I mean, there is over 200 plus videos that walk you through the whole process.
So I liked that one because I thought that was kind of cool. Quick one minute lessons. And the kids can actually, like parents, if you want to do it through the summertime, you can teach them some little typing skills. Um, and they can practice that way.
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Like you can watch the video and make sure that your fingers are in the right spots. And the bumps, close your eyes and feel the bumps. There you go. Ta da! Okay. And our last one, cause you know, I had to talk about three, so, you know, it's been a while.
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I think you're buying Legos
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I was doing good. I was in first place, but.
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This is kind of a simpler version of that. They also have, um, I just went into a castle hunt one. Oh, yeah, okay. It's called Night Fight? Nope, Space Type. Space Type, eliminate the invading troops from each planet and go to the next mission. So you look like you're in a castle and then you're going to go hunt through some Different space things.
And that gives you like your keys to use and all of those different things. So I mean, there are so many typing games. If your kids are like, Hey, I have nothing to do. You're like pick 139 games to go practice your typing. And they're different levels and they're different. Interests. This is called cow cannon.
There's a cow, there's a cow launcher. And so it tells you, um, like you're focusing on J keys, F and J to aim, and you have to hit your space bar. So F J and shoot. So really like we're gaming for sure, but also my goodness, I don't know if anyone's prepared for this this week, by the way, the typing games, there's a lot of extra sounds going on.
And so. You can fire off a cow. And that's, I keep dropping the cow on the ground, but anyway, so there's all different types of typing games that are going to practice different things. Um, and they also have tips for teachers. So what helps kids focus for, oh my God, typing training begins. In elementary schools, it talks about how to engage students in their learning of how to type.
It goes through like which letters on the keyboard. So as a teacher, it actually has supports if you scroll down past all the games. of how to teach typing to kids effectively. So I think that that's kind of cool. Across the top, they also have, a typing test, like an official one with skills, if you want to take it.
They have extra typing practice, again, and these are more formalized. They're not just the games that you can play. So besides typing games, the zone, you also have options for actual Straightforward typing in the keyboard and lessons and things like that. So there you go.
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I figured out, you know how I figured it out? By reading the rules.
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I'm sure middle school would be highly entertained by these, and high school and adults, and that's fine too. So if you're sitting at your desk and you're like, Hey, Hey, I'm going to try out some of these typing games for my students. You might be, you know, hauled in and engaged yourself, and you might then compete with your students in some of these typing activities.
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If you ever have any questions, you can find the app formerly known as Twitter. Spartan.
At SpartanWI. com or on threads. And if you want to get more information on the links to the technology discussed in this episode.
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com and click on that cute little purple coffee cup. Your donations help get the show going. If there is a show next week.
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This podcast offers no guarantee that these tools will work for you as described, but we sure hope they do. And we don't condone the launching of cows, even for type A. And we'll talk to you next time, right here on the Tech Tools for Teachers podcast.
