The ability to type well can be considered essential to the modern student, cutting time in writing essays and reports.

However, some students who arrive in junior high or high school have not completed any typing classes. In an effort to help these individuals, librarian Lin Brown decided last year to offer an independent typing class as an elective.

The goal of the program, which uses the Master Key software, is to teach students to use a keyboard and enable them to type up assignments at a quicker pace, Brown said.

“The program is pretty basic, and it’s what the elementary [school] uses to provide a good foundation,” Brown said. “You are self-taught. It keeps you accountable while also allowing you to see your progress.”

Last year, Kory Thompson, ’11, took the class to avoid study hall and to receive class credit.

“I wanted to become faster at it [typing] because I was so slow and I didn’t know where any keys were,” Thompson said. “It worked. I noticed that I’m much faster now.”

Because he considers typing skills a necessity in today’s workforce, Principal Todd Bennett recommends that students learn keyboarding now.

“Keyboarding has become a life skill,” Bennett said. “When you get into almost any work environment, you are going to have to know how to use a computer and keyboard properly. It’s much easier if you learn basic typing skills now so you can be a lot faster.”

The system keeps a record of all the previous scores and information for later reference. Brown said that the accountability aspect of Master Key allows students to keep track of their progress.

“They can generate reports that tell them their percentage of errors, accuracy and words per minute that they can type, which is a great way of measuring their progress,” Brown said. “The neat thing is you have to master each level before you go on to the next one.”

Some students might be embarrassed to admit their inability to type, but Bennett encourages these individuals to take the independent-study keyboarding class.

“There is no shame in not knowing how to do something,” Bennett said. “The shame comes when you understand that you don’t know how to do something and you just give up.”

For more information, e-mail Brown or visit her in the Library Media Center.

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