typing assignments for middle school

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20 Typing Activities for Middle School Students

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Introduction:

In today’s digital age, typing proficiency is essential for success in school and beyond. Middle school students need to develop strong keyboarding skills to keep up with the demands of their education and future careers. Here are 20 engaging typing activities that middle school students can participate in to improve their keyboard skills.

1. Online Typing Games: Fun and interactive games like Typing.com, Nitro Type, and TypeRacer can make learning touch typing enjoyable for middle school students.

2. Timed Typing Drills: Students can challenge themselves by completing a series of timed typing drills to improve their speed and accuracy.

3. Keyboarding Challenge: Students can compete with one another in a friendly competition to see who has the fastest and most accurate typing skills.

4. Touch Typing Tutorials: Online tutorials like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing offer step-by-step lessons on proper touch typing techniques.

5. Typing Club: Register for a free account on TypingClub.com, where middle school students can learn at their own pace through interactive lessons and games.

6. Journal Writing: Encourage daily journal writing to improve both typing speed and language skills.

7. Collaborative Storytelling: In groups, students can take turns adding sentences to an ongoing story while focusing on improving their typing abilities.

8. Create a Book Report/Summary: Have students work on longer projects like book reports or summaries of articles using proper touch typing methods.

9. Typing Speed Races: Students can race against the clock or each other to complete specific texts within a given time frame.

10. Codecademy Programming Lessons: For those interested in coding, Codecademy offers lessons that require considerable typing practice.

11. Rewriting a Paragraph with Eyes Closed: Improve accuracy by having students rewrite paragraphs without looking at the screen or keyboard.

12. Caption Videos: Students can practice typing while captioning short videos or clips from movies.

13. Type Out Favorite Quotes: Use typing practice as an opportunity to explore famous quotes and famous literature.

14. Create Typing Goals: Set individual goals for typing speed and accuracy, which can be tracked over time.

15. Blogging/Website Creation: Encourage students to create their own blogs or websites, where they can regularly practice typing while also building digital literacy skills.

16. Typing Relay Races: Create teams of students and have each member type a section of text before passing the computer to the next person.

17. Write a Letter: Students can write digital letters to friends, family members, pen pals, or even celebrities as touch typing practice.

18. Group Chat/Forum Participation: Engage students in online group discussions through a moderated chat or forum while using proper keyboarding techniques.

19. Short Story Submissions: Encourage students to write short stories and submit them to online literary magazines or contests for young writers.

20. Typing Progress Celebrations: Regularly celebrate milestones in individual typing progress to keep students motivated and excited about improving their keyboarding skills.

Conclusion:

By incorporating these 20 engaging activities into middle school curriculums, educators can help students improve their typing proficiency while simultaneously developing essential computer skills needed for future academic success. As they participate in these diverse activities, middle schoolers will be well-prepared for the increasingly digital world.

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The 25+ Best Typing Apps for Students

No more hunting and pecking!

More than ever, typing is an essential part of learning. Developing this skill doesn’t have to be boring, though! In fact, there are many great typing apps for students that are engaging, interactive, and educational. We’ve put together this helpful list of some of the best options for elementary, middle, and high school kids!

Best Typing Apps for Students in Elementary School

Alpha munchies.

Inspired by Atari’s classic game, Space Invaders , kids will target little pixel aliens by typing the letters that appear above them. There are multiple levels of difficulty, making this a good choice for elementary kids of all ages.

Animal Typing

Animal Typing simplifies touch typing for elementary students. It’s extra fun because the animal kids will use (snail, rabbit, horse, etc.) depends on their typing skills. The faster they type, the faster their animal becomes!

Cup Stacking – Keyboarding

Kids will practice using the home row quickly as they stack and un-stack the cups by typing the keyboard characters on them.

Dance Mat Typing

Kids can move through four levels to play, starting by learning the home row keys. Every level is divided into three stages, with each building on previous lessons. The levels end by allowing students to test their typing speed before earning fun rewards!

Ghost Typing

Ghost Typing is an educational game for students of all ages. Players must keyboard the letters that are on the ghosts before they get too close!

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Keyboarding Zoo

Early elementary age kids will love being cheered on by cute little animals as they learn to use their index or pointer fingers to match letters on the screen to their keyboards.

Borrowing from Pac-Man , this typing game has KeyMan fleeing ghosts and eating dots as he moves through a maze. Along the way, kids will need to use different letters that appear on the screen to help him find the right path.

Keyboard Fun

Designed by an occupational therapist, this typing app for students of all levels is colorful and engaging. By matching keys to pictures, Keyboard Fun encourages kids to learn the placement of keys on the keyboard.

Race to see who can type the fastest! This game allows kids to improve their typing skills while competing in fast-paced races with up to 5 typers from around the world. They can compete against friends, earn new cars, track scores, and so much more … all for free!

Owl Planes Racing

Owl Planes Typing is an educational multi-player racing game that allows students from anywhere in the world to race one another while practicing typing and keyboard skills!

Type-a-Balloon

This game is so simple but incredibly fun. Students need to type the letters that appear on the balloons in order to pop them! Every time a balloon “escapes,” they’ll lose one of their five lives, and an incorrect response will result in lost points. As their skills improve, kids can move up to a more challenging level.

Type Type Revolution

Inspired by the popular game Dance Dance Revolution , this will have kids’ fingers dancing and learning. Players can choose one of ten songs to “dance” to as they learn key recognition skills. This activity might be best for older students who can type without looking.

700+ free typing activities for all ages means lots of typing learning here! You’ll find introductory games, touch typing, fluency, and timed tests.

Typing Fingers

Spread over 32 levels, this app supports kids as they learn basic keyboarding skills from an early age. They’ll work on identifying letters, numbers, and symbols as well as memorization. After successfully completing the final test, students will receive a typing certificate!

Typing Pal Online

If you’re looking for great exercises to help kids practice correct finger placement on the keyboard, this is it! Students can choose from four environments, each with its own cool animations. They can also take typing tests to earn certificates of achievement.

Typing Rocket

In this keyboarding app, students will have 60 seconds to pop the rockets by typing the letters that appear on them. The game gets progressively more difficult as the time winds down. If this is too challenging, kids can try Typing Rocket Jr instead!

Best Typing Apps for Students in Middle and High School

This free online typing tutorial helps students practice touch typing skills while improving speed and accuracy. Keybr provides an advanced learning experience as it uses statistics and algorithms to generate lessons based on each student’s skill level.

KeyBlaze starts with basic lessons on the home keys and neighboring keys, then continues with capitalization, punctuation, and numbers. It also includes practice lessons using poetry, prose, and problem keys, and advanced typing tests.

Learn Typing

This site offers lessons for students of all ages and typing abilities. Designed by a high school typing tutor, kids can improve speed and accuracy and build confidence through typing tests, games, and video tutorials.

This app provides focused lessons designed to boost typing speed and accuracy very quickly. Students can see a heat map of where their fingers are hitting the keyboard to better understand where they can make improvements. The advanced levels will take them through tough tapping patterns, symbols, numbers, and complicated sentences.

This typing improvement tool helps students learn to type 60 to 120 words per minute. Kids can practice on their own or race their friends!

This highly interactive application teaches standards-based, common core content that encourages students to improve typing speed and accuracy through fun activities, games, and courses.

Typing.com is a comprehensive website that really has it all. Students begin by taking any number of tests to evaluate their typing skills. Then, they use engaging curriculum, gamified learning, and even multilingual content and instruction to take their abilities to the next level.

With over 600 lessons, TypingClub is one of the most comprehensive and accessible typing programs available. Students can engage in interactive experiences that take them from learning individual keys all the way through reaching a goal of typing 75 words per minute. The lessons include educational games, cross-curricular content, and instructional videos.

Typing Master

This complete touch typing application features a real-time analysis widget that tracks typing skills and creates tailored exercises based on performance. It’s highly adaptable, giving students a customized experience to maximize learning potential!

Typing Pal is a simple and efficient web-based program for beginners and intermediates who want to touch type at full speed!

What are your favorite typing apps and games? Share in the comments below.

Also, check out 10 retro games that are still fun to play .

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Easy Ways to Help Your Middle School Student with Typing Lessons

By Dianna Kennedy Leave a Comment

Does your middle school student need typing lessons? We’re incorporating a typing course into our homeschool this fall and keeping track of our progress.

As we were looking over some of the syllabi for Rachel’s classes this fall, I heard her moan.

“MOM! Have you looked at this? I have to TYPE this year!” A period of wailing followed. (never good, but common with a pre-teen in the house)

Since I type every single day in my job as a nurse, I was confused by all the drama.

“Oh,” I commented. “That’s pretty standard for essays and papers. They’re easier to read, and you can make corrections, etc.”

More wails from the peanut gallery followed.

“But MOM! I don’t know how to type!”

“Sure you do”, I responded. “You type all the time. You send emails to your best friend, you use the chat in your online classes, and you search Pinterest. Of course you know how to type.”

“Nooooooooo!”, she wailed. “I don’t know how to type like you!”

I can type fairly quickly, but my accuracy leaves a LOT to be desired. I look like I’m typing fast, but a lot of those strokes are judicious backspacing, deleting, and starting over.

We sat down together and hashed out a plan for typing success. We’re making it part of our middle school curriculum this year, just like Latin and math.

I was compensated for my time to explore TypeKids with Rachel. All experiences and opinions are our very own.

Tips for Middle School Typing Lessons

Schedule the typing lessons:.

I know, I know. We’re all busy. Trust me, with 5 children still at home, I get it. But typing practice really doesn’t take long. For Rachel, we’re doing 15 minutes, 3 times a week. Sometimes she chunks it all together, in back to back days. Other weeks, she spreads it out, over the entire week.

Encourage Avenues for Typing:

This one was easy for us, as her composition class requires typing this year. She’s learning how to open up Google Docs, type a paper, save it and email it to me. It’s an excellent way to incorporate technology into our classical homeschool.

Get Involved Yourself:

I’ve told my typing story. My children think I type phenomenally, but they fail to see that my speed doesn’t match my accuracy. Most of the finger flying they see includes me backing up and correcting.

If you want to get your children typing , jump in with them and practice your skills, too.

Track progress:

With regular practice, your middle schooler will progress quickly. Remember back to the days when you were beginning to type, and how clunky it was? Inside our TypeKids program , it’s super simple to eyeball progress reports, see what letters students are having trouble with, and see their improvement.

She admits, learning to type is hard work. But, she’s motivated by the improvement she’s starting to see.

Make it fun!

Our homeschooling curriculum is pretty intense, so I didn’t want formal, stiff lessons for Rachel. Instead, we opted for TypeKids . Here, the typing lessons are presented in video format, tied into a pirate game. It’s right up her alley.

Middle School Typing Lessons with Type Kids

There are a million different typing programs out there, but when we looked over them, Rachel dismissed many of them as ‘too babyish’ or ‘so boring’. When we discovered TypeKids , she was hooked by the game format. Completing lessons gives you badges and coins to spend in the arcade. (The arcade games are sneaky renditions of more typing practice!)

Who Would Enjoy Type Kids Typing Lessons?

Honestly, all the kids in my family are dying to try it. Daniel stands and watches Rachel during every lesson, which he has dubbed “Rachel’s pirate games.” Everyone wants to give it a try here.

I would recommend waiting until age 8 or so before beginning. Little hands sometimes have trouble stretching past the home keys.

Even as a grown up, I have to admit, the layout really appeals to me, and I’ve taken it for a spin a few times. It would be a fun way for an adult to learn touch typing.

What I Love About TypeKids Middle School Typing Lessons

TypeKids is easy to navigate, with games, lessons, and review clearly laid out.

Teaching Method

Instead of just turning kids loose and expecting them to follow a placement chart, the program utilizes animated video to assist new typers with placement, and keeps these lessons handy for review in the dashboard.

Progress Reports

I may forget to check the dashboard, so TypeKids automatically emails parents each time children complete a lesson. These reports are also housed in the dashboard for easy access. Letters on the keyboard are color coded, so that parents can tell at a glance which letters need more practice.

Cloud Based

Since there’s no program to download, we can access it from any computer at home, or even at the library.

How Much are Middle School Typing Lessons?

The typing course from TypeKids is 89.95 per student. You can try the first three lessons for free, to see if the format fits your family.

I’d recommend this for students ages 8 and up. All you need is an internet connection and a computer or laptop to get started

What about you? Have you tried teaching your middle schoolers how to type correctly? How’s it going in your homeschool? Be sure and let me know in the comments.

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How to Teach Typing in Upper Elementary and Middle School

When I was tasked with teaching typing to 6th graders back in 2004, my only experience was from my own typing class in 1985. Thanks to an electronic typewriter, countless hours of practice, and my dedicated teacher, Berta Foster, I was a proficient typist. But I lacked the specific knowledge needed to teach 11-12 year olds how to type. To prepare myself for this new teaching opportunity, I delved into research on various programs. I hoped to find a resource that would be more engaging and less complex for today’s students. Here’s what I found to work in creating my own keyboarding program, starting with goal setting and building healthy habits.

Setting Goals and Providing Background Knowledge

Before students embark on typing instruction, it’s crucial for them to understand the positive benefits of developing this skill. Setting realistic goals for success is equally important. Drawing on my experience as a typing teacher for over 14 years, I’ve found that sharing this video about the history of the typewriter, along with a brief explanation of the modern keyboard layout, to be helpful. It addresses many questions students often have about why keys are arranged the way they are.

Each student learns at their own pace, particularly when it comes to touch typing. With this in mind, I discovered the effectiveness of an activity called “ Meet it, Beat it, Double it .” This approach, which I learned about at TCEA’s Convention & Exposition a few years ago, allows for individualized goal-setting and can be used as a measurable tool in the early stages of instruction.

Developing Healthy Keyboarding Habits

It’s important to emphasize the significance of maintaining good posture while typing. To make this information engaging and fun, I created a digital breakout called “Sitting Pretty.” This resource incorporates various digital elements that highlight positive habits. Typists should adopt or adjust them to ensure their safety and well-being while typing.

Alphabetic Keyboarding Instruction

One major challenge I faced was the limited time I would have with my students each day. Just 30 minutes! Most of the programs I came across were software-based and centered on teaching the keys using the “home row” method. Given the number of lessons required to introduce the keys using this method, it would be challenging to establish a routine where students could experience success.

Continuing my research, I eventually stumbled upon another method. This method bypassed teaching from the home row and introduced the keys alphabetically instead. This approach, rooted in research and outlined in Diana Hanbury King’s book, “ Keyboarding Skills ,” yielded remarkable success. I combined her method of alphabetic keyboarding instruction with positive reinforcement. Additionally, I used a revised poem she adapted from Joyce Steeves of The Jermicy School . This poem proves invaluable in helping my students remember correct finger placement and reaches.

To delve deeper into this method of keyboarding instruction, I highly recommend exploring Ms. King’s book. You can also refer to my pacing guide for additional information. The pacing guide includes the following:

• The history of typing with discussion questions
• Goal setting activity
• Healthy habits with discussion questions and an extension activity
• Finger placement visual guide
• Instructions for preparing to type
• Left-hand letters video introduction and visual guides
• Right-hand letters video introduction and visual guides
• Typing with both hands video introduction and visual guides
• Reinforcement activities in Google Slides that can be easily duplicated and shared with students digitally

Additional Practice for Keyboarding

After students have been introduced to the keys, additional typing practice will be essential to develop speed and accuracy. In her book, Ms. King suggests using short words to foster accuracy. Moreover, encouraging students to focus on practicing a sequence until they’ve mastered it correctly multiple times can be instrumental in honing these skills. Once students have mastered the alphabet, additional keys such as numbers, symbols, and capitalization can be introduced.

Google Slides Practice Sets

In the pacing guide , I provide activities for additional practice that can easily be shared with students digitally. These activities are in Google Slides and offer students practice with short words and phrases to build accuracy.

TypingClub.com

In my experience, after students master the keys, they benefit from additional activities to keep them engaged and focused on improving their skills. After extensive research, I found that TypingClub.c om closely aligned with the needs of my students. This online resource allowed me to create a free School Edition account and generate login information for students through an import.

Once the accounts were created, students were added to a class. Then, I assigned pre-made or custom activities tailored to their needs. While I’m not a fan of programs that exclusively instruct students using the home row method, I found TypingClub.com to be a motivating platform. It guides students through skill-building using challenges and a badging system. Additionally, I was able to monitor student progress both online and through the program’s reporting options, which provided valuable data for differentiation and remediation. I also incorporated other online resources to keep learning fresh and make practice time more engaging and enjoyable.

By setting achievable goals, providing essential background knowledge, and emphasizing healthy typing habits, I was able to create a foundation for successful learning with countless students. The alphabetic keyboarding method, complemented by positive reinforcement, has proven to be a game changer in my teaching experience. I hope these insights inspire fellow educators to refine their own typing instruction. Equipping students with this essential skill is an investment in their future success in our digital age.

Gather up more tips and tricks about how to teach keyboarding, and explore Google tools with Sara Reed at TCEA’s Convention & Exposition in Austin, Texas! She will be presenting Don’t You Forget About Me: Revisiting Google Tools and Keyboarding for All: It’s As Easy As ABC and 123 . Don’t miss out on this chance to join thousands of educators from around the world in professional learning February 3-7, 2024!

Sara serves as a digital learning specialist for the Fort Worth Independent District. She plays an active role in supporting district-wide technology initiatives and promoting seamless classroom integration. With a deep passion for educational technology, Sara embraces the process of continuous learning and personal development. She firmly believes that building meaningful relationships with teachers is essential for effective technology integration. When she approaches learning experiences, she does so with an eye toward envisioning possibilities beyond the obvious. Sara finds her greatest sense of fulfillment in empowering fellow educators to enhance their technological proficiency and authentically incorporate it into their curriculum.   

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Thank you for your interesting and informative article! I have also used Mrs. King’s wonderful book and follow her advice on presenting the keys in alphabetical order. I have also used TypingClub.com as I like being able to control the length and variety of the lessons. Here is my question: how to you keep the students from going back to the ‘old’ way of typing when you aren’t watching them? My 6-8 grade students believe they type faster when using one or two fingers and keeping their eyes on their hands/keyboards. I find it very difficult to convince them that they will soon develop speed and accuracy if they just practice touch typing.

I found that positive reinforcement went a long way with my students. I would provide feedback to each student about their finger placement and technique on a regular basis. Being visible in the classroom, standing at each students desk, taking a vested interest in their typing skill, and constantly providing words of encouragement helped as well. My own daughter was one of my students, and she too thought she could type faster her way. I asked her to give my way a chance and surprisingly, she caught on. I also found that peer review helped since students sometime perform better with their peers. I also made typing practice a daily activity with required lessons or activities to complete and be graded. Best of luck to you and feel free to reach out via email if you would like to collaborate more 🙂

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13 Best Free Typing Lessons for Kids and Adults

The top free keyboarding lessons online

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These free typing lessons will teach you how to type and improve your speed and accuracy. They're geared toward every age group and situation, and all have different features that make them great and unique.

After you've built up some skills with these lessons, try out some free typing games for practice. Then you'll be ready for free WPM tests to evaluate your speed.

Track Your Progress: Typing.com

Track progress with points and achievements.

Registration isn't required.

Good for beginners.

Advanced users won't improve their skills much.

Typing.com has free typing lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced typists. It's geared towards middle school kids all the way up to adults. You can jump to any practice level that you want, at any time.

During each lesson, there's nothing else to distract you from your typing except for a virtual keyboard showing where the letters are and which fingers to use. When done, you get to see your speed, accuracy, and the time it took you to finish, and you don't even need to lift your hands off the keyboard to move on to the next lesson; just press Enter .

Free registration isn't required, but with it, you can track your progress and earn awards.

There's a Teacher's portal available for educators to manage and track the progress of their students as they complete lessons.

Hundreds of Lessons: TypingClub

Over 600 lessons.

Take placement tests or learn in order.

Customize the theme and other settings.

Tools for teachers to design lessons.

Free version has ads.

Can't skip intro videos.

There are hundreds of typing lessons at TypingClub, where you'll learn the alphabet keys, shift key, numbers, and symbols. There are also lessons that focus especially on speed. You can jump to any of them whenever you like, or you can take placement tests to prove your skills.

While you go through these, you'll be able to view your speed and accuracy. If you sign up for a free account, you can keep track of your progress, record your highest WPM of all time, and review some other stats.

Teachers can monitor their students' progress, customize the lessons, and even manage multiple classes.

There's a paid edition that has additional features and no ads.

Improve on Difficult Keys: TypingTest.com

Highlights keys you struggle with.

Includes a course, tests, and games.

Lots of ads.

TypingTest.com has typing tests and courses, so it's perfect for experienced and new typists. However, the main feature I want to call out is called Tricky Keys.

I struggle with certain letters, like X, that I don't have to type often. With this website, I can choose that letter, or any letter, to practice relevant words.

If you're not sure what your tricky keys are, there's a short typing test you can take. When you're finished, you're told which keys you need more help with, and it's then easy to start practicing them right here on this website.

Generate Your Own Lessons: Keybr

Lots of customizable settings.

Supports several keyboard layouts.

Lets you skip learning really short words.

Add your own words to the lessons.

The website has ads.

It's too much if you're not interested in customizations.

This is the website for typing lessons if you want total control over what you're typing and how you learn.

For example, you can set a target WPM, set up more letters to unlock as you progress through lessons, include uppercase letters and punctuation, and set the total time you want to spend learning to type every day.

I also love that I can toggle off certain typing options that I can't normally control in a typing lesson. The settings include a toggle to stop the cursor on errors and another to forgive errors; you can change these at any time. Even the whitespace, cursor shape, cursor movement, and sounds can be adjusted.

This is truly the perfect website for customizing how you learn to type. It's also ideal if you like a little competition; all the fastest typists compete for high scores. There's also a racing game that tests your typing skills.

Learn in Order: Ratatype

Several typing tips.

15 typing lessons.

Clean and modern design.

Has a game mode.

Requires a free user account.

Can't skip ahead to advanced lessons.

There are over a dozen free typing lessons at Ratatype, and before starting them, you're given several tips for how to sit at your computer, which is something most of these sites pass over.

Something unique about this keyboarding lesson website is that if you make too many mistakes during a lesson, you're forced to start over. Once you make a reasonable amount of typos, or none at all, you can move forward with more lessons.

You get to see your typo count and WPM while you're typing, and even compete with others in a high score list.

Set Your Own Goals: Speed Typing Online

Set custom goals.

Games are simple and clear.

Create custom lessons using any letters.

Two display options.

More for beginners than advanced users.

Must register to save or access lessons.

Speed Typing Online has 17 classic lessons that include learning all the letters on the keyboard and then testing your skills through reviews. Then you can move on to the advanced lessons, where you start stringing those letters together to make words. 

There are sets of lessons for just the top row, home row, and bottom row, or you can type using the whole keyboard. Every result you see on these typing lessons can be shared via a special URL so that you can show off your score.

Something else I like is that the length of each lesson can be changed. I like to do the short lessons when I have little time but still want to practice, but there are other lengths, including extra long .

If you register (it's free) you'll be able to keep track of your progress and set custom goals. You'll also get access to free typing tests and games. 

Lessons for Kids: Dance Mat Typing

Introduction is good for beginners.

Fun learning tool for young children.

No need to register.

Voiceover accents may be difficult for some to understand.

Not as useful for adults or intermediate to advanced users.

Dance Mat Typing uses wacky animal characters and colorful games to make their free typing lessons fun for elementary-aged children.

You're taken through four levels, each with three different stages. This helps break the lessons into small, manageable chunks so that learning to type isn't so overwhelming.

No registration or login is required, so you can start right away.

Enter Your Own Text: Sense-Lang.org

Training on a variety of keyboard styles.

Tools to create online lessons.

Choose from two display modes.

You can set the lesson's length (in letters).

Lessons are short; moderately skilled typists will exhaust them quickly.

Displays distracting ads.

Sense-Lang.org has 16 free typing lessons, along with a feature that allows you to use your own text to practice.

Each lesson features an animated keyboard, making it easy to get a visual on how you should be typing and what you need to do to make fewer mistakes. You also get real-time typing stats for your WPM, time, and accuracy during the lessons.

Teachers can create online classes, assign lessons, and get updates on the progress of their students. They're available in several languages and for international keyboards as well.

Perfect for Adults Learning to Type: GCFGlobal

Animated videos are simple and helpful.

Site is clean and easy to use.

Can't fast forward or rewind videos.

Not designed for young children.

GCFGlobal has free typing lessons that are geared towards adults with no or little typing skills. For each lesson, you have the option of learning the keys or jumping right into practicing them.

It's a great program to start out on, but since they don't give you an update on how fast or accurate you're typing, we suggest moving on to another site after you get the basic skills down.

Start From Scratch: Turtle Diary

Registration isn't necessary.

Lots of lessons.

Ideal for any skill level.

Several website ads.

Typing is naturally interrupted because you can't fix your mistakes.

This is another website that lets you learn how to type in order, from the very beginning. To give you an idea of what that means: the very first task in the first lesson has you type the letters j and f over and over.

The good thing is that this isn't just geared toward kids or adults new to typing. There are 51 total typing lessons here, categorized as beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. If you go in order, you'll type a couple letters only and then move on to uppercase letters and symbols, short paragraphs, and finally a combination of everything.

Like most of these sites, during each typing lesson, you can monitor your typing speed, accuracy, and time. The hands you see over the keyboard can be toggled on and off easily at any time.

There are also multiplayer typing games that help you put into use what you've learned.

Lessons for Non-English Keyboards: Touch Typing Study

Extremely large number of keyboard languages offered.

Real-time WPM speed rating.

Dated and busy user interface.

No video or audio instruction; text instructions have minimal visual aids.

Touch Typing Study has 15 free typing lessons available in many languages and keyboard layouts, plus some games and speed tests.

Each lesson is broken down into topics so that you can easily see what's coming next or skip to another section if you feel confident in your skills.

While you're typing, you'll be able to view your errors, speed, and time spent on the lesson.

Easy on the Eyes: Big Brown Bear

Displays a single scrolling sentence instead of paragraphs.

Move to the next level when you meet goals.

No registration necessary.

Includes guides and stats that you can toggle off.

Progress halts until you press the correct key.

Big Brown Bear has over a dozen free typing lessons that take you through the process of learning all the keys on the keyboard. Just pick which letter to be reviewed on to get started

Something we like about this website is how the words come across the screen. Instead of seeing them as a paragraph like you normally would when reading, the words are on a single line, and they pass through the center of the screen so that you don't have to move your eyes.

However, with these lessons, you must correct your mistakes before you can continue typing, which may or may not be something you want.

During each lesson, you're able to view your speed, accuracy, and time.

Gradual Progress With Unique Settings: TypingAcademy

Useful settings you can customize.

Pauses automatically if you click away.

Only two lanuages to choose from.

Some lessons require a user account.

Lots of popups to test your typing speed.

TypingAcademy is a slick website that's useful for typing lessons because it can highlight the key you should focus on. There are several lessons: first-step lessons, warm-up lessons, and others in categories called Learn, Word, Finger, Hand, Practical, and Bonus.

We also like the keyboard settings you can edit, such as whether to use capital letters, how to handle mistakes, and toggles for animations, sound, live stats, and auto-pausing.

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Free Keyboarding Lesson Plans and Activities

• Sunburst Digital Learning
• March 17, 2023
• Education & Resources

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Below are a variety of free keyboarding resources, including some lesson plans, fun activities for all ages and more. Some of these resources may be useful as is, but they can also be inspiration for you to create your own fun activity to help teach keyboarding to your students.

A Clue for Keyboarding

This activity helps students identify and locate the keys on the keyboard through memory. This involves using index cards as flashcards and reinforcing the memory of a keyboard when not looking at one directly.

https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1656.html

Body Keyboard

After you have gone over the keyboard layout and position of each letter with the students, assign each student to a letter, and even one to be the cursor. Then tell the students what word you want to type and those students move to the front of the room to spell that word, including the cursor. You can say “use backspace” and the cursor moves and the letter returns to their position. There are many ways to utilize this “body keyboard” idea.

https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2494.html

For grades 5-8, after some keyboarding experience has been developed, you may want to try this activity, as it also involves internet research, creative writing, spelling and grammar. Each student will create an imaginary pen pal that they will write letters to back and forth. Start out small, with basic details such as age and location, but when writing as the pen pal, they should be writing as if they know details about where they live, so internet research is likely required.

https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/4037.html

A Fun Alternative Way to Teach Young Children The Keyboard

For K-2 students, these are a couple fun keyboarding lessons to get them familiar with the placement of letters on the keyboard. It involves creating a large keyboard to lay on the floor and introducing each letter and the finger that presses it. Then have the students “type” words by hopping on the letters on the floor.

http://www.nailitnow.com.au/lessonplans/childrenprint.html

Utah Curriculum Resources from the Utah Education Network

This list of resources are geared more towards older students with enough typing experience to be typing in their own responses in Word. They provide PDF files of the necessary instructions, worksheets, etc. There are speed and accuracy drills, technique resources and much more.

https://www.uen.org/lessonplan/resource/core/1214

Keyboarding Stuff by Tonya Skinner

Tonya Skinner is a certified technology teacher and these lesson plans are geared towards “business education”, so they may be best for older students. But there are free assignments, activities, exams, and much more to browse through.

http://lessonplans.btskinner.com/keybrd.html

Do you have a fun or unique lesson plan or activity you use to teach your students keyboarding? Share it with us! Let us know on Facebook or LinkedIn, or send us an email and we’ll share it ourselves, we’d love to hear from you!

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Yeti Keyboarding

(Grades: K-12)

Elevate Your School’s Keyboarding Program with Yeti Academy’s Next Gen Keyboarding Platform

Yeti Academy has reimagined touch typing into an exciting digital literacy journey. With unique curriculums for K-12 students, our program fosters top-notch typing skills, ergonomic expertise, and muscle memory. We offer grade-specific, cross-curricular content, and differentiated learning, ensuring a learning experience tailored to all in a fun and engaging platform. Our systematic approach ensures precise, speedy typing, a foundation for future success.

Next-Gen Yeti Keyboarding Platform

• 100% Web-basedﾠ
• For all students K-12 
• Multi-device compatible
• Standards aligned including: ISTE, Common Core, TEKS and more
• Quick and easy setup 
• Engaging winter wonderland interface 
• Two K2 curriculum options (Language Arts or Traditional)
• 3-12 students enjoy their own exciting interface 
• Thrill your 3-12 students with next level gamification
• Differentiated learning with four keyboarding modalities: Engage, Learn, Benchmark, and Apply.
• Grade-specific and cross-curricular keyboarding content
• Comprehensive tools and reporting features 
• Simple rostering options for easy management
• World-class support to assist you every step of the way

Keyboarding “Yeti Short”

Custom Keyboarding

This easy to use typing course allows teachers to serve up their own typing lessons to their students. Yeti Type is a great way to teach and reinforce critical typing skills while serving up content that is relevant to your students’ current learning objectives.

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Schools & Districts that Use Yeti Academy

— A. Campbell, Teacher - Rogers Adventist School, WA

"Students like using it and it is not difficult to get them started."

— J. Matchus, Teacher - St. Anne’s School, TX

"My daughter can work at her own pace."

— J. Ortega, Parent - Ortega Home School, TX

"Our district is excited about continuing the use of YA this school year!"

— S. Davis, Teacher

"Easy to use platform!"

— B. Rogers, Technology Coordinator - Armenian Sisters Academy, PA

"I have enjoyed using Yeti Academy this year and look forward to using it in the future."

— K. Rinehart, Technology Coordinator - Tewksbury Elementary School

"Our students and teachers love Yeti Academy. This program has proven to be a valuable asset in equipping our students with the essential skills needed for success in the digital age. Our students have not only improved their typing skills but have also honed their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well. The positive feedback from students and teachers serves as a testament to the program's effectiveness in preparing our students to be confident and competent digital citizens."

— D. Bracken - Community Schools of Frankfurt

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Introducing: Yeti Keyboarding, The Next-Gen K-12 Keyboarding Platform

Feb 17, 2023 | Gamification , Typing Curriculum

Keyboarding is an essential psycho-motor and digital literacy skill that all students need to learn. With Yeti Keyboarding, students from kindergarten through high school will have fun learning phonetics, developing muscle memory, learning ergonomics, and typing content that fits their grade level.

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current events conversation

What Students Are Saying About Tech in the Classroom

Does technology help students be more organized, efficient and prepared for the future? Or is it just a distraction?

By The Learning Network

Is there a problem with screens in schools?

We invited students to weigh in on that question in our Picture Prompt Tech in the Classroom , which was based on an Opinion essay arguing that we should “get tech out of the classroom before it’s too late.”

Is there too much tech in your school day? — we asked students. Would you prefer more screen-free time while you are learning, or even during lunch or free periods?

Below, they share the good, the bad and the ugly about technology use in school.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on our writing prompts this week!

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length.

Some students saw the value of technology in schools, including its ability to prepare students for the future.

I believe that technology in the classroom is a good thing when it is properly moderated. I think completely taking away screens from a student will not help them develop computer skills which they will most likely need in a world like ours, where most of everything is online. Sometimes phones cannot get the job done, and computers will be needed. If schools completely remove devices from the curriculum, then students will be completely clueless when they take classes involving a computer. Too much screen time can be bad for the student, but if it is well moderated, then screen time won’t be an issue.

— Saheed, GMS

I personally do not mind the amount of technology in the classroom. I personally find typing to be a lot easier instead of writing. On top of that, this amount of technology is used in adults’ day to day lives, too. Writing has become less and less relevant for everyone, because most jobs require a computer nowadays. So I think it’s actually better to have the amount of technology we do in the classroom.

— Timothy, Greenbelt Middle

They said, even though there might be down sides, the good outweighs the bad.

Screens in the classroom allows students to complete work in a more organized manner and use online resources to help them learn. It helps teachers to be able to make sure students turn work in before a certain time. However, having screens in the classroom raises students overall screen time which is bad for their eye health and sleep.

— Emily, Greenbelt Middle

I believe that computers should definitely be used at school because it has more pros than cons. They help with everything. The only problem with them is the people using them. The people using them are often misusing them and not charging them.

— Deegan, California

And they argued that tech is so entrenched in the student experience that taking it away would cause a lot of disruption.

There are no problems with screens in school. I believe without screens, school would be much less productive, produce so much waste of paper, and assignments would be lost a lot. Also when I have paper homework, which is almost never, almost every time I get it I forget because everything is on the iPad. This is important because if there is any change in the iPads we use, it’ll affect everyone drastically. Also it would just be really annoying to get used to a whole new thing.

— August, GBW

But another contingent of students said, “There is definitely a problem with screens in school.” They called them a distraction.

There is definitely a problem with screens in school. While regular technology use in school is highly efficient and much more convenient than using textbooks and paper, I still feel like using technology as the main method for learning is detrimental. There are plenty of students in my classes who are hiding behind their iPads to play games or go on their phones rather than utilizing their technology to enhance their learning experience. So in turn, I think we need to minimize (but not completely take away) the prominence of tech in our classrooms. This matters because it’s so important for students to learn how to completely pay attention and focus in on one task so that they are prepared for the moments in life where they don’t get the opportunity to look at their phone if they’re bored or to text their friends. Trust me, this may seem like I’m one hundred percent anti-phones but the truth is I love my phone and am somewhat addicted to it, so I realize that it’s a major distraction for myself in the classroom. Moreover, staring at an iPad screen for 7 hours a day puts significant strain on our eyes, so for the sake of our health and our attention spans, we need to minimize tech use in school.

— Mary, Glenbard West High School

Tech inside classrooms has had many positive effects and many negative effects. Without technology, it would take forever to find sources/information and it would also take ages to do complex things. With technology, people can easily find information and they can easily do many things but the big downside is that they can easily just search up games and get distracted. On one side, it has provided many different changes to students so they can learn in a fun and entertaining way but in another, people are mostly on their phones scrolling through YouTube or Instagram. Many people don’t have control over their body and have a big urge to go on their cellphones.

— Srikanth, Greenbelt Middle School

In my opinion, yes there is a problem with screens in schools. It distracts kids from focusing on their work. Many students are always on their phone during class, and it is disrespectful as well as sad for them. They will not be able to learn the material that is being taught. Personally, I think that screens should be reduced in class, but I do not think that is possible. Whenever a teacher takes away someone’s phone, they get very mad and say that it is their right to have their phone. In these cases it is very confusing on how to act for the teacher!

— Kadambari, gms

Some reported that their peers use technology to cheat.

It might be a problem depending on what people are doing. If it is used for school, like typing an essay, working on homework, or checking your grades it’s okay, but I know people who abuse this privilege. They go onto YouTube and watch things, listen to music when they aren’t supposed to, and play games. Many people cheat to the point where it takes forever to start a test because people don’t close out their tabs. It helps to be able to do these ‘Quick Writes’ as we call them in my ELA class because I can write faster (I know it’s called typing). It’s harder to access things because of the restriction because people mess around so they block so many useful websites and words from our computer. I like to type on the computer, but I feel people abuse this privilege too much.

— Nina, California

When the teachers assign tests on computers, sometimes teachers have to lock students’ screens to make sure they’re not cheating. Sometimes they do it on paper and they try to cheat while hiding their phones in their laps. And then if another student sees them doing that, they will tell and the student who would have the phone out could start a big argument.

— Taylor, Huntington Beach

Several lamented the sheer number of hours teenagers spend in front of screens.

I feel that we have become too comfortable with using screens for nearly every lesson in school, because it has gotten to the point where we are spending upwards of 4 hours on our laptops in school alone. I understand that it would be hard to switch back to using journals and worksheets, but it would be very beneficial for kids if we did.

— Chase, school

I think we should reduce the tech a little just because most students are going straight to screens when they get home, after a full day of screens … Although I know this would be very difficult to do because everything in the world now seems to go online.

— Jaydin, California

And they even worried about their handwriting in a world full of typing.

I think technology in a class is very helpful, but I think that we should incorporate more writing. Since the pandemic, most of the work has been online and it never gave students the opportunity to write as much. When we came back from lockdown, I almost forgot how to write with a pencil. My handwriting was very different. And now we don’t get much time to write with our hands so I think we should have fewer screens.

— Eric, Greenbelt

Some students said that less time spent on screens in school would give them a break from the always-on digital culture they live in.

Although typing is useful and using the internet is very useful, I think we should go back to how it was about 20-40 years ago when all people used the computer for was to type an essay. Drama didn’t get spread in a millisecond, we didn’t have to worry as much about stereotypes. Now all kids want to do is text each other and watch videos. I’m well aware that I have fallen into this trap and I want out, but our lives revolve around technology. You can’t get away from it. I know this is about schools not using technology, which the world without it would be impossible now, but life would be so much simpler again.

— Ivy, Huntington Beach, CA

I will say that my phone is usually always with me during school hours, but I don’t use it all the time. I may check the time or play a short game as a brain break. But I do see some people absolutely glued to their phones during class time, and it’s honestly embarrassing. You really can’t go without your phone for an hour?? It’s almost like an addiction at this point. I understand using your phone to quickly distract yourself; I do it too. And I also think it’s okay to have your phone/electronic during lunch time or free periods. But using it to the point that you can’t properly pay attention in class is just embarrassing. So, in summary, I do think that schools are having a problem with screens.

— Allison, Greenbelt Middle School

And they named classes in which they think screens do and do not have a place.

I feel like for classes for younger kids, technology is definitely not good. Kids should be playing, using their hands, and actually experiencing things instead of being on tablets in kindergarten. I think using computers in school is good though. It’s a lot more efficient, and we live in a society where fast and efficient things are the trend.

— sarah, maryland

I think screens have their place, and will always have their place, in schools and education. The capabilities of computers will always surpass anything else, and they should not be banned from school environments. Still, I have one exception: English class. Other than final drafts of essays, everything in English should be on paper. You can formulate ideas better and minimize outside influence on your thinking.

— Addie, The Potomac School

Learn more about Current Events Conversation here and find all of our posts in this column .