According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 7 million new jobs requiring typing skills were estimated to be created in the workforce by 2014, and many of these jobs were in higher-paying positions like executive assistant or legal secretary. While it’s true that even entry-level food-service jobs also often require computer and typing skills, having a higher-than-average word per minute (wpm) speed generally means that you automatically step to the front of the line when you’re applying for work. As the US Department of Labor notes, in the 21st century “the use of computers and the Internet in workplaces will become more pervasive and the functions performed using computers will dramatically increase.” This means that if you don’t have good keyboard skills, you’ll be left behind in the job hunt. It’s easy to get an idea of how just how good typing skills will help you succeed in your job search. In fact, your computer abilities will actually help you look for work in the first place! Go to an online job search or recruiting site in your location (or a different area, if you’d like to move) and put “typing” in the keyword field. Here’s what we found in a recent job search on several sites: Monster.com – over 1,000 full-time jobs requiring typing skills, salaries up to $65,000 per year Indeed.com – over 30,000 jobs for typists, salaries between $20,000 and $60,000 per year Careerbuilder.com – over 40,000 jobs across the United States Jobsearch.gov.au – more…
The Evolution of the Keyboard Continues
Long before the computer or even the typewriter was invented, the word “keyboard” referred to part of a musical instrument, where ten fingers would tap out melody and harmony rather than spreadsheets and form letters. But as BBC commentator Tom Chatfield points out, there’s a lot of similarity between the way we interact with the two types of keyboards, and how that interaction may change in the future. We’ve looked at different types of modern keyboards in previous posts, but it’s interesting to note that for all intents and purposes we’re still using a keyboard layout that dates back to 1873, when Milwaukie-area inventor Christopher Sholes arranged letters in the QWERTY formation in order to prevent jammed mechanisms. In other words, he put the letters on the keyboard in a way that would actually slow typing speed so that the individual metal parts of the early keyboard wouldn’t get stuck to each other. Although that problem has absolutely no meaning in the world of computers (or even today’s electric typewriters) most of us are still using a system that was never designed to let us type at our fastest possible speed. In Chatfield’s post, he talks about a new musical keyboard that’s touch-sensitive, flexible, and accepts movement in three dimensions (side to side and front to back, not just the up-and-down key tap). The “Seaboard” has the potential to change the way musicians connect with their instruments, and how they make music. It might be interesting to see something similar…
How To Pick The Best Computer Mouse Style
In a previous post, we talked about how the way you choose and use your computer mouse can affect your typing speed and even lead to problems like repetitive stress injuries. Today we’ll look at some of the options in mouse styles, and provide ergonomic tips on how to use your computer tools to reduce your risk of muscle strain while helping improve your typing skills. Most mice are approximately hand-shaped, whether they’re flat or rounded, and can be either plugged into a computer or laptop, or use a wireless connection. If you have limited desk space, you might find a wireless mouse to be more convenient, because it gives you more flexibility in where you put it. This style is common in office environments. For people who do a lot of gaming, there’s another style of mouse that’s shaped like a joystick. A new style of ergonomic mouse uses this model, because having your hand and arm in that position is more natural than keeping the wrist flat. In this model, the click controls are on the side and top of the joystick, and you’ll find that you use your thumb more often. This mouse is a good choice for people who might be prone to carpal tunnel syndrome. No matter what style you use, remember that the position you have your hand in while using a mouse is just as important as the position your hands are in on the keyboard when typing. If possible, try to get…
Laptops and Ergonomics
There are many good things about laptops that make them much more useful than desktop computers. They’re lighter, they’re portable, they take up less space, and some of the newer models are practically indestructible. They’re such all-in-one packages that it sometimes leads to one of the problems with laptops: the keyboards aren’t really set up for the best typing posture. Laptop keyboards are flat, generally slightly smaller, and less flexible in terms of numeric keypad availability and function key placement, due to space considerations. The reason it’s a problem is that people like the package so much, they’re often reluctant to “clutter” their workspace with a plug-in keyboard, even if that keyboard is better for typing and less likely to cause stress-related physical problems. We’ve talked about ergonomic keyboard options in previous posts, and it’s worth repeating that if you’re experiencing soreness, tension, or slower typing because of your current keyboard, it’s definitely time to look into alternatives – even if that means you’ve got something else to pack into your computer carrying case. Keyboards aren’t the only issue with laptops, however. The touchpad on a laptop is in the middle of the board, which might mean that you’re forcing your arms into a cramped position to use it. Touchpads might not be the best option if you do a lot of complicated formatting or layout of your typed text. In either case, remember that there are both plug-in and wireless mouse options that will let you continue to point-and-click…
How to Teach Children to Type
A child born in the 21st century comes into a world where there have always been mobile phones, e-readers, computers, and the global information resources available through an internet connection. With software designed for babies as young as six months old, and parents turning to online resources to entertain their kids, some children will start using a computer keyboard before they pick up a pencil to learn to write. Given that good typing skills help people of any age get the most out of their computer connections, it’s a good idea to help children learn the best way to type as soon as they start using the keyboard. Here are some suggestions for teaching children good typing habits: Help them with posture. “Sit up straight!” isn’t something that parents need to say just at the dinner table, but also at the study desk. We’ve talked before about the importance of the correct sitting position for typing, and how bad placement and posture can lead to muscle pain and even injury. Good posture at the keyboard is even more important for children, whose bones and muscles are still growing. Help them learn the right position for typing, and prevent problems before they start. Help them with hand position. Children’s hands are smaller, which might make it awkward for them to reach some of the keys on standard keyboard without moving their hands off the home row. On the other hand, they’ll have an advantage on laptops and netbooks with smaller keyboards….
Can The Wii Make You Free – of the Keyboard?
Motion-sensing devices have been around for a long time. You or your relatives probably have a light fixture or two near your front door that goes on automatically when someone walks up the steps. Many modern office buildings use this technology to help save energy, with lights and power turned off by a computer system if no movement is detected in a room after a certain length of time. The Wii and Kinect systems take this concept to the next level, translating the user’s movements into onscreen images that allow gamers to directly interact with icons and animated characters. Up until now, there hasn’t been much subtlety in this movement, as you’ll know if you’ve ever tried these games. Sometimes random swings are just as good as purposefully aimed ones in a virtual baseball game. When it comes to typing, random just won’t work, however. Accuracy is essential and so far the only way to get both speed and accuracy is to use a keyboard. Of course, when a software or hardware developer sees this problem, they work on finding a solution. At last year’s ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a group of researchers from Cambridge,UK demonstrated a new device that uses a wrist-mounted laser-based sensor that accurately translates the position of the user’s hand and fingers into keyboard and screen commands. This device was created as part of the Digits program run by Microsoft, and while it’s not on the market yet, we…
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Keyboard Design
When we buy a new computer or other electronic device, we usually don’t spend any time on thinking about how the designers came up with the way users would interact with and input information into that device. We’re too busy learning how to use it – how to access the keyboard, where the command keys are, whether we can customize anything to make it easier to use. But it’s very interesting to look at some of the thought processes that designers go through when they’re in development mode, especially when they’re working with getting user feedback. In fact, one of the ways to know whether you’ll find a device easy to use is to find out how much user testing was done during the development stage, and whether the designers actually listened to the users. That’s why we were pleased to see this breakdown of the path the people in the Microsoft Developer Network took in coming up with a touch-screen keyboard interface for Windows 8 includes lots of work with real users. It’s important for any development team to really study how people use technology before beginning any redesign process. “Because it’s cool!” might be a fun way to work, but when those devices hit the marketplace, if “cool” isn’t also “easy and convenient” then sales won’t be very good. When the Windows 8 team started to look at how the interface could be easiest and most convenient, they reviewed how people use devices now, and decided that keeping…
This Typing Tutor Is Out Of This World!
230 miles (370 kilometers) overhead, astronauts on the International Space Station are keeping fit and training their muscles with a device called the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). It’s designed to work specific areas of the body to maintain muscle strength, bone density, and endurance. The ARED tracks each astronaut separately, and provides guided fitness exercises for them to do, as well as personal fitness plans. This 21st-century technology helps astronauts stay healthy in space while their medical crew monitors them from the ground. It’s the same sort of cutting-edge technology that allows the Typesy system to work with each user to make sure that they’re getting the right exercises to move them forward in their personalized typing improvement plan. Having your own personal trainer at the gym means that you’ll be guided and supported in your exercise routines. The trainer will start you with basic exercises and gradually work you up to harder ones. If you’re lifting weights, the trainer will start you with the lighter weights and make sure that your body is in the right position on the machine so that you get all the benefits without running the risk of injury. That’s what the ARED system does for the astronauts, as it targets different muscle groups in sequence while tracking their progress, increasing the resistance as needed. When you’re logged in to the Typesy system, your personal typing tutor tracks your progress through the exercises, and will recommend more work on problem areas so that your…
Can You Think With Your Fingers?
Walking, jogging, going up stairs and down again, reaching out to turn a door handle – you’re so used to doing these things that you don’t have to think about them. You don’t sit down to breakfast and consciously say to yourself, “Now I will stretch out my arm horizontally, rotate my wrist 90 degrees, open my fingers wide and then curl them inwards towards my thumb, increase the muscular resistance in my arm and raise it slightly higher, and retract my arm again.” Instead, you just pick up the glass of orange juice. There’s a useful phrase called “muscle memory” that explains why these familiar actions are so familiar: we’ve done them so many times that they’re automatic. The brain is still involved, of course, but on a completely unconscious level. Part of the reason that athletes and musicians practice every day is so that they get this muscle memory. In a sense, it’s not only the brain that trains the muscles, it’s the muscles that train the brain. Every time you shape your body in a specific way, whether you’re positioning your fingers to make an E-chord on the guitar or swinging a baseball bat, your muscles “report back” to the brain in a process called proprioception. The information that the muscles transmit to the brain help the brain learn exactly what signals to send to put the muscles in that position the next time. At first, you’re concentrating on what you’re getting your muscles to do, but…
Keyboards For The 21st Century – And Beyond
If you spend a lot of time typing, you know how important it is to have a workspace that minimizes distraction and physical stress, and maximizes efficiency. Many things contribute to this, including the type and position of the chair you sit in, the type of mouse you use, and the height and size of the display screen on your laptop or monitor. As technology and best practices change, though, our assumptions about how a workspace might be configured are changing as well. You might be using a touchpad more often than a mouse these days, and you might even have abandoned your chair altogether to work in a standing (or even walking!) position. But until voice-recognition software finally gets good enough to be a foolproof way of getting words into a clean and correctly-formatted document, the keyboard is still the way you’ll be typing your text. As we discussed in a previous post, there are many ergonomic keyboards available, and it’s worth looking into some of them if you find that your hands, neck, or shoulders are not in the right position for typing. New keyboard configurations come out every year, so there are many to choose from. They range from simple keypads to standard QWERTY setups, and not all of them are designed with touch typing in mind. Here are some of the more interesting modern keyboards we’ve read about lately: – a roll-up keyboard that’s easy to carry and easy to clean (QWERTY) – a laser projection…