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eReflect And Home Educators Resource Directory Agree: Typesy Is Like Having A Personal Tutor

eReflect asserts, and Home Educators Resource Directory confirms, that Typesy™ offers a personalized learning experience for learners, similar to having a personal typing tutor. Home Educators Resource Directory has released a statement saying that practicing keyboarding skills with Typesy™ is as efficient as practicing with a personal tutor. eReflect, designer of cloud-based keyboarding tool Typesy™, agrees with the editors at HomeEdDirectory.com and highlights the fact that the number one goal of Typesy™ is to offer learners a truly personalized learning experience. Typesy™ is the learn to type software by eReflect that helps users improve their typing technique and speed so that they can increase their productivity. According to the typing software review by Home Educators Resource Directory, Typesy™: “[I]s a very thorough program that combines exercises and videos. They spent over 6 years doing research to make this scientifically designed program fun and easy. All it takes is 7 minutes per day!  It automatically monitors your progress and adapts to your needs.” Homeschooling mother and software reviewer Jen Pontoriero emphasizes the fact that eReflect offers a matchless money-back guarantee, stating that this is proof of the program’s effectiveness and legitimacy: “[Y]ou can’t beat their guarantee!  Not only is it a 100% money back guarantee, they will even give you $50 back if you are not satisfied!  I can’t imagine anyone would not be satisfied with this program!!” The program’s personalization level make it stand out from its competitors, says Pontoriero. “It’s like having your own personal tutor,” she explains enthusiastically in her…

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Lowercase 'Internet,' Capitalize 'Earth'

Dan Bloom I think the media should start capitalizing the word “Earth” whenever the word is used to refer to our planet Earth. At the moment, most media outlets lowercase it as “earth” even when writing about climate activists who want to protect the Earth from future global warming impact events. According to the style books and standards editors at most media outlets in the English-speaking world. the house rule for copy editors is to lowercase “earth” and only capitalize it as “Earth when referring to it as a planet revolving in space in relation to other planets or celestial bodies. But on earth, earth gets the lowercase treatment, sad to day, and I think this is wrong. So I would like to use this space here to gently and politely lobby newspaper editors and copy desk chieftains at the New York Times and the Associated Press and Reuters and all English language media on Earth — notice I did not lowercase it but wrote it as ”Earth”, and here’s why: we all need to stand up for our Earth and ask newspaper and magazine editors to rethink the old rules and wake up to the fact that by showing more respect for our Earth by capping the first letter of the word in all instances, except when speaking of things like “down to earth” or “between heaven and earth.” Many old sayings use the lowercase and that is okay when they are speaking of dirt and soil and the surface of the Earth but Earth itself our home…

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All About Touch TypingNewsTyping Practice

Vintage Typewriters and the Art of “Slow Writing”

You’ve probably owned several computers so far, and it’s likely that they all looked pretty much the same. When the computer screen starts having display problems or the applications stop working or the keys on the keyboard finally get stuck in all of the coffee and crumbs you’ve spilled on them, you’ll make a backup of your files, find another computer in your price range, and make the switch. You probably won’t want to hold on to your old computer for sentimental purposes, or because it’s a work of art. For people who use old-fashioned typewriters, it’s different. Authors who use manual typewriters say that they develop a relationship with the machine, and that the typewriter often takes on a personality of its own. The sound and feel of the keys contribute to a more physical experience, and the fact that early typewriters had no [Delete] key means that a writer either has to carefully think about and select their words, or just bash away in a free-flow mode without worrying about vocabulary and typos. Either way, writing is a more “hands-on” process with a manual typewriter. In Los Angeles, Ermanno Marzorati repairs and restores antique typewriters for modern authors who like to do things the old-fashioned way. According to Marzorati, most of the repairs he does aren’t for collectors – people who buy old typewriters for their “vintage” value – but for writers who use their machines to create the scripts and stories that make them famous. Marzorati has…

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All About Touch TypingNewsTyping Practice

As Technology Enters The Classroom, Typing Skills Gain Importance

It seems like most children have a cell phone or smartphone these days, and many have tablets and internet-connected readers that they carry with them even to school. Schools often have rules about using these devices in class, and teachers sometimes even take cell phones away if the students are texting each other instead of paying attention in class. In some classrooms, however, the teachers are integrating these devices into their instruction, and the “Bring Your Own Device” rule is gaining popularity in several regions. This trend towards incorporating technology into classroom instruction means that instead of watching someone else, students will be taking an active role in writing, researching, and playing games related to a topic. Since most of the devices used have keyboard interfaces, this means that in order to keep up with the rest of the class, students are going to have to know how to type. Good typing skills will be necessary for everyday class activities, and not just for typing up papers and assignments at home. The Common Core Standards now being implemented in most school districts across the United States recognize the importance of modern technology and the skills needed to use it effectively. These standards require students to learn how to type, and to be able to type well by the 5th grade (age 10-12). Learning these skills early will make it easier for students to stay productive and efficient throughout the rest of their time in school, and especially if they decide…

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All About Touch TypingNewsTyping Science

How To Type – With Your Eyes

The Typesy program is designed to teach you how to train your brain and your ten fingers to automatically and quickly make the muscle movements necessary to accurately hit keys in the proper sequence to form correctly-spelled words. To type, in other words. But what if you don’t have ten fingers – or any fingers? What if you’re in a situation where you can’t get your hands to the keyboard? What happens to your ability to communicate on the computer if you’ve lost the ability to use your hands at all? Voice-recognition software is attempting to bridge that gap by transcribing the spoken word into text. Other research organizations are looking at using eye movements to control cursors and character selection on the screen. At Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, The Inference Group is working on a project they call Dasher, a pointer-driven text generator that can be used with eye-tracking software that translates eye movements into cursor movements for text selection. According to the result of user studies, this isn’t the fastest way to type, and the top speed so far is generally only around 30wpm. However, for people with limited mobility, this may be the best option for accurate word processing using a computer. Another group in France at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is studying how to map eye movements directly into text formation, by tracking the eyes as they “write” out letters. Users move their eyes in patterns that match letters and numbers (making a…

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NewsTyping Practice

Are You Ready For The Cincy Typing Challenge?

There are only two weeks to go before the fingers start flying at the Cincy Typing Challenge in Cincinnati, Ohio! If you’re in the area, be sure to register on line if you want to participate and try for the $5,000 grand prize. The contest is open to anyone, and there will be a “celebrity typing challenge” as well, featuring local news broadcasters and reporters. There’s also a texting competition with a $500 prize, but if you want to compete in this category you’ll have to bring your own device. This competition is being held on the 125th anniversary of the first typing contest between expert typists Frank McGurrin (who used the then-new QWERTY keyboard layout) and Cincinnati typing teacher Louis Traub. McGurrin won the challenge back in 1888 and the QWERTY keyboard became the standard. This year, the competition will be held at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and there is also an exhibit of old typewriters on display at the Cincinnati History Museum going on now until the first qualifying round in the typing contest on July 20th. To register for the Cincy Typing Challenge or to get more information, click here. If you’re in Kuala Lumpur on January 8th, you can celebrate Typing Day and participate in the speed typing contest sponsored by the Malaysian government and the student organization AYFIC Project. In the UK, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, recently sponsored an open typing test competition for anyone who wanted to take it at their training…

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NewsTyping Science

U.S. Navy Says “Stop Shouting!”

Up until April 30th of this year, that message would have been written as “STOP SHOUTING” – but the all-caps format is gone for good, according to James McCarty, who leads the naval messaging program at U.S. Fleet Cyber Command. Back in the mid-19th century, when the teletype machine was first used to send messages to and from ships and military bases, there were no lower-case letters, so all text came out in capital letters. A hundred years later, however, as manual and then electric typewriters and finally computers became the common communication devices, using both upper- and lower-case letters was not only possible, but standard. However, the habits of a century are hard to break, and until this year even computer-generated official messages used all capital letters. It turns out that switching to the more common format will save the U.S. Navy money over the long run, especially since no reformatting of messages will be necessary when posting messages on a variety of media, including e-mail messages and printed documents. What’s more, since an all-caps format is generally used as the equivalent of an electronic shout, sailors won’t feel like they’re being yelled at in even the simplest message. (After all, that’s what basic training is for, right?) Right now the U.S. Army is keeping the all-caps format for their official messages, though researchers agree that the normal (and grammatically-correct) mix of upper- and lower-case letters is easier to read. Despite fears that the new “relaxed” format might encourage…

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All About Touch TypingNews

Percentage of Jobs Requiring Typing Skills Growing Rapidly, Say Experts

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…

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NewsTyping Science

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…

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