Apr
28th

Student Engagement: Learning Typing Gamified

Categories: Schools, Technology, Typing For Kids, Typing Practice |


How can you introduce typing and keyboards in a fun way to young kids? Utilizing a Gamified Keyboard is going to help you teach kids, and soon they will be begging you to learn how to type. Take advantage of kids’ natural desire to want to play, and build some games into your typing lessons.

What is Gamified Typing?

While you and I probably learned how to type the old-fashioned way on a QWERTY keyboard either on a laptop or maybe even on a typewriter, with tablets saturating the market, kids need to learn a new way to type. They are going to spend more time on tablets and cell phones than behind a computer keyboard, at least in their early years.

Gamified typing specializes in teaching students how to touch type while making it interesting, and students’ attention. Using the keyboard as a “controller,” students use the keyboard to type and earn points and rewards. The fun, competitive nature of gamified typing incentivizes students to continue to practice their typing.

Using Games to Teach Typing Skills

One of the best way to olds kids’ attention is to get them into a game they want to win. You could try a game like Keyboard Builder that allows kids to use the keyboard to build blocks and construction sites. You could also try a game like Frog Pond Patrol, where kids will use hand-eye coordination to learn how keyboard keys can win the game. 

While formal typing games are great and help stimulate learning, you can also try some informal games that measure improvement and accuracy.

Importance of Hand-Eye Coordination

Teaching kids at a young age to type on a tablet by playing games is going to help improve their hand-eye coordination. This is going to help not only improve typing skills, but help them with other tasks in life as they continue to grow up.

Gamified learning is going to teach other skills besides hand-eye coordination. Your students will also learn about winning and losing in a structured environment where the teacher can guide and help process the emotions associated with each.

Active Student Engagement 

One of the most difficult tasks as a teacher is to hold the attention of every student at the same time for as long as possible. To be successful at this, you need to find a myriad of ways to hold the attention of your students. 

In addition to typing games that are played right on the keyboard, you could also track metrics so they can see their progress. Let them see how fast they are typing and what their words per minute are. Set goals for your students and watch as they strive to beat their best score from last week.

Slight of Mind

If you sit a room full of students down in a room, each at their own keyboard, and tell them to type for an hour, they are going to get bored quickly. However, if you take those same students and tell them to play keyboard games on their tablets for an hour, time is going to pass much more quickly. 

Learning will become more enjoyable and they will be more likely to be motivated to continue to come back to class.

Summary

When you are teaching young kids a new skill, like typing, it is important to create activities that will hold their attention. Gamified typing is something that you can use to motivate your students and to hold their focus while they learn how to type. Once you find ways to keep your students attention, you will see their typing skills drastically improve!


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