Today’s schools need to integrate technology into the classroom while at the same time making sure that students have the skills to use that technology efficiently. Whether it’s for homework or research, general literacy learning or specific IT-focused classes like computer programming, every student needs to know how to type accurately and quickly to keep up.
Even if keyboarding isn’t an element of the curriculum that’s mandated by a particular standards group or a local school board, it’s still a modern skill that even the youngest students need to learn. More and more educational reforms do include keyboarding on the list of required skills, however, and that means many schools are scrambling to develop an in-house program to teach students how to type. The easiest way for any school to comply with requirements related to typing instruction, though, is for that school to purchase a system that already has a complete set of lessons, rather than making teachers spend their valuable time coming up with lesson plans of their own.
Ultimate Typing™ EDU is such a system. Developed by eReflect, a company that has long been at the forefront of educational technology and self-improvement software, this program has been specifically designed for use by educational institutions of any size. Ultimate Typing™ EDU can be used by students age 7 and up, making it ideal for school-wide implementation. The program teaches students basic typing skills as well as advanced typing skills through a unique blend of instructional videos, scientifically-designed lessons and activities, and entertaining games.
Guided and Self-Paced Instruction, Working Together
One of the main advantages of using Ultimate Typing™ EDU in the classroom is the system’s blend of self-paced training and supervised learning. Students can work independently without supervision, but teachers can easily get involved on an individual or class-wide level.
Repetition. Each student can view and repeat any of the hands-on video lessons as many times as they need to learn that particular keystroke combination or speed training technique. The system tracks the individual student’s work and offers suggestions for further practice on specific trouble spots.
Extra Activities. Students who complete lessons ahead of time can continue their practice with one of the advanced lesson modules, or with the educational games included in the system. Because of this wide range of options, no student will get bored in typing class.
24/7 Access. Students who need more help can continue to use the system even outside of class time. Ultimate Typing™ EDU is cloud-based, which means that students can log in and learn to type from almost any internet-enabled device. With this additional practice time, every student will be able to keep up with the typing lessons.
Easy Administration. Teachers and administrators have one-click access to each student’s current statistics showing their progress, the amount of time they have been using the system, and which activities they have completed. Teachers can focus on working with the students who need the most one-on-one help.
Flexibility Across Grade Levels
The short instructional videos at the beginning of each lesson module show the student exactly where their fingers need to go, and what finger movements to make for each key combination. This audiovisual design means that even younger children will quickly see what they should be doing. As students advance in age and in skill levels, Ultimate Typing™ EDU offers increasingly challenging exercises and activities, as well as the option to customize the text used for typing.
Consistent. With school-wide implementation of the Ultimate Typing™ EDU system, students will be able to practice their touch typing techniques until they reach expert level, without having to learn how to use a new system at each grade level.
Adaptable. The module design of the typing lessons means that a school can choose to devote an entire class period to typing once a week, incorporate a 30-minute typing session into an English class several times a week, or provide students with the opportunity for quick 5- and 10-minute practice sessions during several different class periods. Because students have after-school access to the system, there’s no need to try to fit extended practice sessions into every class schedule.
Easily Customized. The flexibility of the system isn’t just in its modular lesson format. Once a student is past the basic instruction on techniques, the system lets them use any uploaded text for typing practice, as well as the built-in practice texts. This allows typing practice to be combined with other subjects and integrated into other parts of the curriculum. For example, students could practice typing using a passage from their history text, or a chapter of the book they’re currently reading in English literature class. These practice texts can be uploaded by the individual student, or uploaded and assigned by a teacher.
Reduced Administration Time and Cost
eReflect designed Ultimate Typing™ EDU to be as easy to use as possible, and part of that ease of use is in the system setup and administration. The system uses cloud-based technology, something that reduces bandwith and infrastructure requirements as well as eliminating the disruptive ads and pop-up windows common with many other online training programs.
Simple Setup. Instead of having to install, download, and constantly update software, the typing tutor and all student information and results are stored in the cloud. Students and administrators always have access to the latest version of the program, and eReflect’s technicians are available around the clock if a school has any questions.
Automatic Tracking. Teachers can be as hands-on or as hands-off as they want, both on a class level and when working with individual students. Because the lessons are entirely self-paced, a teacher can assign modules to the class, and the use the built-in training and activity charts on the administrative dashboard to get specific information on each student. Those students who are keeping pace can continue to work independently, but any student who needs help is immediately identifiable through their own set of progress charts. This makes it easy for a teacher to make the most of limited in-class instruction time.
Multi-Device Capability. Because students connect with Ultimate Typing™ EDU through a licensed individual login and password combination, and because their information and current activity results are stored in the cloud, each student can access their latest lesson from any internet-enabled device. This means that a student can work on their typing lessons from different classrooms during the school day, use a computer at their local community library to continue their typing practice, or use their family’s computer in the evening. All of the student’s information is synced across each device, and always up to date.
eReflect is focused on providing affordable typing training resources to every school, no matter their course requirements, educational budget, or student body makeup. The company invites administrators and district supervisors to request a free trial of the software, and eReflect is happy to provide any informational material that will help them see the different ways that Ultimate Typing™ EDU can benefit their students, help their teachers, and allow them to reach their educational goals.
For more information, visit www.ultimatetyping.com
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