Need touch typing advices

[hg088]

Most will think this is lame :(

I've recently realized that my wpm is pretty low and need too much peeking on the keyboard.

I googled for tips and ways to improve but i'm having a hard time getting used to to the techniques. For example, i've always rested my wrists on the table, and this is supposed to be very bad. Do you rest your hands on the table too?

So i was wondering if someone could give me some advices or point me a good tutorial or something.

[knight2000]

I used a program called Mavis Beacon. It's designed to help you improve your speed and accuracy. It really helped me.

For resting my wrists I bought a gel keyboard wrist support from ebay. It was very cheap and definitely a good purchase for anyone who needs to type alot

[hg088]

Thanks :D

[SemiExpert]

Choices in Ubuntu Software Center: Klavaro (most reviews, most lightweight, the one I'd try first) TuxTyping KTyping (KDE?)

[Bucky Ball]

How I learned, as did most before computers to help:


The quick brown fox jumps over the very lazy dog.Contains every letter of the alphabet. Type until you can type it without looking at the keyboard. Get your fingering right first, of course (old school is thumbs for space bar, four fingers touching keys on either side of 'g' - 'g' is exposed in the middle, no finger).

Hope this is some help.

[hg088]

Thanks

I tried Klavaro but i found it to be a bit advanced for me xD

I need one that gives me tips and that kind of stuff

[mamamia88]

lol mavis beacon i remember that from back in the day. anyways repeat the letters in your head as you type them and eventually they will become second nature.

[QIII]

I learned on a mechanical typewriter a long, long time ago. One of the old ones where you had to really pound on the keys.

It was impossible to hide your mistakes when the instructor came by because all you had was that nasty ribbon that got your shirt and the shirts of three people around you covered with ink when you changed it.

But I dang sure learned to touch type.

I have a few old ones in the garage if you want to buy one. They are classics, though, so they'd have to go at a premium.

In all seriousness, Mavis Beacon might be a good choice.

[forrestcupp]

It's funny how we take typing classes to get really fast, and then we go home and use our thumbs to type on a tablet or phone. I was at a meeting the other night and noticed that the woman taking minutes was using one finger to type them on her iPad, when she is a very capable typist. :)


Choices in Ubuntu Software Center: Klavaro (most reviews, most lightweight, the one I'd try first) TuxTyping KTyping (KDE?)I used to have TuxTyping for my boy. Things like this where they turn it into a fast paced game can really help your speed.


I learned on a mechanical typewriter a long, long time ago. One of the old ones where you had to really pound on the keys.
That's what my mom had for me to use when I was in high school. When I took typing class, I was lucky enough to get to use an electric typewriter. One day our class got to use the new Macintoshes that they used in the 2nd year typing class. My speed jumped from about 60wpm to 80wpm when I got to type on a computer keyboard. Kids today don't even know what a typewriter is.

[MisterGaribaldi]

I'd echo what both QIII and forrestcupp said. I learned to type on an IBM Selectric II. I also was on the newspaper staff for three years, and you'd be quite amazed how fast you get when you're implementing best practices five days a week, multiple hours a day.

The most important part of typing is to perfect the proper technique. Forget about speed, and focus on typing correctly. Speed comes naturally as a result of repetition.

[bryncoles]

I found Mavis Beacon to be quite obnoxious (but that might just be my low tolerance). I quite like gtypist though -- it runs in a terminal and hasn't annoyed me yet!

[Bucky Ball]

Regardless of what you learn on, fingering is the most important part, and 'The quick brown fox jumps over the very lazy dog,' is age-old.

And the reason I wouldn't bother typing on an iPad is why would I throw away 70-80+wpm? Same reason I have no interest in a qwerty phone (unless I could plug a regular keyboard into it). Sending SMS messages from Skype instead of my mobile is a dream to me. So much easier and faster. ;)

PS: One other point to remember; speed is nothing without accuracy. Go for accuracy somewhere in the high 90%s, whatever speed, and stay there as you get faster. If you're losing accuracy but gaining speed, slow down! (Most temp agencies will not sneeze at you with accuracy below mid/high 90s)

[MarkC3pO]

I think the speed really comes in when you don't have to think about individual letters any more but your hands just type the word. It should come naturally with time.

[Bucky Ball]

I think the speed really comes in when you don't have to think about individual letters any more but your hands just type the word. It should come naturally with time.

+1. Yep, when you can look at the wall and let rip you know you're getting somewhere. That is the aim. ;)

[CharlesA]

How I learned, as did most before computers to help:

Contains every letter of the alphabet. Type until you can type it without looking at the keyboard. Get your fingering right first, of course (old school is thumbs for space bar, four fingers touching keys on either side of 'g' - 'g' is exposed in the middle, no finger).

Hope this is some help.

Yeah. That's how I learned to type. Back then, they used some of those sturdy IBM keyboards and either put a box over your hands or popped the keys off and moved them around. That really helped the cheating aspect. :p


+1. Yep, when you can look at the wall and let rip you know you're getting somewhere. That is the aim. ;)

Yeah. Or stare at your monitor or the can of red bull that is sitting by the monitor.. or maybe that empty coffee mug.. ;)