Typing with the Kiddos

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

***First, I’m sorry that the Wednesday Website suggestion is coming out on Thursday, but I hope you enjoyed the BIG announcement for the Teacher Appreciation Jackpot that took it’s space yesterday. 

 

Does anyone else get sick of watching their students hunt and peck for the letters when they are trying to type in a website, or worse yet type up a project?  I am a firm believer in typing (keyboarding) skills for children, but I’m also a firm believer in kids learning through fun, engaging activities.  So, when I found Dance Mat Typing a few years ago, I just fell in love!  This website guides students through proper typing, while providing talking goats and singing bears that keep them so entertained, they don’t even realize they are learning until they’re done.  It contains levels and stages to start from simply learning the home row, to typing up complete sentences. 

When I taught in the computer lab, I used this website with my students starting at the end of 1st grade.  By 4th and 5th grade, I had many students who could type without looking for the keys at all!  When I taught 3rd grade, I would pull this out during this end of the year time, when I still wanted focused, learning students, but when the majority of our standards had been covered.  It’s also a great, easy site to use with early finishers.

 

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday's Website suggestion and click HERE to view previous Website suggestions.