2. Seat: Position the chair or bench the correct distance from the
keyboard by sitting up straight with arms at sides and hands in lap.
While in this natural and comfortable position, the student should
lift the hands straight up and then measure how far the seat or
keyboard should be moved to align fingers with the home keys with
arms still in this natural position. (Benches work well with students
because they generally don’t slouch as they will do in a chair, but
could be a bit dangerous to students who can’t resist tipping them
back.)
From: http://www.cwu.edu/~setc/ldtech/docs/Keyboarding_Techniques.pdf
3. Hands and Wrists: Hands should be placed over the home keys at a
natural angle. The angle should be the same as if the person was
standing or walking with hands at their sides. Hand position should
be symmetrical with wrists flat and relaxed, preferably not resting
on the keyboard frame or counter. Resting the wrists definitely
restricts finger movement and reach. The “bump” key should be
identified along with correct finger placement.
From:
http://www.cwu.edu/~setc/ldtech/docs/Keyboarding_Techniques.pdf
4. Legs: Upper leg (thigh) position should be symmetrical (not
crossed). Lower leg (from knees down) position doesn’t seem to
affect symmetry (crossing is okay).
Head and eyes: Monitor should be positioned so eyes are looking
straight ahead and neck straight, not bent too far forward or back.
From: http://www.cwu.edu/~setc/ldtech/docs/Keyboarding_Techniques.pdf
5. Index fingers: F and J
We are going to begin on the "Home Row", learning
the F and J keys with your index fingers. Notice the raised
bumps on these keys. These bumps allow you to find the
home row without looking down at your keyboard. Use
one of your thumbs for the space bar where spaces are
needed.
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
6. Middle fingers: K and D
Now we are moving on to the D and K keys, using your
middle fingers.
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
7. Ring fingers: S and L
Time to practice S and L using your ring fingers.
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
8. Pinkie fingers: A and ; (semi colon)
Using your pinkie finger you will now learn
the A and ; keys.
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
9. Index fingers: G and H
The last letters of the Home Row require a small movement
of your index fingers. Important: Always return your
fingers to their start positions after typing a different letter!
For now, that means return to the F and J keys.
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
10. Now we are going to mix in all the Home Row keys. Really
focus on remembering which fingers hit which keys, and
DO NOT look down at your fingers!
(From http://www/typingweb.com)
11. Continue to work through the exercises (there are 13 of
them) until you reach the congratulations screen. If you run
out of time today, you can catch up anytime before next
week’s Typing II class. The remaining exercises stress
patterns, repetition, and ensuring you are using the correct
hand/finger for each key on the keyboard. If you want to
redo any exercise for practice, you easily can! If you have
any questions between today and next week, you can reach
me at astroud@mcpl.info.
Next week, you will learn about the top row of the
keyboard (The letters: qwertyuiop)
