There is a variety of touch typing courses available on the net. Some are paid and others free of cost. To have access to these sites, some courses have to be downloaded, for others software has to be installed and yet for others, it can be viewed online without any logging in. Some typing courses are designed to cater to the younger generations, others for adults and some others that educate both younger and older generation. One such website is dance mat typing course for kids.
Dance mat typing course is an animated, colorful and entertaining typing course designed for kids. It is an excellent course for beginners and even for those who are new to computer. It comprises of a series of twelve activities divided into four levels with three stages each. Each activity begins with a warm up and progresses into the left hand and right hand exercises. More importance is given to hand positioning and accuracy rather than the speed. Touch typing means to use all the ten fingers for typing without looking at the key board. It is a systematic approach to learning in a child-friendly way. Jungle animals guide the kids to learn to type, in an amusing cartoon-style computer game with music and dance. Clear instructions are easy for the kids to follow. Kids can use it without adult assistance.
The first step is to memorize the home row keys and how to position one’s fingers on these keys. After the first stage, the other stages are also dedicated in educating about other rows, numerals and all the other keys on the keyboard. The different levels means increase in difficulty, In each stage, the lessons are divided in such a way that the child learns letters and rows on the keyboard. As the stages increase the difficulty level also increases. In every new stage a new animal is introduced to the child to keep them interested. The bright design, graphics and sounds keeps kids interested and glued to the course. The students can learn on a continuous manner. They need not start from beginning everyday.
The best part of this course is that there is no need to download. You need not install any software to access this course online. The site uses Flash, if you do not have it, opt for the ‘Non-Flash’ version. There is no need of signing up or logging in.
It educates but in a fun way. It does not teach only about typing. The animals are different in each stage, this helps the child to know more about the animal kingdom. Each animal belongs to a different country. This helps the child to know the various accents of the world. All these factors, contribute to a better personality and IQ level in the child. It does not get tedious because of the entertainment factor.
Touch typing helps in typing faster and saves time. In modern age, where computers, laptop’s, smart phones are an integral part of life, typing is very important for all ages.