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Dirctory of e-News About One Hand Typing and Keyboarding
HomeType with One Hand on
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March - About One Hand Typing and Keyboarding Monthly e-NewsletterIn This Issue: 1 ) Drop Down Racks and The One Hand Typist **************************************************************************** DROP-DOWN RACKS Drop-down racks for the keyboard are terrific! I could not get through a full day at work without one. Do get one if you can. However, many of these desks with keyboard racks assume you only want space for a normal keyboard centered in front of your body. They have room for your legs only just below the drop-drown rack. A one-hand typist's body must be off set to the keyboard. The rack must allow us to offset our bodies to the side of the keyboard, or the keyboard needs to be off set to the side of us.
Right-Handed Typists and Drop-Down Keyboard Racks A right-handed typist slides the keyboard to off set to right side our bodies. Because of the calculator on the side of MOST keyboards, you need a rack long enough to allow it slide over quite a bit.
Five solutions for right-handed keyboarders are: 1. Move the screen and the chair over to the left of the rack. 2. Add additional holders. My keyboard hangs over the right side of my drop-down keyboard rack by about 8 inches. To hold it up, I have added two padded, plastic holders that sit on top of my drop-down keyboard rack (these holders were meant to raise the front of the keyboard and support the typist's wrists). In addition to lifting the front of my keyboard they support it, allowing me to slide over the edge of the rack. Before you buy a desk, experiment with sliding the keyboard. 3. Buy a left-handed keyboard so the numeric keypad will be on the left. This is more expensive than a standard keyboard. 4. Buy a space saving, or child size keyboard 5. Buy a keyboard with no numeric pad at all.
**************************************************************************** VOICE ACTIVATION SOFTWARE, and the One Hand Typist
What is Voice Activation Software? Using voice recognition software, the user speaks into a microphone, and the software transcribes the users words from the verbal dictation. The user must first spend time "training" the software to understand the users particular pronunciation.
Should the One Hand Typist Use It? Voice Activation is the wave of the future and a great tool when used AFTER a good understanding of the standard keyboard is learned. Otherwise the user is not able to operate in environments that use only common equipment, i.e., the library, the workplace, at play with friends, etc. Telling the one hand typist they can to use voice activation instead of learning touch typing on a keyboard, is like telling someone they do not need to learn to read, after all, there are plenty of audio books on tape. In the big picture, this would be a great disservice. So, first, become fast and efficent at one hand typing, then consider adaptations.
**************************************************************************** Typing, and The Young One Hand Typist There is an amazing controversy about having the very young typist - those 7 and under - learn correct hand positioning on the keyboard. Those opposed feel the young person's hand are much too small, and the strain too great. So, they are allowed to hunt and peck at will. Soon they are doing very well at hunting and pecking, perhaps 18 wpm. Plenty fast enough to get by. Unfortunately, they rarely will then learn touch typing, and excell upto 50, or 100 wpm. Once they have been trained in system, in this case hunt and peck, they just don't want to re-learn. I learned touch typing at 12, by 16 I was doing 100 page papers - because I could, because it was fun and easy (and I was doing it with one hand). Can you imagine a piano teacher telling a five year old student to just hunt and peck until they get older? I don't think so. The very young one hand typist does have a much harder task. It is a big keyboard for two young hands. It is unreasonably big for one young hand. I do strongly suggest a child size keyboard.
"By nature men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart." - Confucius
**************************************************************************** COMPUTER HUMOR ... A woman called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer. The tech asked her if she was "running it under Windows." The woman then responded, "No, my desk is next to the door. But that is a good point. The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his is working fine." ** Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up the Program Manager. Customer: "I don't have a 'P'." Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob." Customer: "What do you mean?" Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob." Customer: "I'm not going to do that!" **
Overheard in a computer shop: Customer: "I'd like a mouse mat, please." Salesperson: "Certainly sir, we've got a large variety." Customer: "But will they be compatible with my computer?"
**************************************************************************** DID YOU KNOW No Peeking! Touch-Typing Your goal is to learn the keyboard without looking, just by touch. That is what we mean by 'touch-typing.' Touch-typing is much faster than just "hunting and pecking" for the right keys. When your mind is busy hunting and peaking for the right key, it is very difficult to create! Touch-typing frees your mind to explore. Each finger has his own special keys, which he alone must learn, and take care of. Touch-typing means each finger must do his own job, without eyes helping him out. Your eyes have their own job. They need to be reading what you are typing, or watching the screen, to see what you type. But, that is hard! I need to look at the keys! Nonsense! Listen to my good friend, Dana LaMon. Dana is a World Champion speaker and Yale graduate. He is an African American, an attorney and a judge. I write books! I type out each thought. Typing is fantastic! I am able to use the keyboard to create messages of hope and courage for myself, and when I am lucky, for the people who enjoy my books. I have actually typed those books myself, and every one of my decisions as a judge. By the way, I have issued over 4100 decisions, that's a lot of typing! Learning to type was hard for me too, but only for a short time. I learned how to type when I was eight years old. Once you learn, a whole world of opportunity opens to you! You can do it!! - Dana LaMon, Administrative Law Judge Did I mention that Judge LaMon has been since totally blind since he was four years old? Tell me again why you need to look at the keys to type?
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