This is about an issue I have, but can not for a question that could be answered.

I sometimes have to teach touch typing as part of Digital Literacy. I like this idea, and I like doing these mini-classes (usually 10-15 minutes, within a 1 hour class). I get the pupils to put their jackets over their keyboards and hands, and look at the screen.

However I am in two minds about teaching querty. This keyboard layout was invented in the era of mechanical typewriters, to make the mechanics possible, and to avoid jamming. This layout is no longer needed; research shows that most people fail to learn to touch type on querty; better layouts exist, that are optimised for the human (as opposed the mechanics); and it is trivial to change the layout, on most devices. (You can not easily change what is printed on the keys, but when you touch type you do not look at the keys.)

The difficulty in choosing to teach a different layout is political, not technical. I have people tell me “Go with the flow, you can not change the world.” But this is a problem that does not need everyone else to change. I changed the layout on my account, no one else needs to be involved. There is a button in the tray, in case another teacher needs to use my account (though them using someone else's account would be in violation of the computer miss use act).

If I am the only teacher that teaches another layout, then I feel that I am doomed to fail, as there will be to much pressure from other teachers for the pupils to switch back to querty.

So I am wondering what should I do. Should I try to persuade the school that we should teach touch typing using a more optimal layout? Or should I just give up? Has any one got any experience with this?

I feel that if we can not change something as simple as this: benefit to the person that adopts the change; no need to convince anyone else. Then how can we change important things, such as $CO_2$ emissions.

Tags:

Digital-Literacy

This is about an issue I have, but can not form a question that could be answered.

I sometimes have to teach touch typing as part of Digital Literacy. I like this idea, and I like doing these mini-classes (usually 10-15 minutes, within a 1 hour class). I get the pupils to put their jackets over their keyboards and hands, and look at the screen.

However I am in two minds about teaching querty. This keyboard layout was invented in the era of mechanical typewriters, to make the mechanics possible, and to avoid jamming. This layout is no longer needed; research shows that most people fail to learn to touch type on querty; better layouts exist, that are optimised for the human (as opposed the mechanics); and it is trivial to change the layout, on most devices. (You can not easily change what is printed on the keys, but when you touch type you do not look at the keys.)

The difficulty in choosing to teach a different layout is political, not technical. I have people tell me “Go with the flow, you can not change the world.” But this is a problem that does not need everyone else to change. I changed the layout on my account, no one else needs to be involved. There is a button in the tray, in case another teacher needs to use my account (though them using someone else's account would be in violation of the computer miss use act).

If I am the only teacher that teaches another layout, then I feel that I am doomed to fail, as there will be to much pressure from other teachers for the pupils to switch back to querty.

So I am wondering what should I do. Should I try to persuade the school that we should teach touch typing using a more optimal layout? Or should I just give up? Has any one got any experience with this?

I feel that if we can not change something as simple as this: benefit to the person that adopts the change; no need to convince anyone else. Then how can we change important things, such as $CO_2$ emissions.

Tags:

Digital-Literacy