how to learn to touch type

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Unlocking the Potential of Touch Screens in Education and Learning Environments

In recent years, touch screens have become an integral part of our daily lives. From smartphones and tablets to interactive displays, this technology has revolutionized the way we interact with digital content. One area where touch screens are making a significant impact is in education and learning environments. In this article, we will explore how touch screens are unlocking new opportunities for students and educators alike.

Enhancing Engagement and Interactivity

One of the key advantages of touch screens in education is their ability to enhance engagement and interactivity. Traditional teaching methods often rely on passive learning, where students absorb information without actively participating in the process. However, touch screens provide a hands-on experience that encourages active learning.

With touch screen devices, students can directly interact with educational content, whether it’s solving math problems or exploring virtual simulations. This level of engagement helps to capture students’ attention and keep them focused on the subject matter. By offering a more interactive learning experience, touch screens create an environment that promotes curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Facilitating Collaborative Learning

Collaboration is an essential skill for success in today’s interconnected world. Touch screens offer a unique opportunity for fostering collaborative learning among students. With multi-touch capabilities, multiple users can simultaneously interact with the same screen, encouraging teamwork and cooperation.

Imagine a classroom where students can work together on a group project by brainstorming ideas on a shared touch screen display. They can easily annotate documents, drag-and-drop elements, or even work on separate parts of the project simultaneously. This collaborative approach not only enhances communication skills but also promotes peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing.

Personalized Learning Experiences

Every student has unique learning needs and preferences. Touch screen technology allows for personalized learning experiences tailored to individual students’ abilities and interests. Adaptive software applications can be used to assess each student’s progress in real-time and adjust the difficulty level or content accordingly.

For example, a touch screen learning app can adapt its lessons based on a student’s performance, offering additional challenges for advanced learners or providing extra support for struggling students. This personalized approach ensures that students are receiving the right level of instruction and support, leading to improved learning outcomes.

Access to a World of Resources

One of the most significant advantages of touch screens in education is the access they provide to a vast array of digital resources. With just a few taps on a touch screen device, students can explore educational apps, e-books, videos, and online libraries. This wealth of resources goes beyond what traditional textbooks can offer.

Touch screens also enable students to connect with experts around the world through video conferencing or virtual field trips. They can engage in discussions with professionals in various fields or explore different cultures and perspectives. This global connectivity broadens students’ horizons and fosters a deeper understanding of the world around them.

In conclusion, touch screens have immense potential in education and learning environments. By enhancing engagement and interactivity, facilitating collaborative learning, personalizing experiences, and providing access to a world of resources, touch screens are transforming traditional classrooms into dynamic hubs of knowledge and exploration. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial for educators to embrace these advancements and unlock the full potential that touch screens offer for the future of education.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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How to Teach Yourself to Touch Type

Last Updated: September 2, 2023 References

Navigating the Keyboard

Practicing your finger placements, honing your skills.

This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman . Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 345,556 times.

Touch typing, or the ability to type quickly without looking at the keyboard, can help take your productivity to the next level. This skill can seem pretty daunting if you don’t have a lot of computer experience, but it’s easy to get the hang of with enough practice. Focus on learning the basics first, and then you can gradually type more quickly!

• If you have poor posture, you may have more difficulty typing.
• It may help to use a wrist pad to support your hands. Many typists also prefer to keep their feet propped up on a footrest.

• You can identify the home row by finding the lifted ridges on the “F” and “J” keys.
• On your left hand, place your pinky finger on the “A” key; your ring finger onto the “S” key; your middle finger onto the “D” key; and your pointer finger onto the “F” key.
• On your right hand, place your pinky finger onto the semicolon key; your ring finger onto the “L” key; your middle finger onto the “K” key; and your pointer finger onto the “J” key.

• Don’t worry—it can be difficult to memorize all of the finger placements at first. As you practice, you’ll be able to memorize the different placements more accurately!

• Practice slowly moving your fingers up a row, and then moving them back to the home row.
• Your left pinky will touch “Q” and “1,” your left ring finger will touch “W” and “2,” your middle finger will touch “E” and “3,” and your left pointer finger will touch “R,” “T,” “4,” and “5.”
• Your right pointer finger will touch “Y,” “U,” “6,” and “7,” your middle finger will touch “I” and “8,” your ring finger will touch “O” and “9,” and your right pinky will touch “P” and “0.”

• For reference, your left pinky will tap the “Z” key, your left ring finger will tap the “X” key, your left middle finger will touch the “C” key, and your left pointer finger will touch the “V” and “B” keys.
• On your right hand, our right pointer finger will touch the “N” and “M” keys, your middle finger will touch the “comma” key, your ring finger will touch the “period” key, and your pinky will touch the backslash button.

• You may prefer using a certain thumb to press the spacebar, which is totally normal!

• For instance, you can type “FFFF,” “DDDD,” “SSSS,” and “AAAA” one after the other.
• You can also try combinations like “FADS,” “JKL;,” “AFDS,” and “;LKJ.”

• For example, you can type words like “deer,” “reed,” and “freed” to practice, or made-up words like “jiku,” “julu,” or “ikiu.”

• For instance, you can type something like “fg” or “ft,” or something like “jhjkik” or “huhi.”

• For example, you can type out things like “ffds,” “fdsdf,” jhyhj,” “klol,” and “jklkjyj.”

• For instance, you can type words like “oven,” “tent,” “them,” “fiver,” “boney,” and “mousey.”

• You can write a variety of different words to help you get the hang of these finger movements. For instance, type words like “farmer,” “frame,” “trumpet,” “arrange,” “mixes,” “zigzag,” and “lazy.”

• With regular practice, you’ll notice your typing speed increase over time!

• You can set up two or three 10-minute practice sessions for yourself each day, or figure out another schedule that works well for you. Whatever you do, choose a training schedule that feels manageable!

• For instance, sites like “Typing Club,” “KeyBR,” and “Typing Academy” are all great places to get started.

• For instance, games like Dance Mat Typing are great starting points.

Community Q&A

Video . By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

• As you learn to type faster, you may notice that you prefer to use different fingers for different letters. Do not feel forced to use the "assigned" fingers with each letter. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• When typing keep your back straight and your head facing the screen. No peeking at the keys! Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Don't look down! Use a small towel such as a tea towel to put over your hands to prevent yourself looking at where the keys are. Remember to keep your eyes on the screen and go ahead! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Don't press the keys too hard - it's not good for the keyboard if you bash away at them! Press lightly! Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 4
• It’s really important to maintain the proper posture while you type, especially if you plan on typing for long periods of time. If you don’t use the proper posture, you could end up straining yourself. [23] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=hw200906
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169
• ↑ https://www.lfpl.org/jobshop/docs/keyboarding-tipsheet.pdf
• ↑ http://www.typing-lessons.org/preliminaries_4.html
• ↑ https://www.readandspell.com/us/finger-placement-for-typing
• ↑ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2S3lhm8LaZo&t=2m31s
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-4
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-1a
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-1b
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-2a
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-2b
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-3
• ↑ https://www.learntyping.org/beginner-typing-lesson-5
• ↑ https://www.typing.com/student/lesson/384/paragraph-practice
• ↑ Luigi Oppido. Computer & Tech Specialist. Expert Interview. 31 July 2019.
• ↑ https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/i-learned-to-touch-type-at-the-ripe-old-age-of-29-was-it-worth-it-112ef2150fec/
• ↑ https://www.readandspell.com/us/teach-yourself-to-type
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2f9j6/articles/z3c6tfr

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Learn how to touch type

Touch typing is all about the idea that each finger has its own area on the keyboard. Thanks to that fact you can type without looking at the keys. Practice regularly and your fingers will learn their location on the keyboard through muscle memory.

Home row position

Curve your fingers a little and put them on the ASDF and JKL; keys which are located in the middle row of the letter keys. This row is called HOME ROW because you always start from these keys and always return to them.

F and J keys under your index fingers should have a raised line on them to aide in finding these keys without looking.

Keyboard scheme

The color-coded keyboard under lesson input field will help you to understand which finger should press each key.

• Hit keys only with the fingers for which they have been reserved.
• Always return to the starting position of the fingers "ASDF – JKL;".
• When typing, imagine the location of the symbol on the keyboard.
• Establish and maintain a rhythm while typing. Your keystrokes should come at equal intervals.
• The SHIFT key is always pressed by the pinky finger opposite to the one hitting the other key.
• Use the thumb of whichever hand is more convenient for you to press the Space bar.

This method may seem inconvenient at first, but do not stop, eventually, you'll find out that you are typing quickly, easily, and conveniently. To achieve the maximum result, choose a touch typing course for your keyboard layout and in the desired language.

Fingers motion

Don't look at the keys when you type. Just slide your fingers around until they find the home row marking.

Typing speed

Do not rush when you just started learning. Speed up only when your fingers hit the right keys out of habit. Take your time when typing to avoid mistakes. The speed will pick up as you progress .

Always scan the text a word or two in advance. Pass all typing lessons at Ratatype. It will help you to get above the average typing speed .

Take care of yourself

Take a break if you feel that you get distracted easily and are making a lot of mistakes . It is more productive to come back when you feel refreshed.

Psst! You could have more fun with groups . Invite your friends for collective studies and competitions. Groups work well for teachers too. And don’t forget to try the game mode  ;)

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Touch typing

This resource will explain touch typing, and detail how to begin training yourself to touch type.

What is touch typing?

Touch typing is typing without looking at the keyboard. The fundamental idea is that each finger is given its own section of the keyboard and your fingers learn the location of the keyboard through practicing regularly and gaining muscle memory to eventually build up speed whilst typing.

Getting started with touch typing

Sitting posture to type.

• Sit straight with your back straight, feet firmly touching the ground and with both elbows bent at the right angle.
• The screen is to be tilted upward allowing you to face the screen with your head slightly tilted forward.
• Keep a distance of 45-70cm between your eyes and the screen.
• Prevent strain of the shoulders, arms and wrist muscles by allowing the wrists to touch the tabletop in front of the keyboard. Never shift your body weight to your wrists by resting on them.

Home row position

The home row is a section of the keyboard that is central to all the other keys (see image below). Positioning your fingers over the home row allows you to more easily reach the other keys on the keyboard. When touch typing, returning your fingers to what is referred to as the ‘ home row position ’ will assist you to type without looking at the keyboard.

To find the home row position:

• Locate the elevated “tabs”, without looking down, on the F and J keys. Place your left index finger on the F key, and your right index finger on the J key.
• Then place the fingers on your left hand on the A, S, D and F keys and the fingers on your right hand on the J, K, L and ; keys.
• Your fingers are now in the home row position.

Keyboard layout

Each of your fingers has a specific area of the keyboard to cover, as shown in the image below. As you can see, your index, middle and ring fingers move either up or down from their home position, your thumb covers the space bar, and your pinky fingers cover the rest (both the green and dark blue keys).

To train yourself to touch type, you should always use the right fingers for the right keys, and return them to the home position when you have finished.

Tips for touch typing

• Do not give in and look at the keys if you get stuck. Just slide your fingers around until they find the elevated ‘tabs’ on the F and J keys and re-position your fingers into the home row position.
• Limit your hand and finger movement only to what is necessary to press a specific key by keeping your hands and fingers close to the base position. This will not only improve speed it will also reduce stress on the hands.
• Typing in a rhythm will aid you when touch typing, like you are playing a piano.
• Pay greater attention to the ring and pinky fingers when training, as they are considerably underdeveloped and undertrained.
• Take your time when you are learning to touch type. Only speed up when your fingers hit the right keys out of habit and it will progress with practice.

Further resources

• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Practice Touch Typing

Sick of hunt-and-peck? Here’s how to touch-type like a pro

With a little practice, consistency, and some accessible tools, you can teach yourself to use the home row, type without looking, and improve your speed..

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As a kid, I started typing by tapping in cheat codes on ’90s PC games like Doom and Rise of the Triad , but it wasn’t until the covid pandemic that I finally ditched my awkward hunt-and-peck technique and learned touch typing. 

If you don’t know how to touch type, there are very approachable ways you can learn on your own. You may think you do just fine ham-fisting your way through the keys, but with a little effort, you can learn to type faster, use your fingers more ergonomically, and rarely have to take your eyes off your screen as you clackity-clack-clack-clack along.

• The best mechanical keyboards to buy right now
• How to remap a keyboard on a Mac
• I’ve used Dvorak for 10 years, and I’m here to tell you it’s not all that

If you’ve been relying on only a few fingers to type, it’s going to take some time to adjust and get those idle digits cracking along. At first, you may type as slow as molasses while you learn what fingers are responsible for what keys, but that’s okay. Even if you start off at 20 words per minute, it’s key to focus on accuracy and building that new muscle memory from the ground up. Just like playing a musical instrument, hit the right notes first — then do it faster.

Touch typing begins with anchoring your fingers on the home row. On a QWERTY layout keyboard, that involves resting your left fingers on A, S, D, and F while your right digits are on J, K, L, and semicolon. Both thumbs should hover over / rest on the space bar. Do you feel a little raised bump, nub, or other signifier on the F and J keys? Most keycaps have some tactile accent making these two keys feel different. That’s how you find these important keys to anchor your index fingers and let the rest fall into place, even without looking.

It’s easy to get started with different kinds of training apps (the majority of which are free) that simplify the typing experience and even make it fun. In this article, I’ll first walk you through a variety of options for you to try and then add some dos and don’ts that should get you learning new finger muscle memory to make you much, much faster.

My favorite typing apps

When it comes to free resources for learning how to touch-type, I highly recommend using Keybr on a desktop browser. This site automatically builds typing lessons for you by measuring your initial skill (accuracy and speed) and generates practice lessons that focus first on the most frequently used letters. It then slowly ramps up with more letters to type and fingers to use. You’ll be typing a mix of real words and fake words that follow familiar-looking phonetic structures, so it works your fingers without abstracting away all semblance of language.

By making an account with Keybr (via email, Google, or Facebook sign-ins), you can save your progress and pick up where you left off. Keybr also offers a premium account for a one-time $10 purchase that removes ads and disables ad trackers, though the on-page ads are not very invasive.

The key to using Keybr, just like any typing tool, is consistency. Keep practicing daily and the program will work you through all the keys before you know it. Once you’ve “unlocked” all the keys, keep forging ahead and focusing on accuracy. Your speed will slowly go up over time.

And then, just when you start to get some confidence, try turning on capital letters and punctuation in Keybr’s settings. I assure you, it will suck at first, but you gotta learn those shift keys eventually. Best practice dictates that you should use the pinky finger of the opposite hand that’s typing the capital letter, but in reality, I’m sure many of us slip on that fine detail. 

I don’t love that Keybr adds capitalization and punctuation to every single word when you enable those settings, but you can always switch it off when you want to pivot back to focusing on character speed. Plus, once you start feeling generally comfortable touch typing without looking, you can always switch from Keybr to another program that incorporates more real-world use of caps and symbols.

Once you start getting the hang of touch typing, the site that I continuously return to is Monkeytype. Monkeytype is the sleekest, most customizable type tester I’ve come across. Its clean interface allows you to load it up and hammer out some phrases in a matter of seconds, or you can dive into the options and custom-tailor something unique. The site has all kinds of cool templates and styles for you to customize. You can test based on time or phrase length, and you can also choose to incorporate punctuation, capitalization, longer or shorter passages, or extra-hard parameters — like failing if you make a single mistake or dip below a words-per-minute threshold. You can even load up randomly generated tests that pull from movie, book, and TV quotes.

Really, there’s a lot of fun stuff to tinker with on Monkeytype, ranging from the color layout to weird graphical effects that may test your threshold for motion sickness as much as your typing.

Want to practice typing while reading classics by George Orwell, Dante Alighieri, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and more? TypeLit.io has dozens of books for you to practice typing with, like The War of the Worlds or Sense and Sensibility . There’s even William Strunk Jr.’s The Elements of Style , so you can learn 1920s-era American-English writing style while you type.

This may be a bit of a novelty, but it’s a charming take on typing practice. It offers thousands of pages of actual literary text, which makes for some good exercises.

Typing Trainer

Brace yourself for some antiquated design and graphics. Typing Trainer may look like the cheesy programs we used as kids, but it’s still an effective learning tool. You can work your way through a series of courses from the very beginning or jump into some timed tests.

Typing Trainer also has some browser games you can play, where you can race a car or blast alien spaceships by, you guessed it, typing. They’re pretty basic, with an early-2000s flash game aesthetic, but they’re a fun distraction to practice with.

Mario Teaches Typing

Many of us olds might remember the 1992 DOS classic Mario Teaches Typing , made for Nintendo by Interplay. You can now play the whole game free in your browser courtesy of the Internet Archive. It’s very dated and probably not the best way to learn today since it’s stuck in the old ways of grueling and unrelenting repetition using lots of individual letters and repeated sequences, but it’s worth it for a laugh and the nostalgia trip. Fun fact: this was the first game where Mario spoke, and the voice lines are hilariously bad, sounding like they’re trying the Italian-American accent thing way too hard.

Plus, there’s a writing prompt about the American Civil War that seems to downplay the significance of slavery in the cause of the war. So, yeah, be prepared for some problematic stuff buried in there.

Epistory - Typing Chronicles

Epistory - Typing Chronicles is a charming Steam-based action-adventure game with a papercraft aesthetic that uses typing to activate the powers of your fox-riding protagonist and fight monsters while exploring a fantasy world. I find Epistory to be a little dry at times, but it’s a pretty game, and I admire its fun twist on the typing genre. It’s a novel way to practice once you’ve started getting the hang of touch typing, and if you enjoy it, there’s even a sequel due out soon.

The Typing of the Dead: Overkill

This is an on-rails shooter spinoff of the House of the Dead games, where typing words fires bullets at zombies. The Typing of the Dead: Overkill is a visceral experience that’s good for a cheap thrill while typing, though it shows some of its 2010s-era cringe with campy jokes and characters that lean on tired stereotypes. It’s like a C-movie video game with B-level typing, but I can’t help myself from enjoying it and recommending it.

More tips for learning touch-typing skills

Having gone through this learning process myself and being a bit of a nerd for mechanical keyboards (the two often go hand-in-hand), here’s some further advice and best practices on developing your touch-typing expertise.

• Practice regularly. Ideally, once a day.
• Turn practicing into a regular routine or habit, like starting your day with it while drinking your morning coffee.
• Test yourself with capital letters, punctuation, and even numbers. Real-world typing isn’t just lowercase letters!
• Look ahead to the next word on a typing prompt. You type faster when you know what’s coming next. Think of it like Tetris .
• Use the same methods for learning alternate keyboard layouts like Dvorak and Colemak. Sites like Keybr and Monkeytype offer training in all of them, though QWERTY is the default. 
• Use your newfound love of typing as an excuse to get into mechanical keyboards. Sure, they won’t help you type faster, but they sound and look cool, and it’s a fun rabbit hole to dive into.
• Don’t get impatient about getting faster.
• Don’t ignore your typos. If a type trainer allows you to backspace and fix mistakes, you should do that to build the habit.
• Don’t overdo the training. Your fingers can get overworked, and practicing too much in one sitting yields diminishing returns. Just like when you exercise, recovery and rest are important, too. You’ll probably be slightly faster when you pick it up the next day.
• Don’t be elitist about typing. Just because you know how to touch-type doesn’t mean you get to judge others for not knowing or for typing slowly. Sometimes people online use Words Per Minute (WPM) as a measure of people’s worth or as a way of gatekeeping, and that’s just not cool. Instead, be welcoming and encourage others to get into it if they’re interested.

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• Typing test
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Welcome to Touch Typing Study!

Keyboard layout.

How To Type

Free typing lessons, typing practice and typing tests., learn how to type with how-to-type.com, typing lessons, learn to type.

Graduate from hunt-and-peck to touch typing mastery with our complete course of free touch typing lessons.

• Capital Letters
• Punctuation

Typing Practice

Practice typing.

Practice is the key to developing excellent typing skills. Make it fun by typing great quotes from great books!

Typing Tests

Typing speed tests.

Evaluate your skills and measure your progress by taking a typing test.

How to Type: 5 Tips for Faster Typing

Learn to touch type..

If you don’t know how to touch type, this is where you need to start. Having the ability to type without looking at the keyboard is the most important factor in achieving a fast typing speed. Even if you have memorized many of the keys, unfamiliar keys will slow you down just like speed bumps on the freeway. Taking your eyes off the screen to peek at the keyboard disrupts your focus and costs you time. You want to be able to keep your eyes on the screen and your fingers moving to the correct keys without thinking. Achieving this kind of flow takes practice. The better you can do it, the faster you will be. Read on to learn how.

Aim for accuracy rather than speed.

It does not matter how fast you type if you have to go back and fix all your mistakes. Fixing mistakes takes more time than it does to just slow down and take the time you need to type accurately. Fast typing depends on developing precision muscle memory. Allowing yourself to type incorrectly will actually reinforce your bad habits and common mistakes! Slow your typing pace until you can attain 100% accuracy. If you come across a difficult word, slow down further to type it properly. Develop good habits and speed will be your reward.

Practice typing exercises regularly.

Mastering typing skills takes training and practice. Practice typing on a regular schedule, 10 minutes to an hour per session, depending on your energy and focus level. Practice won’t make perfect if it is half-hearted and full of mistakes, so is important that you practice your typing exercises at a time and place where you can maintain focus and accuracy. Eliminate any potential distractions. If you find yourself making lots of errors, slow down and find a way to regain your focus or call it a day. The goal of practicing is to build muscle memory. Be consistent and mindful in your practice and you will avoid bad habits and mistakes.

Minimize your physical effort.

The less work your fingers do to press the keys the faster you will be able to move them. Most keyboards require only a light touch to register a key stroke, so there is no need to mash the keys down. Type with the minimum force necessary. You will type faster, longer and with greater ease. Typing involves muscles not only in your fingers, but in your hands, arms, back, shoulders, neck and head.

Learn the entire keyboard.

You may have enough experience typing to know most of the common keys - the letters, the space bar, enter, and I’ll bet you know that backspace! But you might be uncomfortable with some of the keys you don’t use as frequently. Do you have to slow down and look at the keyboard to type a number or symbol? If you program or work with spreadsheets you will use the symbol keys frequently. If you are a gamer there are probably CTRL, ALT and function keys that you fumble for in the heat of the battle. In fact, most all programs can be used more productively with effectively use of key combo shortcuts. Hitting these awkward keys and combos accurately allows you to maintain focus on what you are doing, so make sure you include them in your typing practice.

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