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Beginners Guide - Learning to Touch Type.If you have downloaded the Typing Master training system, congratulations! Here are a few extra tips that will assist you in attaining your touch type speed goals even faster! When I began learning how to touch type, it seemed like it would take forever to attain my target speed and accuracy - I wish I had this software back then!
The following tips I've formulated over years of touch typing and training others how to type, I hope you find them useful. 1. Safe and Comfortable Keyboarding.It is of the utmost importance that you are seated comfortably that your keyboard, chair and screen are positioned correctly. This will not only make learning to touch type more relaxing, but will prevent long term injuries from occurring. Click here to read our basic keyboarding safety guide 2. Hide the keyboard if you need toOne of the hardest habits to get out of is looking down at the keyboard, especially if you have previously been a "hunt and peck" typist. A good way to get out of this habit is to drape a cloth over your hands and keyboard. This will put you in the habit of looking at the Typing Master on-screen keyboard. Remember, the F and J keys have a small raised surface to help you orient to the home keys; bend your fingers slightly and your fingers should naturally fall over the home keys on the keyboard. The home key lessons in Touch Typing Now will have you automatically placing your fingers on the home keys without looking in no time at all! 3. Keep your fingers on the home keysWhen people are learning to type, there is a tendency for them to "lose" the home keys. This usually happens because learners move their entire hand to type a key, or because they don't return their finger to the home position immediately after a keypress. Ensure that you keep your fingers as close to the home position as possible and minimize your hand movements while you are learning. 4. Distractions and alertnessWhat time of the day do you function at your best? This is when you are more likely to retain what you learn. Choose a time if possible when you feel refreshed and there is a minimum of distraction. If you are using the software in a work environment, negotiate with your employer a "quiet" time of the day to dedicate to your studies - as your employer will directly benefit from your new skills, I'm sure they'll be happy to assist. 5. Finish each lesson, then try a typing testEnsure you allow at least 30 minutes for each lesson, that way you'll get the most out of Typing Master and be a confident typist within a shorter time of using the training system. After you finish each lesson, a great way to wind down is to test yourself, then check your statistics - the improvements you see will help to spur you on! 6. You're allowed to make mistakesLearning to type is all about making mistakes, so don't get discouraged if you hit the wrong key. Getting frustrated only slows the learning process and this is one typing course that is meant to be fun! The more enjoyable the lessons are, the faster you'll learn to speed type with accuracy! 7. Learn while you sleep!Sleep is an amazing teacher. While you are consciously learning to type and actively using the software, your brain is busy in the here and now. When you sleep, your brain tends to "put things in order". The keys you may be having trouble learning one day, may suddenly cause no problem to you the next day! Many people I have talked to about their time learning to touch type state that all of a sudden they knew how to do it - something clicked. The Typing Master software uses visual, auditory and kinetic strategies to assist in greatly accelerating this process. 8. Network with others learning to touch typePracticing in real life situations is a great way to further enhance your skills and build your confidence. Have one of your family members read out sections of a book so that you can practice your dictation typing, type out your shopping lists or anything else that you might usually write by hand.
We'd be really interested to hear about your experiences with this software, we're sure you're going to love it. If you would like to submit feedback, please click here. Don't forget to review our basic keyboarding safety page! Happy Typing!
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