Keyboarding Skills

The most popular text-based input method is the keyboard. Typically, a keyboard
has more than 100 keys. An individual symbol is assigned to each key on a
keyboard. It enables the computer to accept alphabets, numbers, and symbols.
The touch method of typing is a way to type without looking at the keys to locate
them. Through muscle memory the touch typist is aware of where each key is on
the keyboard. The eight fingers are normally arranged in a horizontal row down
the middle of the keyboard during touch typing (the home row).

Types of keys

A computer keyboard contains the following types of keys –

Alphanumeric keys – All of the alphabet (A-Z) and numbers (0-9) on the
keyboard.

Punctuation keys – All of the keys associated with punctuation, such as the
comma (,), period (.), semicolon (;), brackets ([]), and parenthesis ({ }) and so on.
Also, all of the mathematical operators such as the plus sign (+), minus sign (-),
and equal sign (=).

Alt key – Short for Alternate, this key is like a second control key.

Arrow keys – There are four arrow keys to move the cursor (or insertion point)
up (↑), down (↓), right (→), or left (←). Arrow keys can be used in conjunction
with the

Shift or Alt keys – To move the cursor in more than one position at a time.

Backspace key – Deletes the character just to the left of the cursor (or insertion
point) and moves the cursor to that position.

Caps Lock key – It is a toggle key, which when activated, causes all alphabetic
characters to be uppercase.

Ctrl key – The control key is used in conjunction with other keys to produce
control characters. The meaning of each control character depends on which
program is running.
Delete key – The Del key deletes the character at the current cursor position, or
the selected object, but does not move the cursor. For graphics-based
applications, the delete key deletes the character to the right of the insertion
point.

Enter key or Return key – It is used to enter commands or to move the cursor
to the beginning of the next line.

Esc key – The Escape key is used to send special codes to devices and to exit
(or escape) from programs and tasks.

Function keys – Special keys labelled F1 to F12. These keys have different
meaning depending on which program is running.

Numeric keypad

This keypad is just like a basic calculator. Typically, it is situated on the right side
of the computer keyboard. It has the digits 0 through 9, as well as the symbols for
addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/), a decimal point (.),
Num Lock, and Enter.

A numeric keypad may function in dual mode as well. In one mode, it displays
numbers, while in the other, it has a variety of keys, including arrow and page up
and down keys. The two modes can be switched between using NumLock.

Home keys

Alphabets ASDF are home keys for the left hand and; (semi-colon) LKJ for the
right hand.

Guide keys

The keys “F” and “J” on a keyboard are referred to as left and right hand guide
keys, respectively. Both have a tiny raised tactile mark that the touch typist can
use to position their fingertips accurately on the home keys.

Typing and deleting text

For typing text in a document you should

click on the letters on the keyboard.

For deleting text in a document you should

use the backspace key or the delete key. The backspace key will remove text
from behind (to the left of) your cursor position.

For typing numbers in a document you should

use the numbers lock or the numbers on the second row of keys on the
keyboard.

Typing capital letters

To type capital letters, switch ON the Caps Lock by pressing the key before
typing.

Typing symbols

Press and hold the key and then press the key with the required symbol. There
are two Shift keys on the keyboard.

Typing sentences

To get space between typed words, press the space bar once and then type the
next word.

Creating new lines and spaces between paragraphs

The Enter or return key is used to create new lines and spaces between
paragraphs.

Pointing devices

Mouse

The three main components of a mouse are its buttons, handling area, and
rolling object. The mouse is set up by default to work with the right hand. People
who are left-handed can adjust the settings as necessary.
Mouse operations

While each mouse uses a different mechanical mechanism, they all complete the
same task. To detect mouse motion, some of them employ a tracking ball at the
bottom, while others use a certain sort of light beam.

Working properties of Mouse

 Click or left click – It is used to select an item. Press down once on the
left button with your index finger.
 Double click – It is used to start a program or open a file or trigger an
action.
 Right click – It is used to display a set of commands and available
options.
 Drag and drop – It enables the selection and relocation of an object from
one place to another. Place the mouse pointer over an object, then drag it
by holding down the mouse’s left side.
 Scroll – Use the scroll wheel on the mouse to move the page on the
screen up or down.
 Blocking – Another method of selecting text is blocking. It is applied to
text that has to be formatted or altered. Hold down the left button while
clicking at the start of the phrase or sentence to highlight it in black as you
drag the text. Release the left button after the text or sentence has
finished.
Typing ergonomics
The logistical support for efficient and effective typing is provided by typing
ergonomics. To achieve and maintain accuracy and speed, they are crucial.
Some of these contributing factors are listed below.

Sitting posture

Sit upright and slightly bend your neck forward while using the keyboard.
Examine your seating posture and comfort. Touch the lowest part of the chair’s
backrest with the lower part of your back. Put both feet on the ground.

Position of hands

Put your hands down and your forearms level with the keyboard. Straighten your
wrists and let your elbows hang freely. Avoid touching your elbows to your body
and staying too far away. Bend with a 90-degree angle about it.
Monitor placement

When using a monitor, avoid bending your neck and keep the screen’s upper
border at eye level. The size of the screen affects how far away it is from the
user. Keep a distance of roughly 60-65 cm for a 17-inch screen.

Mouse and keyboard placement

Maintaining a 20 cm gap between the keyboard and mouse will aid in the
keyboard’s fluid and seamless operation. The users can work more easily if their
elbows, keyboard, and mouse are all the same height.

Chair and table placement

Set the computer table and chair at the ideal height. The computer user’s chair
needs to support his or her lower back.

Placement of matter to be typed

Put the text to be typed on the sloping surface of a copy holder, preferably to the
left or right of the keyboard.

Positioning of fingers on the keyboard

Allocation of keys to fingers

The keyboard learning process starts from the second row (Home Row) followed
by the Third Row (Upper Row), First Row (Bottom Row) and the Fourth Row
(Number Row).

Allocation of keys to fingers on the second row (home row)

Place four fingers of each hand on Home Keys . The remaining two keys ‘g’ and
‘h’ on the second row are operated by the forefingers (Index Finger) of left and
right hand, respectively.

Allocation of keys to fingers on the third row (upper row)

Learning the key-reaches from the Home Row to the row above it is the next
phase. The reaches from “a” to “q” by the left hand little finger and from “;” to “p”
by the right hand little finger serve as the foundation for learning. The third
fingers (sometimes known as the “Ring fingers”) are then placed on top of the
adjacent “w” and “o” keys, and so on.

Allocation of keys to fingers on the first row (bottom row)

After learning how to operate keys on Home Row and Third Row, the next step is
to learn how to operate keys
on the First Row. Keys Z, X, C, V, B, N, M, Comma, Full Stop and ‘/’ sign are
located on this row

Allocation of keys to fingers on the Fourth Row (Number Row)

In this row, type 1, 2, 3 with little, ring and middle 9fingers of the left hand,
respectively, and 4 and 5 with
the index finger (forefinger). Similarly type 0, 9, 8 with little, ring and middle
fingers of right hand, respectively,
7 and 6 with index finger (forefingers).

Using numeric keypad

Efficient and effective use of numeric keypad is important in numeric data entry.
The numeric keypad has four
columns and five rows. The row which has 4, 5, 6 and + is called Home Row.
This is the row which is initially practiced by a touch typist.

Successful keyboarding tips

The following points may be kept in mind for successful keyboarding
techniques.

 Press the keys with feather touch and do not put undue pressure.
 Rest your fingers on Home row while typing.
 Allow your fingers to fall naturally on the keys so that each rests on top of
the next key along the
same horizontal row.
  While typing, release the key immediately as soon as you press it. Holding
the key for long time, will
repeatedly type the same character.
 Do not look at the keyboard while practicing.
 Press the keys with equal intervals of time in rhythm.
 Press the keys only with the fingers allotted for them.
 While pressing a key, say slowly pronounce the character on the key.
 Do not take any mental stress while typing.
 Secure typing ergonomics.
 Maintain patience if committed mistake at initial stage.
 Maintain a balance between speed and accuracy, as both are equally
important. Do not sacrifice
accuracy for speed.
 To gain mastery of computer keyboard, undertake repeated practice of
typewriting words, sentences, passages and figures without looking at the
keyboard.

Using typing software

There is a wide variety of free software available that has been specifically
designed to teach typing quickly and effectively.

Introduction to Rapid Typing Tutor

Rapid Typing Tutor is a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) designed to
learn typing skills on the computer.

Touch typing rules

1. The F, D, S, A, and J, K, L, ; keys (on a QWERTY keyboard) represent the

base position. Keyboards usually have small protrusions on the F and J
keys. They help your fingers locate the base position
2. Colour coding shows which finger should press each key (see the picture
above). The left index finger is reserved for all the red keys. The right index
finger is reserved for green keys, and so forth. Use the thumb of whichever
hand is more convenient for you to press the Space key.
3. The base position on the numeric pad is the number 5 key for the middle
finger, 4 for the index finger, and 6 for the ring finger. The numeric pad
simplifies and speeds up numerical data input.
 4. Uppercase letters and symbols appearing on keys in the numbers row are
typed by one hand with the little finger of the other hand holding down the
SHIFT key.
5. Do not look at the keyboard. Try to locate the right key with your fingers.

The colour indication is as follows:

• Green letters denote right inputs.
• Yellow letters stand for right inputs exceeding the acceptable timeframe.
• Red letters denote wrong inputs within the acceptable timeframe.
• Orange letters indicate wrong inputs that also exceed the acceptable timeframe
(it’s the worst result).

Working with lesson editor

Lesson Editor window is composed of the following controls –

 Taskbar which allows to select the keyboard layout and level of the lesson
to edit.
 Toolbar which includes Basic_lesson1 or lesson 2…., for inserting text.
 Navigation Tree which shows the existing courses and lesson hierarchy.
 Text Panel, an area where you can edit the text of the lesson currently
selected in the Navigation Tree.
 Lesson Metrics which displays the number and percentage of words,
characters, spaces and specific characters in the lesson.
 Keyboard, which is the virtual keyboard that highlights the characters used
in the currently selected lesson. You can customise its appearance in
the ‘Lesson’ section.

Calculating the typing speed

The typing speed can be measured with different accuracies, such as

 How many words are typed for a certain time period (the least accurate)?
 How many characters are typed for a certain time period?
 How many keystrokes are made for a certain time period (the most
accurate)?
Also there are

 Simple speed (Gross speed)

  Net speed (takes into account the errors)
A student typed 240 characters per 2 min with errors in 20 characters.
Simple speed = 240 characters / 2 min = 120 cpm
Net speed = 120 cpm – ( 20 errors / 2 min ) = 100 net cpm

Overall rating (%) = ( Net speed / Course goal: Speed)

*100% where:
• Net speed is Net WPM, Net CPM or Net KPM, the value depends on the current
options
• Course goal: Speed is customised in the options for each course

On the Error tab you can view your detailed statistics for the current lesson.
This tab shows your errors and delays percentage both in the graphical and table
view. This will help you to better understand which letters are still hard for you to
type.
You can switch between the Errors in percent chart (by clicking the button just
below the tabs) and Delay in percent chart (by clicking the button).
On the bar chart, the X-axis corresponds to the letters used in the lesson, while
the Y-axis shows the errors or delays related to each letter. If there aren't any
errors and delays for a certain character, it won't show up on the chart.

Extra=
In our day-to-day communication, it is observed that most of the communication
is done using body movements (face, arms, movements, etc.) and voice control
(voice, tone, pauses, etc.). Non-verbal communication makes our message
stronger. Using the right gestures while speaking makes our message more
effective. Knowing non-verbal communication helps us understand our audience’s
reaction and adjust our behavior or communication accordingly.
visual communication, which involves sending and understanding messages only
through images or pictures. The main advantage of this type of communication is
that you do not need to know any particular language for understanding it
Questions that can be answered with a “yes” or a “no” are called close-ended
question. That is because the answer options are limited or closed. For example,
when we ask “Do you have a TV at home?”, the answer could be either “Yes” or
“No”.
Sometimes, when we ask a question, we expect an answer with more details. For
example when we ask “What do you like to watch on TV?”, the answer could be “I
like to watch movies on TV.” These are called open-ended questions because
their answer options are not limited or closed. In this case, the person could have
also said sports, news, or anything else.

Factor How the factor can become a barrier

Language In case of use of incorrect words, unfamiliar language and lack of detail, language can
act as a barrier to communicating what one wishes to convey. For example, language can act as
a barrier when an Indian who only knows Hindi and Chinese who has the knowledge of
Mandarin only want to interact with each other.
Visual Perception- Visual perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of what we see through
our eyes. For example, completing partially drawn pictures with visual perception whereas they
may be something else.
Past Experience Letting our earlier experiences stop us from understanding or communicating
clearly. For example, “This shopkeeper cheated me last time. Let me be careful or “I scored low
marks in my Maths exam, so I am scared to ask and answer questions in class.”
Prejudice Fixed ideas, such as thinking “No one in my class likes me” may stop a student from
communicating openly in the class.
Feelings Our feelings and emotions, such as lack of interest or not trusting the other person
affect communication. For example “I am not feeling well, therefore, I don’t want to talk.”
Environment Noise or disturbance in the surroundings may make communication difficult.
Example, talking to a friend in a function where there is loud music being played by the
orchestra.
Personal factors- Personal factors include your own feelings, habits and ways of thinking. For
example, fear, and low confidence may make communication difficult.
Culture Signs’ which have a different meaning in different cultures, such as showing a thumb
may mean ‘good job’ done for some people but may be insulting to others