em Wetetireoniss The term touch keyboarding refers to the process of typing data into a computer without looking at the keyboard. When you are first learning to use the computer you should practise the correct ‘techniques for typing and using the keyboard. This will help you to ‘ype documents rapidly and accurately. Posture Review ergonomics in 1.6 to ensure your posture is correct. Note that, the keyboard should be flat and at or below the level of your elbow. Keyboarding techniques Use all of your fingers when typing. Lightly rest the fingers of your left hand on ASDF and the fingers of your right hand on ;LKJ. These are the home keys, The A key on the left and Function kays Special keys Lock lights semicolon key (;) on the right are called the guide keys. When the little fingers are over Numerickeys —\ \ y_. |__ the guide keys, itis easy for the other fingers to \ EER EEE) EEPREES): 2 find their respective home keys naturally. Strike ‘the space bar once with the right thumb to create a space after you have typed a group of letters or a word, Aim to type accurately without looking at the CET EEE EE Et | keyboard. Keep your eyes on the copy, that is, the text from which you are keyboarding. ‘You must practise consistently to attain the 7 Alphabetic keys AoW kes Figure 21.1 | The keyboard EXAM TIP The first question ow your Paper 2 examination. te a speed test. You will be & document at a rate of at least under exam conditions, tt is thevefore recommended that you ain to type 45 ras per minute under expected to accurately SS words per minute al conditions. keyboarding speed of 35 words per minute thet is required for this course, There is a speed ‘est included as the first practice exam question at the end of this Study Guide, to help you practise. The keys on the keyboard Before you can demonstrate competence in keyboarding, you must learn the positions and functions of the various keys (Figure 2.1.1) Locate the following keys on your own keyboard. The Escape key The Escape (Esc) key allows you to quit some of the tasks you are doing. The function keys The function keys are labelled F1 to F12. The program being used determines their purpose. For example, in Microsoft Word F1 opens the Help feature, Fd repeats the last action and F12 activates the Save option.Character keys ‘The character keys are displayed in the rows below the function keys. They consist of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and other symbols. The space bar is the longest key on the keyboard. Modifier keys The Caps Lock and Shift keys are called modifier keys because they modify or change the function of the character keys. They enable you to enter text in upper case (capital letters), for example ABC. If you want 2 single capital latter, hold Shift and press the letter key, then release both keys. The Shift key also enables you to type the symbols that are Gisplayed at the top of the number and punctuation mark keys. Use Caps Lock only if you want to type a large block of text in capital letters. When you have finished typing the block of text, press Caps Lock again to return to lower case. A light at the top right side of the keyhnard nr on the Caps Lock kay indicates whan Caps Lock is on Command keys The Ctrl and Alt keys are special command keys or system keys that you use in combination with other keys to perform specific tasks. For example, simultaneously pressing the Ctrl, Alt and Delete keys will allow you to lag of, lack, or change the password for the computer. For more information on these key combinations and their functions, see 3.1 and 4.2. Other important keys Table 2.1.1 shows other important keys that you should learn how to use. Table 2.1.1. Important keys and their uses Enter () | Moves cursor to a new line Backspace | Removes the character to the left of the cursor Delete | Removes the character to the right of the cursor Insert Changes the computer to overwrite mode, so that existing lext is replaced as new tent Is yped Tab Moves the cursor to the right of the page in large jumps, or from one section of a table to another ‘Arrow keys | Conirol the cursor so you can move it around a document (€34Y) | without clicking the mouse. There are four arrow keys together in a group Home Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line, Holding the Ctrl key and pressing Home will move the cursor to the beginning of the document End ‘Moves the cursor to the end of the line. Holding the Cirl key and pressing End will move the cursor to the end of the document Page up _| Scrolls up so you can view upper sections of a document (Pg Up) Page down | Scrolls down so you can view lower sections of a document (Pg Dn) The sentence The quick brown fox jumps over,the lazy dog’ uses every letter of the alphabet. SUMMARY QUESTIONS 1 State at least five aspects of good typing posture. 2 What commands are given by the following key combinations? a Ctrl + Alt + Delete b Ctrl + Home 3 State the purpose of each of the following sets of keys: 2 function b modifier © command.EXAM TIP. There are specific rules governing the amount of character spaces ‘that you should leave before and after each punctuation mark. * As a general rule, leave two spaces at the end of a sentence, whether it ends with a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark. * Leave one space after the comme, semicolon and colon. * Do not leave a space before any of these punctuation marks, Full stop e Use a full stop {also called a period) to mark the end of a statement. Do not put a space before a full stop. Use two spaces after the full stop when itis used at the end of a sentence, You can also use a full stop to show abbreviations or with initials in a name. In this case, use only one space after the full stop. comma Use @ comma to show a brief pause in a long sentence or for separating items in a list. Do not put a space before the comma. Use one space after a comma coion Use a colon before an explanation, an example or alist. Do not place any space before the colon. Use one space after the colon. semicoton ED Use a semicolon to join two complete and very closely-related sentences. Do not use any space before the semicolon. Use one space after the semicolon Question mark Use a question mark at the end of a sentence that is a question. Do not use a space before the question mark. Use two spaces after Ue question mark, Exclamation mark Use an exclamation mark at the end of a short sentence to express strong emotions such as pleasure, surprise or horror. Do not use a space before the exclamation mark. Use two spaces after it. apostrophe OD Use an apostrophe before a letter s ('s) to show possession such asin ‘Peter's bag’. Do not leave any space before or after anapostrophe when it is used before an s to show possession. Use one space after a word that ends with an apostrophe, such as in “babies rattles! ‘iso use the apostrophe to show where letters are omitted in contracted words such as don't and they're. Do not leave any space before or after the apostrophe when typing contractions. parenthesis COD A parenthesis is one of a pair of signs, also called brackets, which enclose an explanation or afterthought. Use one space before the opening parenthesis, but do not include a space after it. Do not put a space before the closing parenthesis, but include one space after it Quotation mark CMD Quotation marks show the exact words that a person has spoken You can use either single or double quotation marks. Use one space before the opening quotation mark, but no space after it. Do not use any space before the closing quotation mark, but leave one space after it. Apply the punctuation rules you have learned as you type the following passages: Passage 1 - Use of the comma, full stop, parenthesis and colon. Productivity tools are a wide range of programs (also known as software) that are designed to increase efficiency in the workplace. These programs include: word-processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and desktop publishing, Passage 2 — Use of the exclamation mark, question mark, apostrophe and double quotation marks. “Oh not” Vashelle exclaimed, as she came to an abrupt stop. "What is wrong?” asked her friend Hayleigh. “Left my cellphone at home. You know that | can’t survive without it.” Passage 3 - Use of the semicolon and single quotation marks. Choose your words carefully, Pearl Strachan Hurd once said that ‘words have more power than atom bombs’. Ensure that the dictionary you use is up to date because language changes constantly; new words are introduced, existing words may develop new meanings or may no longer be used. packages include a spelling and ‘grammar checker that identifies common grammatical errors, including incorrect spacing with punctuation marks. However, itis wise to always proofread your documents before they are distributed in case there are some errors that the grammar or spelling checker does not spot. SUS 1 Type the following sentences, ensuring you apply appropriate punctuation and spacing: a Hard disk drives keyboard and monitors are examples of computer hardware Do you know where I can find Avery asked James Yes Cherise replied He ‘went to the computer lab a few minutes ago Three ergonomic guidelines for computer Users are Use blinds drapes or an anti-glare filter to reduce glare from the monitor screen Maintain proper posture while typing Avoid extended computer use get up and walk around Or switch activities after thirty to forty minutes