Action Research - My Academic Portfolio



Improving Touch Typing Speed as the Result of Instruction Using Multiple Computer Based Typing Programs EDU 556 A & BDavid Dean MEDO 221Indiana Wesleyan UniversityStatement of Academic Honesty. I have read and understand the section in the Student Bulletin and /or course syllabus relating to IWU’s Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. I also verify that this assignment is unique to this class and that I have not used this work from previous courses. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act which could include expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University.Introduction to the ProblemThe touch typing skills of 6th Grade students at Greenwood Middle School is very inconsistent based on a variety of factors. Some students type around 5 words per minute while others type over 40 words per minute. Some students are “hunt and peck” typists and have to look for every single letter on the keyboard before striking it. Other students know where the keys are but still use only their two index fingers to strike them. Finally, some students use the home row and all of their fingers and thumbs to strike keys quickly and efficiently. With technology integrated into our everyday life at school, home, work and on the go, it is hard to argue that keyboarding may be the most important computer skill a child can learn (Himowitz, 2009). The state of Indiana requires all Middle School Students to type at least 40 words per minute when they leave 8th Grade. In a random assessment of 56 Greenwood Middle School 6th Grade Students, from all 4 elementary schools, at the beginning of the 2012 school year; 18% (10 total) of students typed below 10 words per minute, 30% (17 total) typed between 14 and 10 words per minute, 29% (16 total) typed between 20 and 15 words per minute, and 23% (13 total) typed 21 words per minute or higher. These numbers show range and diversity of typing skills and levels of mastery. Students from elementary school forward, people in college and the workplace, are expected to type a majority of their work or create digital files using a computer. Keyboarding skills are becoming more and more important to learn and master at or before middle school. Students who type very slow or are very inaccurate when typing are at a disadvantage to other students who have better speed and accuracy when typing. Not only are students with low typing skills going to struggle at times creating original digital works, they may also struggle in other areas. Research by Erthal explains, “Poor or no keyboarding skills will severely hamper people in their quest for knowledge” (Erthal, 1998, p.2). Many technology integrated school projects at Greenwood Middle School are completed when teachers check out a time in our labs or when students complete them in the researcher’s 6th Grade Applied Skills Computer Class. Students who struggle typing efficiently have a hard time completing projects on time in school and must rely on finishing these projects at home, the public library, or somewhere else. This can cause frustrations for students on projects or even during online standardized tests. According to Lanclos (2006), “Without the basic ability to type quickly and accurately, getting your ideas and data into a computer can take a lot of time and can be frustrating” (Lanclos, 2006, para. 1). Since nearly every project in 6th Grade Applied Skills Class involves some type of typing, some students struggle to complete their work on time or have to do less work than the requirements just to finish. The researcher’s goal was to create a structured, consistent, varied, and teacher led typing curriculum which would result in effective typing instruction and student typing improvement. The researcher assessed how effective a combination of computer typing programs are in improving the typing speeds of 6th Graders. The researcher also assessed which typing program was most effective at improving typing speed. Progress and gains were assessed using quantitative data collected from pre, middle, and post typing tests using a Typing assessment within the Sense Lang program. Gains were monitored from each student’s typing words per minute speeds and accuracy. Another goal was to find effective instruction to help students increase their words per minute typing accuracy. In the future, the researcher will assess what type of improvement students showed over the course of an entire school year after learning from a varied computer based typing program. Research QuestionsMain Question: How effective were a variety of computer based typing programs (TypingWeb, Typing Instructor, and Sense Lang,) in improving 6th Grade students’ touch typing speeds (words per minute)? Sub Question: Which computer based typing program (TypingWeb, Typing Instructor, or Sense Lang,) was most effective in instructing 6th Grade Students and improving their touch typing words per minute rates? Sub Question: What type of impact did this varied computer based typing curriculum have towards each individual student’s accuracy rate (accuracy rate is hitting the correct key the first time when typing)? Definition of TermsKeyboarding, Typing, or Touch Typing – The “manipulation of keys on a standard typewriting keyboard with the emphasis on the typed copy or output” (Bartholome, 2002, para. 3).Accuracy – How often you strike the correct key you intend to strike. Words Per Minute – How many letters, characters, or numbers you type per minute. A “word” is considered every 5 characters you type; whether letters, numbers or spaces. Sense-Lang – A free online typing program and classroom typing environment. Sense Lang can be found at – An online typing environment and instructor that offers classroom management and both free and paid services. Typing Web can be found at A paid typing program that has to be installed on a computer. There is also a service you can purchase to practice typing online in a web browser. You can find more about Typing Instructor at . Literature ReviewJust as technology has advanced around us in our everyday life, technology is advancing the way our children learn in today’s school systems. From creating presentation, typing research papers, recording and editing audio and video, creating brochures or newsletters, and more; students are finding technology as an important part of delivery, practice, and assessment in today’s classrooms. Students can use their computer’s communication tools to message their friends, get updates on school announcements and events, or follow and interact with their favorite athletes or musicians. Technology integrated within the classroom is becoming more and more comfortable for our students to use thanks to their experiences with technology outside the classroom. Touch typing, or the “manipulation of keys on a standard typewriting keyboard with the emphasis on the typed copy or output” (Bartholome, 2002, para. 3), is a skill that is becoming more and more important for students to learn, practice and master to be more proficient using technology. Bullock (2005) suggests the “ability to utilize the keyboard efficiently can assist students in many educational endeavors” (Bullock, 2005, p.11). However, many students reach the later grades of elementary school or middle school without proper touch typing skills, experiences, or training. This raises the question of which typing resources and classroom instruction can help teach and/or improve the touch typing skills of students at the middle level of education? Indiana’s annual ISTEP test is quickly becoming an exclusive online test. Indiana 6th and 7th grade students took the 2012 ISTEP test on computers, including the writing portion. Indiana 6th Graders are piloting an online 6th Grade test during the 2012 school year. Indiana is also preparing to require all high school students to pass an online course before they can graduate (Birch, 2012). Students who struggle with touch typing may struggle on writing or applied skills portions of standardized tests or even in these online high school courses. With tests being timed and asking students to plan out their writing, some students who struggle to type at an effective rate may struggle to show mastery simply because of the time allowed and their typing skills, not because of their writing skills or writing construction. Online courses will require work to be created digitally using word processing and other software. However, improving touch typing speeds and accuracy are not going to make students better writers. Just as good writers are not instantly going to be great typists. Some research conflicts on which age is best to introduce touch typing. Other conflicts include what type of instruction should be used and how long or often it should be taught. A review of literature does suggests the most effective keyboarding instruction should be taught to students in the primary grades, should use engaging computerized typing programs and resources, should be instructed by a teacher with keyboarding experience and training, should include proper technique training and practice (ergonomics and key locations), and instruction should be a structured, disciplined, and include consistent activity for studentsResearch shows that touch typing should be taught at an early age, but the exact age is still up for debate and research. In the past, typing skills were introduced in High School when students began typing assignments and coursework. Now that computers are so integrated into our elementary schools, it is important to teach touch typing skills at a much younger age. The layout of a keyboard and proper striking technique should be taught in primary grades while students’ fingers are small, flexible, and they haven’t already developed bad typing habits (Gillmon, 1991, p. 17). The earlier students are exposed to proper touch typing techniques, the easier it is for them to develop positive habits that can only increase typing speed and accuracy. Touch typing instruction should not only be limited to age, but also integrated when students have an ample amount of computer access each week to practice and improve their skills. “Touch typing courses can be recommended when computers are fully integrated into the language arts curriculum and when students regularly have at least two hours of individual computer time per week” (Shuller, 1989, Conclusions and Recommendations). If students do not have access to computers for this amount of time, simple lessons in keyboarding familiarization can help. This will allow students to become more familiar with the layout of the keyboard, even if they are not able to have extensive time on a computer. Erthal’s (1998) research reports that keyboarding skills should be taught when students are near 5th grade (Erthal, 1998). However, Bartholome (2002) suggests students learning touch typing as late as fifth grade may be too late because there may be too many bad habits already engrained (Bartholome, 2002). Obviously, research differs on the appropriate age to start typing instruction, but with the Greenwood Community School System not consistently teaching the skill across their 4 elementary schools, it is important to teach it soon after. In the case of this research project, the research will take place in a 6th Grade Computer Classroom. Research shows teachers who teach typing instruction using engaging resource, tools, and computerized instruction programs can be very effective in touch typing instruction and skills improvement. Reagan’s (2000) research supports that the most effective tools for teaching Middle School students how to correctly use the keyboard are “drill and practice keyboarding software packages that incorporates typing games for motivation” (Reagan, 2000, p.1). Further research reports that elementary keyboarding students and instructors preferred keyboarding software as a means of instruction to keyboarding textbooks (Rogers, Laehn, Lang, O & Sommers, 2003). Typing programs that offer drill and practice activities help students, using the proper techniques, to better understand the layout of the keyboard while developing their skills and experiences. Touch Typing instruction delivered using a keyboarding textbook and teacher driven instruction has shown to not have any significant advantage over computerized typing program (Russin 1995). However, this does not mean that students should be left alone to learn to type on their own. The classroom teacher still has a very important role within the classroom during touch typing instruction. With a plethora of touch typing programs, some free and some paid, which programs can prove to be most effective in improving students’ touch typing times when time is limited in the classroom? Research shows an effective keyboarding program is one that is led by a professional or experienced teacher with keyboarding skills. Students cannot be simply given a keyboard and expected to practice and improve. Fleming’s (2002) research states “In order to have an effective keyboarding curriculum, it is important that there is a teacher that is trained to teach keyboarding to students. Many times elementary teachers are not aware of the skills needed to teach keyboarding” (Fleming, 2002, p. 7). Any teacher without proper keyboarding training or experiences will not be as effective teaching keyboarding as teachers without training. According to Robinson, Erickson, Crawford, Beaumont & Ownby (1979), “The teacher must be able to observe the students’ weaknesses and strengths as they practice, and he or she must be able to capitalize on the strengths to aid students in overcoming the weaknesses” (Robinson, Erickson, Crawford, Beaumont & Ownby, 1979, p. 1). A teacher without the proper instruction or training will not know what to look for and how to remedy poor practices before they become poor habits. Students will need to be led, pushed, observed, complimented, and assessed by a teacher to learn just like learning any traditional classroom skill. Observations will be an important part of the instructor’s feedback during a touch typing course. “Observation is essential by a knowledgeable instructor in requiring children to use the touch method of inputting” (Rogers, Laehn, Lang, O & Sommers, 2003, Discuss, para. 7). As typing programs and online resources become more popular and cost effective in schools, they can still not replace a trained teacher to assist in instruction. Trained classroom instructors also need to teach students the proper posture and ergonomics while typing, the proper hand and finger placement, and the proper wrist angles. Students, who have developed bad ergonomics, should be quickly reminded and taught the correct way to type to eliminate the development of further bad habits. This can easily take place through instructor monitoring, observations, and interventions. Studies suggest effective keyboarding instruction should include proper technique; including ergonomics, key locations and letter combinations. Dr. Leigh E. Zeitz (2008) states, “Ergonomics is an important aspect of keyboarding that students need to learn from their beginning of keyboarding instruction. (Zeitz, 2008, pg. 6). This includes the positioning of the body, hands and fingers while striking keys on the Keyboard. Further studies explain that effective keyboarding instruction should be a structured, disciplines, and consistent activity for students. Similar to learning important skills in other classrooms, proper keyboarding technique and effectiveness takes time. According to Gillmon (1991) keyboarding is “an extension of the handwriting skill which also requires dedicated time and practice” (Gillmon, 1991, p.16). Instruction should last for approximately six weeks and within 20- 30 minute sessions. Research shows that for elementary aged students, around 20-30 minute instructional typing sessions were the most adequate and appropriate (Bullock, 2005, p.6). This amount of time allows student the opportunity to develop the correct typing ergonomics, strategies, drill and practice, and other experiences creating digital works with a keyboard. Gemmel’s (2003) research found 6 weeks to be an appropriate time frame for students to learn the keyboard (p. 21). Bartholome’s (2008) research suggests that “a half hour a day for three days a week for one semester can provide students with the necessary keyboarding skills to automate their responses so that they can keyboard faster than they can write” (Bartholome, 2002, last paragraph). MethodologyThe setting for this research took place in Greenwood Middle School’s 6th Grade Applied Skills Classroom. Each class averaged between 28-32 students. The class is on a block schedule so students were only able to practice their typing 3 days one week, then two days the next. Every 6th Grade student has Applied Skills class every other day, rotating with a second Math class all year long. On average, at least half of the researcher’s students came into class typing around 10 words per minute or less, while the other half typed around 20 words per minute or more. Since all students can show improvement in both speed and accuracy, and with standardized tests moving towards online alternatives, all students would be positively impacted by an efficient and productive touch typing curriculum. Instead of focusing on simply using Sense Lang and their provided touch typing lessons, the researcher tried two separate computer based typing resources, in addition to Sense Lang. Based on the research, the use of multiple computer programs allowed students to get a different typing experience before they were bored or disengaged. New computer typing programs, every few weeks, kept students engaged and the typing material fresh. This also helped the researcher assess which program was most effective in improving student typing accuracy and speed, while giving the students a varied and engaging typing instruction. Each student completed approximately 25 minutes of typing instruction every other day in class to reflect the research’s suggestions of 20-30 minutes typing instruction a day. Further research recommended including touch typing practice when students have at least 2 hours of computer time per week. Students in the researcher’s 6th Grade Applied Skills class had computer access nearly 2 hours every week at Greenwood Middle School. Finally, based on the research, the researcher included some typing based games that were more engaging but still allow students to reinforce and practice their skills. Assessment ToolsDuring the pre-implementation phase, at the beginning of the year, the researcher conducted a typing pre-test that included all 26 letters of the alphabet. Students were asked to take a 2 minute assessment, typing the same paragraph, and Sense Lang determined their words per minute and accuracy percentage. The researcher will took a post test at the end of each computer program typing unit and at the end of typing instruction. This showed each student’s growth after each individual typing program and after the complete typing unit. Students also completed a Typing Questionnaire to help with the baseline data. This helped detail each student’s typing experience and previous typing instruction. Based on the research, the class instructor took observations using the Observation Sheet and shared results with each student. This provided a chance for students to hear what they needed to work on. Further observations showed whether or not students were correcting their poor or ineffective typing habits. The classroom typing instructor also monitored student posture, ergonomics, and attitude. Student surveys, given throughout the typing unit, helped triangulate the data. This showed how each student felt about their typing skills and their room for improvement throughout the typing unit. The surveys also helped the assessor understand each student’s preference of typing a school paper versus hand writing one and how this preference may or may not have changed throughout the course of the typing instruction. Results and Analysis of the DataThis research took place in a computer class of 15 sixth grade students. The class was split up with 6 girls and 9 boys. Research began on Wednesday August 15th, and the final typing assessment was given on Monday November 19th, 2012. The main research question for this Action Research asked “How effective are a variety of computer based typing programs in improving 6th Grade students’ touch typing speeds?" After aggregating the data from the Action Research, the results show a variety of typing programs are fairly effective considering every student in the researcher’s class improved their typing speeds. Improvements ranged from 2 words per minute up to 19 Words Per Minute (indicated by Figures 1, 2 and 7). The overall average improvement in typing speed was 7.4 words per minute. Having disciplined typing instruction and practice using a variety of typing programs does show a correlation with improving each individual students typing speed.Figure 1-5207005080-25400244475Figure 2A sub question for this research asked "What type of impact will this varied computer based typing curriculum have towards each individual student’s accuracy rate?" Each student was assessed on their accuracy during this project. A student who typed all the characters or letters they were supposed to, correctly the first time would receive a success percentage of 100%. Each time a student made a mistake on their typing assessments, such as typing the wrong letter or forgetting to capitalize, their success percentage would drop. During the typing units, each student practiced striking a few letters at a time, building more and more letters with each unit. This repetition and structure was integrated to help students become familiar with where each key is, starting with the keys used most. Comparing student success percentages from the pre-test before starting the typing unit and the post-test after typing instruction showed growth and improvement (indicated in Figure 3). The overall class improvement in accuracy improved from a 91.4% on the pre-test to a 94.3% on the post-test. This improvement shows that students were becoming more accurate, or at least more conscience about typing the correct keys on the first strike. This shows a connection between this researched typing structure and improving student typing accuracy. 114300206375Figure 3To help triangulate the data, the researcher looked at each student’s individual gains or improvements after using each of the typing programs. The final sub question posed for this research asked "Which computer based typing will be most effective in instructing 6th Grade Students and improving their touch typing words per minute rates?" The most significant improvement came after completing typing instruction using the Sense-Lang Typing Program (indicated in Figure 4). This could be attributed to a couple of factors. The first phase of typing practice in Sense-Lang started with learning the Home Row. These are the keys on the middle row of your keyboard where your fingers rest between striking keys. The Home row is the basic building block of touch typing. Once students learn the home row, it should provide for a quick spike in typing speeds and it did. Sense-Lang has a very kid friendly interface. The program is colorful, allowing students to choose their own "theme,” without being distracting. However, each assessment in Sense-Lang covered only the letters we had learned. Some of the assessments only covered a handful of letters. As we got further into the typing instruction, the assessments would cover more and more letters. This could make the assessments (after using the other typing programs) more difficult for students because they are expected to find more letters in the same amount of time. -139700247015Figure 4As the students moved into phase 2 and phase 3 of their typing unit, the researcher introduced two new typing programs. During Phase 2, students used TypingInstructor. During Phase 3, they completed their unit using TypingWeb. The improvement using these programs was pretty sporadic. Obviously, students were learning more and more letters, so with each assessment, they were challenged to type more letters than on any previous assessment. This doesn’t necessarily mean the inconsistent improvement is a sign of TypingInstructor or TypingWeb being less effective programs than Sense-Lang. These programs were new to the students as they were just getting familiar with Sense-Lang. There could have been a learning curve or adjustment period getting used to the new programs which could have slowed progress or improvement. To further help triangulate the data, the researcher gave each student a Typing Questionnaire before and after the complete typing unit. Questions from the Questionnaire included “How good of a typist do you think you are today? How much do you think your typing skills are improving? How much improvement do you think you can make in your touch typing skills?” The Questionnaire had students answer using a basic 1, 2, 3, & 4 scale, with 4 being Excellent/Improving Lots/Lots of Improvement and 1 being Below Average/None/None, respectively (indicated in Figure 5). On the question “How good of a typist do you think you are today?” students scored an average of 2.4 on the pre-test and 2.438 on the post-test. This didn’t show any significant growth in each students’ confidence about how effect they were at typing. On the question “How much improvement do you think you can make in your touch typing skills?” students scored an average of 3 on the pre-test and 3.02 on the post-test. Although the numbers hardly changed, it still proves that each student felt they had a lot of room for growth, no matter how much they had already improved thus far. This opens the door for further typing extensions that could be assigned in 6th grade or in future grades or classes. Finally, on the question “How much do you think your typing skills are improving?” students showed the most growth. On the pre-test, their average was a 2.73 and on the post-test their average was 3.15. This proves that each student internally feels like their typing skills are improving over time. This could help improve student confidence when they feel they are improving, plus, they have the data to back it up. -476250335280Figure 5Possible Flaws During this Action Research Project, each student also had to complete 3 separate paper and pencil keyboard assessments. These were blank keyboards where students had 60 seconds to fill in as many letters in the correct places. Students completed these at the beginning of this unit, in the middle, and at the end. The results were very inconsistent (indicated in Figure 6). As each student became more familiar with where the letters were on they keyboard through each lesson, the researcher assumed they would be able to quickly find these letters on these blank keyboards and fill them in. This didn’t really appear to be the case. The researcher feels strongly that each student did become more familiar with where the letters were, but this assessment wasn’t a true assessment to prove it. Only giving the students one minute left no room for error. If they made a mistake, they had no time to correct it. If they got confused about which particular letter went where, they may have left letters blank that they actually knew. Figure 6-2667000Conclusions & RecommendationsIn the future, the researcher would still like to give the paper & pencil keyboard assessment, but would give students 2 minutes of time to complete it instead. This would give each student a bit of a “buffer” where they could make mistakes, but would still have time to fix them. Timing this assessment at 1 minute in length only gave each student a little over 2 seconds to fill in each letter of the alphabet. The researcher even had asked teachers try this same assessment for fun and they didn’t do much better than the students. It is an assessment with high risk simply because of the short amount of time to complete it. There were some students who did show improvement, but the overall results were too inconsistent to say that this was an authentic and effective assessment. The fact that each student did improve their overall touch typing speeds (Words Per Minute) shows that using a variety of typing programs/resources can have a positive impact on student typing speed. The data would suggest that Sense-Lang was the most successful program; however, further testing of these programs used in a different order than in the researcher's class would prove beneficial. In the future, the researcher would also like to test each program individually, in a different order, and compare the progress or gains. This would include a control group that didn't have any typing instruction at all. Their typing instruction would come through normal experiences in each class creating Word documents, PowerPoints, Excel Documents and other digital resources and software. This could help prove which program is the most effective or if more practice and experiences could be. It is hard to determine just how much of an impact completing all the other projects outside of this typing instruction had on student improvement. One could argue that simply having access to a computer for 5 days every two weeks in a computer lab, in addition to the use of technology in other classes or at home, could also have a big impact on student improvement.Figure 7-26670015240ReferencesBartholome, L. W. (2002). Typewriting/keyboarding instruction in elementary school. Retrieved fromd, B. A. (2012, January 30). Indiana to Embrace High School Online Learning Requirements. Retrieved from , A. (2005). Practical considerations for the implementation of keyboarding instruction in the elementary school. Retrieved from , M. J. (1998). Who Should Teach Keyboarding and When Should it be Taught?. Retrieved from , S. (2002). When and How Keyboarding Should be Taught in Elementary School. Retrieved from Division of Educational Technology, University of Northern Iowa, , E. (1991). Keyboard proficiency: An essential skill in a technological age. number 2. City Technology Colleges Trust, Ltd., 15 Young Street, London W8 5EH, England, United Kingdom (7.50 British pounds). , S. (2003). A study of keyboarding instruction and the acquisition of word processing skills. , M. (2009). Single, most important computer skill children can learn is basic typing. Retrieved from , P. (2006, September 12). Keys to the (Online) Kingdom: The Importance of Basic Computer Skills. Retrieved from , S (2000). Increasing Touch-Keyboarding Skills in the Middle School Student: “Keywords” vs. “Type To Learn,” Hand Covers vs. No Hand Covers (Report No. ED-443-386). Retrieved from ERIC Database. (ED443386)Robinson, Erickson, Crawford, Beaumont, & Ownby, (1979). Methods of instruction for teaching keyboarding. Typewriting: Learning and Instruction, Retrieved from , H., Laehn, J., Lang, A., O, D., & Sommers, M. (2003). The status of elementary keyboarding - a longitudinal study. The Balance Sheet, Retrieved from , I. (1995). A comparison of the effect of teacher-directed instruction (and textbook use) and interactive computer software instruction on the development of touch-keyboarding skills in two sixth-grade classes (Report No. ED-3811-32). Retrieved?from ERIC database.?(ED381132)Shuller, S. (1989). Keyboarding in elementary schools curricular issues. Retrieved from , L. (2008, December 16). A New Look @ Research Based Keyboarding Instruction. Retrieved from Needed for Action Research Study1. Online Typing Pre, Middle & Post Assessment – Sense-Lang Typing Program guide to taking the assessment.a. Students will take the online typing assessment before their typing unit, after instruction using each computer based typing program (3 phases), and at the end of the year to judge growth in speed and accuracy and within each computerized program. 2. Computer Based Typing Programs – Links to the programs or more information. a. Students will complete the 1st half of the alphabet using Sense-Lang Typing Program.b. Students will learn the 2nd half of the alphabet using Typing Instructor Typing Program. c. Students will complete the last phase of the typing unit using Typing Web. Typing Web uses prescriptive lessons that cater to each student’s typing abilities. The program automatically assigns lessons based on which keys students struggle with. This will be a great remediation program to help students practice where they struggle. 3. Student Questionnairea. Given during the Pre-Implementation phase to assess each student’s typing experiences, school information, etc. 4. Student Surveya. Given after each program during typing instruction. 5. Instructor Observation Sheeta. Used throughout typing instruction in each typing program. 6. Blank Keyboarding Assessment Sheet7. Assessment Plan & Validity8. Detailed TimelineAppendix 1Typing Pre, Middle, & Post Online Assessment GUIDE:Follow these directions to take the online typing assessment. Go to the Sense-Lang student login screen at the orange box, enter the class code “dean3”Insert code “dean3”, then click LoginNext, in the Login as Student box, enter the following username and password:Username: gmsstudentPassword: example1Username: gmsstudent Password: example1Finally, on the left hand right of the screen, click on the blue TYPING TEST Button. Then, in the blue box on the right hand side of your screen, enter the Test Code: “alt” to take the typing test. Click on Typing Test on the left hand side of the screen, and then enter “alt” in the Test Code Box here. Click START to begin your test and assess your words per minute, number of keys correct, number of incorrect key strikes, and your accuracy rate. You will have to type the following passage for 2 minutes. Typing Pre, Middle & Post Test Passage includes all the letters of the alphabet, periods, commas, exclamations and question marks. “In Applied Skills Class, you will learn a lot of amazing things. Class starts quickly so make sure you are in your seat when the bell rings, have your class folder, and you are quiet and ready to go! Do you want to become a better typist? This is just one of the many activities we will work on. You will also become an expert creating word documents, designing presentations, and creating spreadsheets with graphs. You will create products to inform and educate about Internet Safety. Finally, you will also create your own Podcasts and record your own rap songs. Good Luck this school year!”Appendix 2Typing Programs/Online Instructional Tools used during this Action Research Project:TypingWeb: Free Online Typing Lessons & Tutorials. Basic Services are Free and allows teachers to manage classroom activity, lessons, and student progress from the “Teacher Portal.” Sense-Lang: Free Online Typing Resource! Sense-Lang offers free lessons and tutorials, as well as, gives teachers classroom management resources to track student progress. You can even export student progress, typing times, test scores, and more to Microsoft Excel. Also offers a free “Certification” Program you can download, install, and play “offline” for Free. Typing Instructor: (Click Here for Greenwood Schools Login: resource our school owns a site license to. This does costs money, but offers individual typing lessons within a framework of students typing themselves around the world. This helps keep students more engaged and increases the “cool” factor as students travel to different locations to complete typing lessons. The interface is also very clean. However, there are so many options for instructors and statistics that are kept; it can be overwhelming to get started without getting to know the program.Appendix 3Touch Typing Student Questionnaire Name: ________________________________What Elementary School did you go to? Circle OneNortheast Elementary Westwood Elementary Southwest Elementary ISOM Elementary OTHER: (Please write your Elementary School Name):__________________________Have you ever had typing instruction? Circle OneYES NOIf Yes, What Grade?___________________________________How many hours a week did you receive instruction? ___________________HoursDo you have a computer at home? Circle OneYES NOHow many hours a week do you think you spend on a computer? Please write the number of hours here:_____________________Appendix 4Typing Student Survey NAME:_______________________________________How good of a typist do you think you are today?Circle One - 4=Excellent, 3 = Good, 2 =Average, 1 = Below Average4321How much do you think your typing skills are improving?Circle One - 4= Improving Lots, 3 = Improving Some, 2 = Improving Very Little, 1 = None4321How much improvement do you think you can make in your touch typing skills? Circle One - 4= Lots of Improvement, 3 = Some Improvement, 2 = Very Little, 1 = None4321Would you rather hand write a school project or type it on a computer?Circle One Hand Write Type ItAppendix 5Typing Instructor Observation Sheet Period Number ______________________StudentHome Row UsePosture & ErgonomicsAttitude 1? 3 2 13 2 13 2 12? 3 2 13 2 13 2 13? 3 2 13 2 13 2 14? 3 2 13 2 13 2 15? 3 2 13 2 13 2 16? 3 2 13 2 13 2 17? 3 2 13 2 13 2 18? 3 2 13 2 13 2 19? 3 2 13 2 13 2 110? 3 2 13 2 13 2 111? 3 2 13 2 13 2 112? 3 2 13 2 13 2 113? 3 2 13 2 13 2 114? 3 2 13 2 13 2 115? 3 2 13 2 13 2 116? 3 2 13 2 13 2 117? 3 2 13 2 13 2 118? 3 2 13 2 13 2 119? 3 2 13 2 13 2 120? 3 2 13 2 13 2 121? 3 2 13 2 13 2 122? 3 2 13 2 13 2 123? 3 2 13 2 13 2 124? 3 2 13 2 13 2 125? 3 2 13 2 13 2 126? 3 2 13 2 13 2 127? 3 2 13 2 13 2 128? 3 2 13 2 13 2 129? 3 2 13 2 13 2 130 3 2 13 2 13 2 131 3 2 13 2 13 2 132 3 2 13 2 13 2 1See Attached Rubric for Observation Sheet Scores and Explanations!Teacher Observation Sheet RubricCATEGORY432Home Row UseStudent uses the home row to rest all 8 fingers in between strikes. Strikes keys with the correct finger. Uses all 8 fingers and thumbs. Student doesn’t look at their hands very often. Student rests hands on the home row, but still may use less than all 8 fingers and thumbs to strike keys. Looks at the keyboard half the time. Student uses primarily 4 or less fingers to types. Looks at the keyboard a majority of the time. Posture & ErgonomicsStudent sits up straight, away from their computer. Feet are flat on the floor. Student keeps their wrists form resting. Student sits up most of the time. May not have feet flat on the ground. May sit too close or too far away from the computer. Student may rest wrists or hold them too high. Student slouches in their seat while typing. Both feet are not on the floor. Student is too far away or too close to the computer. Student rests their wrists or holds them too high. AttitudeStudent is positive about typing, stays focused on completing instruction. Does not cause distractions. Student may somewhat lose focus, talk, or stop typing. The student does complete the typing work. Student loses focus, talks, and/or quits during typing instruction. Student may refuse to type or practice. Appendix 6Name:_____________________________________ Period _________________________Blank Keyboard Assessment – You will have 1 minute to fill in all of the missing letters on the keyboard. The keyboard is missing all 26 letters of the alphabet. -571500101600Appendix 7 Assessments for Data CollectionResearch QuestionAssessmentDescriptionTypeWhen AdministeredWhich computer based typing program (TypingWeb, Typing Instructor, or Sense Lang,) will be most effective in instructing 6th Grade Students and improving their touch typing words per minute rates? Words Per Minute Typing Assessment (Determines wpm and accuracy rate)Students Complete Blank KeyboardStudent Self Report Surveys detailing their opinions of their improvementsStudent Questionnaires covering correct poster and other tips.Classroom ObservationsOnline Typing TestPencil/Paper Keyboard WorksheetQuestionnaireStudent Self Report SurveysTeacher ObservationsWords Per Minute Typing Assessment – 2nd Day of School before Unit begins, Middle of the Unit, End of the Unit. Complete Blank Keyboard Worksheet – Beginning, Middle, & EndStudent Surveys, Student Questionnaires, & Observations – beginning, middle, & end. What type of impact will this curriculum have towards each individual student’s accuracy rate (accuracy rate his hitting the correct key the first time when typing)?Words Per Minute Typing Assessment (Determines wpm and accuracy rate)Students Complete Blank KeyboardOnline Typing TestPencil/Paper Keyboard WorksheetTo test for accuracy, online typing tests that assess words per minute and accuracy will be given at the same time, before, in the middle, and after each individual typing unit. Students will complete blank keyboards before, during & after the unit to show their understanding of where each key is on a keyboard. The quicker each student can complete the keyboard, they quicker they should be able to strike each key accurately, the first time they want to strike it. How will this curriculum impact each student’s touch typing rate and efficiency over the course of the entire school year?Words Per Minute Typing Assessment (Determines wpm and accuracy rate)Online Typing TestAdministered at the end of the typing unit and at the end of the school year. Should show growth over the school year since out typing unit. Assessment ValidityStandardized Touch Typing Test – This will be one of the most important assessments during this action research project. Using the online resource, Sense Lang’s typing assessment, the researcher can choose what text students will type for a time limit of 2 minutes. The class will take their typing assessments with the Sense Lang program so the researcher can control the content and the time period for typing. This will allow the researcher to give the class the same test, with the same format, for the same time, during the pre, middle and posttests. These tests will give quantitative data in the form of each student’s words per minute score, to determine which typing instruction or program is helping students improve. Students will type the exact same text for the exact same time period (2 minutes) for every typing assessment. This test will be given to all students for the baseline, after the first 4 typing lessons, after the second 4 typing lessons, after the final 4 typing lessons, and even at the end of the school year to show overall growth. The end of year assessment can also be compared to the end of the typing unit assessment to show total growth since the typing unit ended. Finally, these typing tests can also assess student accuracy rates. This is the percentage that a student strikes the right key the first time. Any time a student strikes a key incorrectly, it lowers their accuracy rate. This typing assessment will also be used to measure student accuracy rates and progress, as well. 1905009969532194599695Students will take their Pre, Middle, & Post Typing Assessments within Sense Lang, no matter which typing instruction they receive. During the typing test, students can see how much time is left, how many keys they have struck correctly, and how many errors they have made. When students have completed their Typing Assessment within Sense Lang, they get to see their Rate (Words Per Minute), their number correct, errors made, and accuracy rate (percentage correct on first key strike). This will provide authentic quantitative data to assess student growth and progress during and after our touch typing unit. Paper & Pencil Keyboard Completion Guide – This is an alternative assessment to gain an understanding of each student’s knowledge of where each key is found on a keyboard. Students will complete a blank keyboard, filling in all of the missing keys, within a 1 minute time limit. This assessment will be given to all students for the baseline, after the first 4 typing lessons, after the second 4 typing lessons, after the final 4 typing lessons, and even at the end of the school year to show overall growth. These paper and pencil tests will provide more quantitative data to assess each student’s understanding of the keyboard. An increase in student accuracy and speed identifying which letter falls on which key should help students who struggle finding keys.Student Questionnaires – Each student will be given a questionnaire before starting their touch typing unit. This questionnaire will ask questions about each student’s experience touch typing, access to a computer at home, elementary school attended; touch typing instruction received, and their time spent on a computer each week. This will allow the researcher to assess any outside variables which may attribute to student growth and progress towards faster typing times and higher accuracy rates. Student Surveys- These student surveys will be provided to all students for the baseline, after the first 4 typing lessons, after the second 4 typing lessons, after the final 4 typing lessons, and even at the end of the school year to show overall growth. These surveys are intended to help the researcher assess each student’s knowledge of typing skills and their growth and confidence in them. Students will answer questions as to whether they feel they are strong typists, if they feel they can improve, if they feel they are improving, and their preference of typing a paper versus hand writing one. These surveys will provide qualitative data to help gauge the confidence level each student has in their touch typing skills and how they are progressing. This will also help to triangulate the data for this project. Researcher Observations – Throughout the entire touch typing unit, the researcher will observe and note students who are not using their “home row keys.” The instructor will use the Observation Sheet to observe each student. They will note students who are not using correct posture or hand positioning. These students will be offered tips to help correct these mistakes. Other observations include using correct posture, ergonomics, and student attitudes. These observations and researcher notes will provide qualitative data as to whether students are improving from mistakes, from teacher input, and making attempts to fix typing errors/issues or bad habits. Appendix 8Updated Post Research Time Line – Step by StepFriday August 31st, 2012: Identified the problem and edited the timeline on how to assess it. Each student in the classroom will learn touch typing by using the built in program on TypingWeb online, by using the built in lessons within Sense Lang online, and by using the paid program TypingInstructor. The researcher had a discussion with the school principal about the inconsistencies in student typing in 6th Grade and covered the plan to research which method of instruction and practice was the most effective in improving consistency, speed and accuracy. Because there was only 12 to 14 days available in 6th Grade Applied Skills for typing instruction, the program that showed the most improvement in a short period of time would be what the researcher uses for future classes.Wednesday September 5th, 2012 Pre-Implementation Phase: Started creating the baseline data for research. Each student in the class received the Student Questionnaire to get qualitative data to assess student typing experience and previous amount of instruction. Students completed a survey about their confidence in using computers, a keyboard, their opinions of their typing skills, etc. The researcher introduced the topic of touch typing and went over correct posture and finger placement. Students were given 1 minute to complete the Paper and Pencil Keyboarding assessment to show their understanding of the keyboard and where each key lies on the keyboard. The researcher discussed the importance of Touch Typing and the value of being both quick and accurate. Each student took the touch typing pre-assessment; allowing the researcher to record their starting words per minute score and accuracy rate before any typing practice or instruction began. The instructor used the Observation Sheet to observe student typing practices as they took the pre-assessment. Friday September 21st, 2012: The class began their touch typing instruction. The first 4 days of typing instruction were completed using the free online program Sense Lang. Typing Instruction Day 1 – 20 Minutes Typing practice in Sense-Lang.Tuesday September 25th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 2 – 20 Minutes Typing practice in Sense-Lang.Thursday September 27th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 3 – Typing practice in Sense-Lang.Monday October 1st, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 4 - Typing practice in Sense-Lang.Wednesday October 3rd, 2012: Took the same typing assessment as the baseline test. This showed the researcher growth over the previous 4 days of instruction (this was the most growth after any typing program used). Students got 1 minute to complete the blank keyboard. This showed minimal growth in each student’s understanding of where each key was found on the keyboard. Finally, students completed their second Student Survey.Friday October 5th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 5 – Typing Practice in Typing InstructorTuesday October 9th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 6 – Typing Practice in Typing Instructor- The researcher took Observations and noted each student’s posture, finger placement, use of the home row, etc. and provided feedback and tips to each student to correct bad typing habits. Thursday October 11th, 2012: Day 10 Typing Instruction Day 7 – Typing Practice in Typing Instructor.Monday October 22nd, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 8 – Typing Practice in Typing Instructor - The researcher took Observations and noted each student’s posture, finger placement, use of the home row, etc. and provided feedback and tips to the appropriate students about how to correct bad typing habits. Friday October 26th, 2012: Took the same typing assessment as the baseline test. This showed the researcher growth over the previous 4 days of instruction (and growth during the whole typing unit). This was also compared to the baseline test to assess total growth. Students got 1 minute to complete the blank keyboard. This didn’t show significant and consistent growth since some students performed lower than on the previous blank keyboard assessment. Finally, students completed their third Student Survey.Tuesday October 30th,, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 9 – Typing Practice in Typing WebThursday November 1st, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 10 – Typing Practice in Typing Web - The researcher took Observations and noted each student’s posture, finger placement, use of the home row, etc. and provided feedback and tips to each student to correct bad typing habits. Wednesday November 7th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 11 - Typing Practice in Typing Web,Friday November 9th, 2012: Typing Instruction Day 12 - Typing Practice in Typing Web - The researcher took further Observations and noted each student’s posture, finger placement, use of the home row, etc. and provided feedback and tips to the students that needed it most. Tuesday November 13th, 2012: Took the same typing assessment as the baseline test. This showed the researcher further growth over the previous 4 days of instruction and was compared to the improvement during the other typing programs. This latest typing assessment’s results were compared to the baseline test to assess total growth. Students were given 1 minute to complete their final blank keyboard. Again, this showed more inconsistencies in comparison to previous blank keyboard assessments. Finally, students completed their final Student Survey.Monday, November 19th, 2012: Gathered final data (Touch Typing Post Test, Final Student Survey, Final Paper & Pencil Keyboard Assessment) for comparison with baseline data and middle of the unit data.Tuesday November 20th, 2012: Made Comparisons, Contrasted, and Reviewed Data (compared all data and assessments from the post test, to the assessments from the middle of the unit and the pre assessments). The researcher then had the data needed to answer each research question and find which type of typing program and instruction was most effective in improving student typing times and accuracy. Tuesday May 28th, 2013 –Future Optional: Give the typing assessment one last time at the end of the school year. Each student’s words per minute and accuracy rate scores on the post test at the end of the Typing Unit can be compared to their typing assessment at the end of the school year. This will give the researcher data to show which type of typing program and instruction helped teach each student the building blocks to further improve their touch typing speed and accuracy rates. There will be no more touch typing instruction after this Action Research so a final typing assessment at the end of the year will provide information to show which program instills the building blocks for typing that each student can build and develop on their own (throughout the remainder of the school year). ................
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