Topic: Typing on a Computer Keyboard



Topic: Typing on a Computer KeyboardWhen I am done this lesson, I will know:How a keyboard worksHow to type properly using a keyboard on a computerPre and Post Self-AssessmentPrePrePostPostYes, I know thisNo, I want to learn thisYes, I know thisI still need more practice to learn thisI know what the keyboard is on a computer.I know how to type properly on a computer keyboard.New Words and TermsQWERTYTypewriterKeyCircuitWhat is a Keyboard?A keyboard is the panel of keys that you use to operate or tell the computer what to do. It allows you to input information into the computer.The most common kind of keyboard is called a ‘QWERTY’ keyboard. It is named after the first six keys in the top row of letters. It was invented by C L Scholes in the 1860s and was first found on a typewriter. Typewriters were very expensive and keys that were used a lot would clump together. To avoid one spot wearing out all the time or clumping together, different arrangements of keys were tested. The layout that became the most common because it prevented key from clumping together or wearing out was the QWERTY keyboard. Modern keyboards have the same layout as typewriters. There is another keyboard layout called the Dvorak keyboard which has all the vowels on the second row. This is much less commonly used today. How does a keyboard work?A keyboard is like a miniature computer. It has its own processor and circuitry that carries information to and from that processor. The key matrix is a grid of circuits underneath the keys. Each circuit is broken at a point below each key. When you press a key, it presses a switch, completing the circuit and allowing a tiny amount of current to flow through. If you press and hold a key, the processor thinks you are pressing a key repeatedly.When you press a key, the processor finds the closed circuit and compares the location of that circuit on the key matrix to the character map in its memory. A character map is a comparison chart or lookup table. It tells the processor the position of each key in the matrix and what each keystroke or combination of keystrokes represents. For example, the character map lets the processor know that pressing a key by itself corresponds to a small letter "a," but the keys for SHIFT and “a” pressed together correspond to a capital "A."Source of How a Keyboard Works: adapted from (last accessed April 15, 2019)Most keyboards will look like the one in the diagram below. However, some of the keys may be in different spots depending on the computer. For example, most laptops do not have a separate number pad like the diagram below does.Important Sections and Keys on the KeyboardSource: Note: You can use this link to download and print the keyboard diagram above.Accessible Keyboard layoutWe will start from top to bottom for a standard desktop QWERTY keyboard, and go left to right.The top row of keys are as follows:Escape key (ESC)F 1 to F12 Function keys. On a standard desktop keyboard, there are gaps between Escape and F1, F4 and F5, F 8 and F 9, and F 12 and the next set of keys belowPrint screenScroll lockPauseThese last three keys are in a group of three, with a gap as stated previously between F12, and Print ScreenThe next row of keys is as follows:`, which is used for languages such as FrenchNumbers 1 through 0, which type other characters when Shift is held down while pressing them.Dash or Minus signEquals signThe shifted number row is as follows:!@#$%^&*()_+Backspace: deletes the last typed character, or highlighted textPlease note: Jaws or other screen reader users should have symbol level set to “all” to read the characters above. The help features of the screen reader being used will list the appropriate keystroke to accomplish thisNext is the third row of keys:Tab: a useful key for both navigation, and text formattingQWERTYUIOP[]\Note the first half of this row of keys. This is how the keyboard got it’s name of QWERTY keyboard.Next, the fourth row of keys:Caps lock: This key when pressed once, will type each letter in uppercase and will continue to do so until the CAPS LOCK key is pressed again to turn it off. Jaws or other screen readers will report that caps lock is on or off when this key is pressed.ASDF: has a bump on it to help with touch-typingGHJ: has a bump on it to help with touch-typingKL;‘ENTER / CHANGE RETURN: inserts a blank line, and activate items if you are a keyboard userAlmost there, two more rows of keys to go.The fifth row of keys is as follows:Left shift will capitalize a letter when pressed together with a letter, or add a different symbol when pressed with a number. See the symbols above.ZXCVBNM,./Right SHIFT: does the same as the left SHIFT.Finally, the sixth main row of keys:Left CTRL: useful for keyboard shortcutsLeft Windows key: activates the Windows start screen, and also useful for various keyboard shortcutsLeft ALT key: enters and exits menu bars and or ribbons. It is also used in shortcut key combinationsSPACEBAR: enters a space. Can also be used to activate, and / or toggle items if you are a keyboard userRight ALT, same as left ALT aboveRight WINDOWS key, same as the left WINDOWS key aboveAPPLICATIONS key: very similar to a right click. This will bring up a contextual menu of options for an item highlighted by the mouse or keyboardRight CTRL: same as left CTRL above.These are the main keys of the keyboard. Now, we will move to the last three smaller sections to the right of the ENTER, right SHIFT, and BACKSPACE keys.The Six pack:This is a group of keys which start at the right of the backspace key. They are a group of six keys that are all together with space around them. There are three on the first row, and three on the second row. The first and second rows are as follows:First row:INSERT: very important key for screen reader users, although not super useful for othersHOME: brings the cursor to the beginning of a linePAGE-UP: brings you one screen full of text up. Great for navigating large documents, or poorly laid out websitesThe second row:DELETE: deletes the character that is directly under the cursorEND: which moves you to the end of a line of textPAGE-DOWN: moves you down a screen of text, and is the opposite of the page-up key aboveArrow Keys:On most desktop keyboards, the arrow keys will look and or feel like an upside-down printed letter T. This is an excellent way to orient yourself to a keyboard. Keep in mind that laptops, especially newer ones, are not laid out this way.The topmost of this cluster of keys is the UP-ARROW key, below this is the DOWN-ARROW key. On either side of those are the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys. LEFT is on the left, and RIGHT is on the right.These keys can help you navigate, format text, and even play some games. Jaws or other screen reader users will be using these keys a lot!Number pad:The final section is the number pad, or the numpad for short. This section of keys can be useful for Jaws or other screen reader users, as they can provide more advanced navigational commands. I will start from the bottom up with this section, as this section is laid out like a calculator, and in fact can be used with the calculator program, and entering numbers.Please note that this section of the keyboard has some keys which can be long vertically or horizontally, which may make this section harder to understand. The Jaws or other screen reader’s keyboard “Learn” feature can be extremely helpful here. This command can be found in the documentation for Jaws or other screen readers.The first row of keys is as follows. Remember, we are going from the bottom, and working our way up.- 0: a horizontally long key- decimal or period- equals or enter: a vertically long keyNext row:- 1- 2- 3Next row:456+: a vertically long keyNext Row:789Next Row:NumlockMultiply keyDivide keyMinus keyYou will see that some rows have 3 keys listed, and others have 4. This is because of the vertical and horizontal keys that were mentioned earlier. It is also why using the keyboard “Learn” function is very helpful here.Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Do not worry, the worst thing you can do here is sit down and get used to the keyboard with the help of an instructor, knowledgeable peer, and of course the keyboard “Learn” function. Practice does, indeed, make perfect.Some Keyboarding BasicsThe main keys are the letter keys. When you type just using these, the print will be in lower-case. However, if you hold down a SHIFT key (there are two SHIFT keys on the keyboard, one on the left and one on the right) at the same time as you type, the print will be in UPPER-CASE. This also lets you type the symbols you see above the numbers.If you make a mistake when you type, it is easy to fix. If you want to delete a letter, place your cursor (mouse pointer) just after the letter and click. Then press BACKSPACE. Only press once or it will keep deleting. Keyboard users can use the ARROW keys to place the cursor where they want to start deleting. Before you start deleting, make sure the cursor is placed to the immediate right of the character(s) you want to delete.For example:I want to type the word “the”, followed by a space. Instead, I type “thr” and then space, because I typed the “r” by mistake. To correct this, I can use the ARROW keys to move the cursor to the space character directly to the right of the “r”, then press BACKSPACE once. Once the “r” has been removed, I can make the spelling correction by typing the “e” to complete the word “the”.Or place your cursor just before the letter, click and press DELETE.You can move the cursor along this sentence without deleting anything by using the arrow keys:Source: Your KnowledgeWhat is the name of the most common type of keyboard? ___________________ReferencesThe best way to learn how to type on a computer keyboard properly is to practice. GCFGlobal has a typing tutorial that will allow you to learn how to type on a QWERTY keyboard. This tutorial has several sections and will take a few weeks to complete. allows you to set up a free account that saves your progress as you learn to type.Try this/Practice Use this interactive tutorial to learn to type on a QWERTY keyboard.Source: Sign up for a free account on . You can use this site to learn how to type, take tests and play typing games. The account will save your progress.: I want to learn moreClick on the links below to practice typing using a variety of free games.Type for Your Life: Alien: Long Jump: Game: Olympic: : : Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework ConnectionCompetencyTask Groups(s)Find and Use InformationRead Continuous TextInterpret DocumentsExtract Information from films, broadcasts and presentationsCommunicate Ideas and InformationComplete and Create DocumentsUse Digital Technologyn/a ................
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