Keyboard Classroom

I want to take the time to thank each and every homeschool mom who wrote a review for Keyboard Classroom this summer!  I know you are all extremely busy and I appreciate the time you put into understanding the uniqueness of Keyboard Classroom!

Developer Dr. Ian Spence was the Headmaster of a school for learning disabled students when he created Keyboard Classroom.  He understood that handwriting imposed significant cognitive load on many students with or without learning disabilities.  Handwriting for some was painfully produced and frequently illegible.  After using this newly developed typing curriculum the school found  that students who learned how to type were able to generate more written output, make more meaningful revisions in drafts and make fewer spelling errors. This allowed the students to be more creative in their written work.

When marketing this product I became instantly aware that Homeschoolers had an upperhand when introducing their children to typing.  When creating their school year curriculum they were able to put aside a 15 minute block of time DAILY to introduce and to practice this new skill.  They understood that consistency is the key to developing and finally mastering a skill.  I have had tremendous feedback at how well these students progressed on learning how to touch type!

I would like to share a few blogs with you. Just cut and paste the following links!

http://chatterandclatter.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-keyboard-classroom.html

http://debrakb.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-keyboard-classroom.html

For more go to www.keyboardclassroom.com

Carrie

More than fourteen years ago, I went to work for an incredibly talented educator by the name of Dr. Ian Spence at the Ben Bronz Academy in West Hartford, CT. Ben Bronz specializes in giving bright students with learning disabilities the study skills they need to succeed in the real world. Ian had found in several decades of research, that children with learning disabilities like ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Dyslexia, even some forms of Autism, were not incapable of learning in a mainstream environment, they just needed to “learn how to learn.”

Dr. Spence built the school around an approach to learning called fluencies. A fluency is basically a timed exercise, repeated over and over again until the skill becomes second nature. Think of an athlete. Hitting a baseball, throwing a football, or kicking a soccer ball is effortless… a result of repeated practice. They perform basic skills naturally, without thinking.

Now apply it to a learning disabled child. If you can teach them a skill like touch typing where they don’t have to think about how hard to hold their pencil when they take notes, how to shape their letters correctly, or whether their writing is neat enough to be read, they can focus on the important stuff… learning!

For the past 3 1/2 years I have been selling this fluency-based learn to type computer program for children ages 8 to 14. It’s the only program of its kind anywhere. It’s called Keyboard Classroom.  Check it out!

Carrie