Typing I Presented by the Monroe County Public Library

Introductions Austin Stroud – Instructional Designer at the Monroe County Public Library, Adjunct Faculty at Ivy Tech Community College Your experiences with typing? Have you tried to learn how to type before?

Seat: Position the chair or bench the correct distance from the keyboard by sitting up straight with arms at sides and hands in lap. While in this natural and comfortable position, the student should lift the hands straight up and then measure how far the seat or keyboard should be moved to align fingers with the home keys with arms still in this natural position. (Benches work well with students because they generally don’t slouch as they will do in a chair, but could be a bit dangerous to students who can’t resist tipping them back.) From:

Hands and Wrists: Hands should be placed over the home keys at a natural angle. The angle should be the same as if the person was standing or walking with hands at their sides. Hand position should be symmetrical with wrists flat and relaxed, preferably not resting on the keyboard frame or counter. Resting the wrists definitely restricts finger movement and reach. The “bump” key should be identified along with correct finger placement. From:

Legs: Upper leg (thigh) position should be symmetrical (not crossed). Lower leg (from knees down) position doesn’t seem to affect symmetry (crossing is okay). Head and eyes: Monitor should be positioned so eyes are looking straight ahead and neck straight, not bent too far forward or back. From:

Your username is tb (stands for typing basics) and your first name. So, if your first name is Austin your username is going to be: tbaustin Your password is the same as your username

Index fingers: F and J We are going to begin on the "Home Row", learning the F and J keys with your index fingers. Notice the raised bumps on these keys. These bumps allow you to find the home row without looking down at your keyboard. Use one of your thumbs for the space bar where spaces are needed. (From

Middle fingers: K and D Now we are moving on to the D and K keys, using your middle fingers. (From

Ring fingers: S and L Time to practice S and L using your ring fingers. (From

Pinkie fingers: A and ; (semi colon) Using your pinkie finger you will now learn the A and ; keys. (From

Index fingers: G and H The last letters of the Home Row require a small movement of your index fingers. Important: Always return your fingers to their start positions after typing a different letter! For now, that means return to the F and J keys. (From

Now we are going to mix in all the Home Row keys. Really focus on remembering which fingers hit which keys, and DO NOT look down at your fingers! (From

Continue to work through the exercises (there are 13 of them) until you reach the congratulations screen. If you run out of time today, you can catch up anytime before next week’s Typing II class. The remaining exercises stress patterns, repetition, and ensuring you are using the correct hand/finger for each key on the keyboard. If you want to redo any exercise for practice, you easily can! If you have any questions between today and next week, you can reach me at or by calling ext. Next week, you will learn about the top row of the keyboard (The letters: qwertyuiop)