QWERTYtown Typing Program DeFant

QWERTY Town Brooke will be communicating to building principals. Brooke has asked that TIS provide February training for staff (grades 2-5) on QWERTY Town Please schedule and complete training by February 15th

QWERTY Town Rationale Fluent keyboarding is an important component of literacy for today's students. Students with efficient keyboard skills are better prepared for success in schools, colleges and also in the workplace. Proficiency with online communication tools will give them the comparative ability to adapt to and advance in school and in our ever changing world. Qwerty Town teaches students all about Keyboarding in a safe and teacher controlled environment where they can communicate with their classmates, teachers and friends. While becoming fluent with a keyboard, students learn how to interact in a digital environment. This environment prepares students with a fundamental skill set essential for academic and professional success in the 21st century.  Keyboarding and online communication skills are recognized by the Department of Education as essential for student success. If students acquire this skill, they will be able to search for information, publish their knowledge and collaborate with others. Qwerty Town has taken the initiative to ensure keyboard literacy for all. It follows the practices of the common core state standards for the English Language Arts. Information copied from and full article http://edtechreview.in/news/475-essential-component-of-literacy-for-21st-century-students

QWERTY Town: Benchmarks and Curriculum http://qwertytown.com/about/benchmarks-curriculum QWERTYTown follows the standard Qwerty fingering. There are 6 levels of learning a keyboard. In each level,  it teaches some specific keys as per rows.

Benchmarks can be adjusted Benchmark defaults were seen on last slide. Each teacher has the ability to change benchmarks for the whole classroom and for each individual student. Recommend teacher logs in prior to lesson to see if there are students who are “stuck” on a lesson. A teacher can lower the WPM or Accuracy so a student can pass a lesson. The teacher can then readjust it back to default. Students with IEPs can have their levels adjusted. We want students to acquire typing skills and not get too frustrated with the program.

Let’s Log In! All student’s login with fnamelunchnumber PW is rsd1 Students CAN change their passwords. Teachers CAN change them back if student forgets. All Teacher login with fname.lname PW renton1 Librarian TIS’ – pick a fellow staff member and log in as them If you need to change your password, do so at the login screen.

QWERTY Performance Measurements Qwerty Town has two measurement criteria for a student’s performance. Speed and Accuracy. Speed can be calculated as Words Per Minute and Accuracy is the % of correctness of words. At the end of each lesson, Qwerty Town assesses how quickly and accurately students can type with the keys they’ve learned. Students may earn an on-site Bronze, Silver, or Gold Medals, as their learning progresses. Students get immediate feedbacks, motivation and encouragement as well. QwertyTown promotes fluent keyboarding by introducing real-world activities to learning. Each user creates a personalized avatar. As users achieve success in lessons & level challenges, Qwerty Town encourages them by giving rewards.

Editing Speed and Accuracy For whole class: Edit Class ->Edit Tab-> Achievement levels

Editing Speed and Accuracy For Individual Student: Manage Students/Class Members -(Locate Student on Roster)-Edit User-> Achievement levels

Performance-Based Reward System While developing their keyboard skills, students unlock the features that enable them to collaborate with friends and progress further. There are two types of reward systems that help students succeed in QwertyTown. QwertyCoins: Students are awarded Qwerty Coins when they earn medals. With Qwerty Coins, they can purchase new items for their Avatars. Qwerty Town students are highly motivated to earn Qwerty Coins to customize their Avatars from the Avatar store. The quest for Qwerty Coins drives students to replay lessons many times in pursuit of Silver and Gold medals. Unlockables: This is the 2nd reward system where students can unlock some features by progressing through various levels. Fast and accurate keyboarding reward students by unlocking components of the Chatterbox. The Chatterbox is the communication hub in Qwerty Town, it’s the place where students can chat, group chat, email and see other users in a safe, secured and teacher monitored environment. Students cannot access the components of the chatter box until they have successfully proven their basic fluency with the keyboard. For more information, refer Qwerty Town’s Benchmarks and Curriculum page.

Unlockables

Trying lessons and Progress Monitoring Click on Level Click on Lesson to try it yourself Click on Individual User to Export his/her data to Excel

Video: How to Type https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXsutlz0GIQ Unfortunately we can’t embed this video.

Additional Resources Located in X Drive: All->TIS&NTO->ELEM Keyboarding->Resources Poster Assessment Worksheets

Resources Grades 2 and 3 Grades 4 and 5 Proper Keyboarding Techniques Keyboarding Assessment Give Pre- and Post- Assessment to collect data and monitor student growth Activity: Color the Keyboard Grades 4 and 5 Activities Fingers, Hands, and Keys Keyboard Pumpkin (can be given now, best used in Fall)

QWERTY Town Usage Recommendation 2015 Grade 2 Start using QWERTY Town in spring (after SBA is complete and devices are not being used) 3-5 times a week @ 20 minute intervals Unlimited Home usage Grades 3-5 Start using QWERTY Town, as soon as possible, to provide opportunity for students to learn and practice typing

QWERTY Town Usage Recommendation 2015-2016 Grade 2 Start using QWERTY Town in spring (after SBA is complete and devices are not being used) Initial Introduction to Keyboarding 3-5 times a week @ 20 minute intervals Unlimited Home usage Grades 3-5 Start using QWERTY Town in Fall 3-5 times a week @ 20 minute intervals for 6 weeks Generalize typing by publishing writing from Units of Study

Keyboarding Resources for K-1 http://www.emsisd.com/page/894