Week 7, Keyboarding

Looks like the "BIG" snow, Presidents' Day, and Mardi Gras made a good combination for a mini vacation for many of you. Welcome back to school and to our class.  We are now in Week 7 of Keyboarding!  These assignments are due Monday, February 22.  Please review your grades and if you have any 0s, complete the work. Your grade depends on it!

By the time you read this blog, I will be back in El Paso.  The trip to South MS was great, but I am pleased to be back in the regular routine.  Note my office hours and call me if you have questions.  My number is 601.810.4923.

LESSON NOTES

This week we are wrapping up our learning of the keyboard. You should now know the correct technique for all the keys, including alphabetic, numeric, special characters, and the keypad. Some of you are really flying on those keypad lessons!  Review the techniques and keep practicing to maintain your speed and accuracy.

 

EXAM NOTES

To ensure the best grade possible on the written exam for Module 2, read and carefully follow the directions below.

Exam 2: Timed Writing Instructions

Print this document so you can check off each item as you complete it.

You will now complete the exam in MicroType 4.2. This will be a timed writing. You will have one minute to type as much of the sample text as quickly and accurately as you can. Remember, your goal is to have fewer than three errors. It is better to go a little slower and make fewer errors than go too fast and make too many mistakes.

You may want to do the Quick Review sections in MicroType 4.2 to practice and warm up before taking this exam.

Important Tips: You will find some great tips (below) that you should read before beginning to type your timed writing. Be sure to read all of this page before you begin to type.

Timed Writing Instructions

Open the Microtype 4.2 program and login

On the main screen, Click. Timed Writing (clock face) located in the green section on the left side of the screen.  Select Writing 1 for one minute.

Be sure Writing02 is highlighted.  The Timing Link should be set to 1 minute.

In the Timing Options Display  timer should be checked. You should uncheck the Beep every 15 seconds option. Then click the OK button.

Pressing OK will give you the Timed Writing Dialog box. It should look similar to the box displayed below.  Your text to be keyed will appear in blue in the dialog box above the typing box.

 

Read the message window that pops up and then click the OK button.  Please do not tap the ESC key but continue to type until your time is completed. 

VERY IMPORTANT: When you press a key on your keyboard, the clock timer will begin, so please do not press any keys until you have read this entire document.

When you are ready, position yourself in the correct typing position, press the Tab key to indent, and begin to type the text from the dialog box at the top of the screen. Continue typing at a steady pace until the minute is up.

You must type the timed writing twice.  Your work will be saved automatically.  

Important Timed Writing Tips 

1. The timer starts the minute you hit a key. Do not begin until you are ready. Minimize distractions as much as possible so you can perform at your very best.

2. It has always been standard practice in keyboarding to use two spaces after the end-of-sentence punctuation (periods, questions marks, exclamation marks) and colons (:). Not keying two spaces at the end of a sentence will count as an error each time you make this mistake.

3.    Use the TAB key to indent paragraphs. Using the space bar will count as multiple errors.

4.    Press the ENTER key only at the end of a paragraph. Microtype will display this symbol 8 to indicate that Enter should be pressed.  (Do not press the ENTER key at the end of a printed line.)

5.    If you are an experienced typist you may finish the document before the timer stops. If this happens, do not stop the software will return to the beginning of the document and you should continue typing.

6.   Your goal is to key at least 16 gwam (gross words a minute) with three or fewer errors. (To receive an "A" on this assignment, you need to key at least 20 gwam.) If you did not meet your goal, simply complete the Quick Review in MicroType and then retake the timing. You may retake the timing as many times as you like before you submit it to your teacher.  You must submit at least 2 different screen shots for a grade.

How to Submit Your Test

After you have completed your test that you wish to submit, please follow these directions carefully. 

1.    Return to the main screen and access the Report menu as shown in the diagram.

2.    Select Timed Writings from the dropdown menu.

3.    When you access the Timed Writing Report, the first screen is a summary screen of the timed writings taken.

4.    Scroll down the page until the writing summary that is to be submitted is visible.  Your name, date, Writing 01 and both first and second attempt information should be visible on the screen.  Click Print Screen to capture the image of your results. 

5.    Open the Word Processing Program as we have been doing to submit the assignments and paste the image of your test results. Save the file as xx2_11 (replace xx with your initials) and submit it to the dropbox. 

FINAL EXAM GRADING RUBRIC

Grading Rubric
GWAM (Gross Words A Minute)	Grade
20+ GWAM with three or fewer errors	100
18-19 GWAM with three or fewer errors	85
16-17 GWAM with three or fewer errors	75
14-15 GWAM with three or fewer errors	65
Attempts under 14 GWAM or over three errors	40

How about some bonus points for this week? Add a comment on the blog to describe how your keyboarding has improved over the last 6 weeks of using MicroType.  Three sentences will get you 10 bonus points.