Type to Learn
Learning To Type Can Be Fun!
A Review of Type to Learn
Jackie and Kristina Wheeler
Type to Learn is an award-winning keyboarding program used by more than 15,000,000 students. The newest version of Type to Learn features a space theme, fun games, and an opportunity to become familiar with American Sign Language. Type to Learn offers fun 4 activities:
- New Frontiers: keyboard instruction in a drill format
I really liked this program. It’s designed for kids 8-14, but I think anyone wanting to learn to type correctly would benefit — even children younger. I was excited to see Kristina (age 5) typing r, u, f, and j using the correct fingers and not even looking at the keyboard. One of our favorite games was Star Maker Alphabet. Letters appeared in various places in a sky graphic. Children type the letters correctly and a star appears in the letter’s place. At the end of the game, a constellation appears and the child’s score is given. The game even includes an option to view American Sign Language instead of letters.
Blast Off is a game where your child travels through the solar system in a spaceship. At each planet, the child must use their left or right hand to enter the text that appears on one side of the spaceship controls. Each time they type an entry correctly, the ship advances past a planet. When the child successfully navigates past all the planets, the ship flies into the universe and their score is given.
Map Games includes 2 games: United States games and the World game. In the United States game, the child uses the shift key to type postal abbreviations for states. The name of the state appears in a text box and the state flashes on the map. In the World game, children complete the names of different sites by typing in the missing captial letters.
Type to Learn also includes access to Notepad to introduce children to a simple word processor and allow them to practice their keyboarding skills. Kristina and I used this to practice her reading. Since I was able to set fonts and size, I used a large font and typed in simple sentences for her to read. It was fun for her and I enjoyed her reading to me for once!
Warpspeed is designed to teach children to type rapidly and accurately from copy. Lines of text are presented to the child to type in. As soon as the child has finished entering all the text, any mistakes are indicated in red. They receive feedback on speed and number of errors.
Type to Learn keeps records and allows you to customize the program for each child. Up to 5 children can have records at any time. Customizing the software includes:
- speed goal in words per minute
It also includes online help, progress charts, built-in print capability, and reviews. It is well-written and organized and built using proven learning techniques. I think kids will enjoy it, although it is more of a learning program than entertainment. I do believe Kristina will continue to learn to type using this program — even at age 5. She enjoys it and we both give it 2 "thumbs up!"
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
Type to Learn |
| Company: |
Sunburst Communications
|
| Cost: |
$40.00 |
System Requirements:
Macintosh:
68040 processor or better, System 6.0.7 or higher,
4MB RAM (8 MB recommended), 640×480 256 color monitor,
and a double-speed CD-ROM drive.
Windows:
386 processor or better, MS Windows 3.1 or higher,
4MB RAM (8 MB recommended), 640×480, 256 color monitor,
double-speed CD-ROM drive,
windows compatible sound card and speakers (sound optional)
and mouse.
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 5
Learning Value 4
Entertainment Value 3
Graphics 4
Sound 4
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
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