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This is an easy to use program to help
learn to touch-type. Using computers is
part of everyday life and being able to
enter and retrieve information quickly and
accurately is a skill much needed in the
working environment, so Keyboard Skills
need to be developed early.
This program acts as an online tutor for
pupils wanting to learn to touch type. It
shows the user which keys to press and fingers
to use. The onscreen keyboard helps avoid
the need to look down and it provides feedback
graphically, allowing the user to monitor
their progress. The pupils can see which
aspects of their keyboard skills need developing.
The audio feature is particularly useful
as it reinforces literacy and students can
match sound to letters/words. The 'show
hand' feature is also another useful tool
as it indicates which finger to use.
The exercises are progressive and build
upon the previous activities. Initially,
it may take a while for pupils to find their
way around the keyboard without looking.
Regular practice sessions will be needed,
for example, 10 - 15 minutes a lesson over
a period of time.
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This product allows students
to create animations and GIFs on the desktop
of a PC in an easy and clearly explained
way.
Not specifically linked to the National
Curriculum schemes of work, this program
could however be usefully employed within
a KS3 art course, where students might investigate
animation and produce their own 'flicker
books'. It could also be incorporated within
the ICT curriculum to produce animated GIFs
to use within a website design.
The program comes with an informative,
professionally produced video that takes
students through the process of creating
an animation, step by step. An informative
booklet explains all of the technical terms
used by animators and gives an insight into
the highly skilled work behind cartoons,
which are widely consumed media texts for
many students(The Simpsons, for example).
My students certainly found it engaging
and motivating.
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