From the
Employment and Learning Computer Lab:
Learning to
type is a time consuming and work-heavy experience, but it is worthwhile
considering the benefits of looking for employment, from writing cover letters
to thank you notes after an interview. One way to practice is to type out
something you enjoy, such as song lyrics or poems, or even personal letters and
emails. Another is to use a free service online called Typing Web. Here is all
you need to do to get that practice:
After you
are on the Internet, go to www.typingweb.com. After you click on “Begin Typing,” a window
will pop up for either signing in or registering. The first time you register
on the right side of this window, by putting in a user name. Many times you can
use your first and last name with no space, or add a number at the end of it,
if that name is already being used. Pick an easy password, such as 1234,
because this is not a site that will be hacked. You do not need to fill out the
space for your email address, as this is optional. After you have filled this
out, from then on you will only need to put in your user name and password on
the left side of the box when it pops up.
On the
keyboard, there is a bump on the letters “F” and “J”, showing you where your
two pointing fingers rest when typing.
Using this as a base, you will pick your level (start with the
beginning) and start typing. The screen will show you where your fingers should
press, and which finger to use. Try to watch the letters, though, rather than
just follow the fingers.
When you are
done, click the Save and Continue button to get to the next level. If you are
finished for the session, at this point you can close the software. The next
time you open it up, it will ask you if you want to start at the beginning, or
pick up where you left off.
Pay no
attention to the speed, but rather to the accuracy. You will type slower than
you normally would, so the speed is not important. What is valuable is building
up what is known as muscle memory, so your fingers will eventually know where
to go without having to concentrate on just that. This site is the equivalent
of doing scales on a musical instrument. Be patient as that will come at its
own pace. The more you practice, the faster you will build up this muscle
memory.
