Hello. Welcome to my lesson plans, designed to be used in conjunction with the educational software programme Mario Teaches Typing.

6. In the Health and Physical Education - a Curriculum Profile for Australian Schools mention can be found under the human movement strand that relates to typing. Outcome 3.4 addresses it especially - "Applies motor skills with equipment in skill drill activities..."

Typing can also be linked to outcome 3.3 - "Demonstrates control in performing... movement patterns.

As well as linking to these outcomes, the skill of typing obviously covers all curriculum areas, as all subjects can include word processed assignments. Word processing skills, including typing are becoming increasingly important in today's society.

7. There are several off computer activities that are related to this typing experience. They mostly relate to fine motor skill development to assist in improving typing, but also to improve fine motor skills in general.

Special off computer activities (learning centres) can be designed to help students who have trouble with fine motor skills.

a.) Experience making things with playdo can help children with fine motor skills, as it allows them to manipulate materials with their fingers, without having the pressure on them that this typing game puts on them. When they are used to the material, the children can make the letters of their name out of the material. Working with material like leggo can also help here - putting the pieces together so the holes match involves fine motor skills.

b.) Activities such as dot to dots and tracing activities can help develop fine motor control, with the children trying to be as accurate as they can be. This involves more accuracy and control than a.)

c.) At this level, mintie wrappers can be used to further develop fine motor skills. By tearing it (as thin as you can) around without ripping a bit off requires great control, and thus a,b and c are in sequential order, with one leading into another.

8. There are many computer based activities related to the topic. As typing is the basis for most computer use, the limits are endless. Developing the ability to type through this programme will allow children to use all the other aspects of the computer with more speed and ease. Thus everything they do on the computer will be related to the topic.

9. Classroom management issues are important here because only one student can use the programme at a time. This makes it unsuitable for small group work. If it is too be implemented seriously in to a classroom situation it will also be necessary for the teacher to evaluate students progress. If the teacher is serious about the need for students to have typing skills, they will put in the time needed.

The classroom Macintosh that this program is being run on should be situated near the teachers desk, so that the teacher can check that the correct posture is being used by the students at all times. Headphones will be needed so the sound doesn't distract all the other students.

Students can use this programme on a roster system, as progress will be ongoing over a long period of time, as each child makes their way through eh levels at their own pace. Thus each child could perhaps use it twice a week, and have two or three attempts at a level each time they do it. The teacher can record the students best time and accuracy ratings for each week and keep a database over the year of students results. This is made simple for the teacher by the report cards that come up after each level is completed.

The teacher can also send a "thought you would like to know" message home to parents, letting them know that the children's typing experience will be an ongoing learning experience, thus by the end of the year, children, parents and the teacher can see how much improvement has been made.

Behavioural difficulties will be minimised because the program is entertaining, fun and motivating, in that most students will want to beat their previous best time. This means that they will concentrate well.
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