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    alternative lessons

    • Started by vilem
    • 2 Replies:
    • Reputation: 0
    • From: Köln, Germany
    • Registered: 01-Apr-2007
    • Posts: 264

    I always had slight difficulty typing a whole bunch of words in the cmk lessons, which contained two newly introduced letters that were both on the same row (excluding home row letters). For example the lesson that introduces F and U (#6) makes me mix up both keys frequently (during the lesson only).  Therefore, I have made an alternative lesson–that would be lesson 5–for V and L, to try how it compares. What do you think?

    toil lithe vivid oiled less live sold vent lever slid levee dive slat slit
    raven vain hall naval oven valet voodoo still lotto vet dial hill land
    oven vote lead vain solid shave saver old lone vie ale nill novella loose
    evident let vale have alone eve volt lost navel line vase vole last vane elusive
    install love sole tall vista total dove loot save devil vile venal stilton lilo
    vote lot vole even loads loan levels vernon several novel varies sensitive relative hold

    Last edited by vilem (11-Jul-2007 13:52:04)
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    • Registered: 07-Jan-2007
    • Posts: 47

    The best lessons that I've come across are the Dan Woods lessons @ http://www.gigliwood.com/abcd/abcd.html

    The Lessons form sentences while focusing on specific letters, two at a time. While it was designed for Dvorak, it's helped me learn about a dozen different layouts.

    I found that after going through the lessons once, I can type in the new layout if only at 12 wpm. But still I can type without looking at the keys. If I go through it twice, I can type over 20 wpm.

    Beyond that I've found the best practice to be retyping a poem, short story, or essay in notepad, using AutoHotKey to delete the current line when I press back space and to delete the line below when I press enter.

    It's a simple and sloppy method but it works and it helps me learn accuracy (by forcing me to retype a line if I make a mistake) and speed (through repetition).
    Here's the code for all interested (redistribute and modify freely):

    #NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
    SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
    
    esc::exitapp
    
    bs:: sendinput +{home}{space}{left}{del}
    
    enter::sendinput {space}{left}{del}{down}{home}+{end}{space}{left}{del}{down}{down}{down}{up}{up}{up}

    Pressing 'Escape' ends the routine. And a stop watch can be used to track progress. I do it when I'm tired and want to sleep (for motivation).

    In direct answer to your question, I'm not keen on random word lessons for learning a layout (I'll practice word lists for speed, but I prefer to learn by typing sentences or individual letters).

    Last edited by sorenk (05-Aug-2007 03:45:48)

    "Things will get better despite our efforts to improve them" - Will Rogers
    "...even the dog doesn't think I'm a monster." - Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny (1954)

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    • From: Köln, Germany
    • Registered: 01-Apr-2007
    • Posts: 264

    One big reason for me to switch to colemak and touch-typing (from qwertz and hunt and peck) was that the lessons were composed of real words instead of nonsensical clusters of letters like in the standard qwerty lessons and in parts of the lessons you linked to. Typing real words lets me concentrate and focus on the lesson to a much greater extent and makes learning more fun. Also, you practise words which you will use later on for 'real' typing, which conveys the impression of actually learning something useful right from the beginning. The lessons you linked to seem quite interesting though, although I will definitely miss out on the 'introducing' and the first part of the 'comprehensive' lessons! Thanks! I wouldn't, however, recommend using them for learning cmk, as they don't introduce letters in any logical or relevant order for that layout. Something the cmk lessons also do is convey the message that many words can be typed solely on home row and even with the 'first' 4 letters (left middle, left index, right index and right middle, ie s,t,n,e).

    One thing I don't like about sentence lessons is that as you practise the lessons you get familiar to the sentences and start to know the off by heart, which boosts your typing speed, but for that very text only. Of course this is only relevant to you if you are planning to time yourself.

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