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    Colemak in typng tutors?

    • Started by Oleteiger
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    • Registered: 10-Sep-2013
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    Are any mainstream typing tutors including Colemak or other newer layout options? I am focusing PARTICULARLY on 'Really ready-to-go classroom candidates' with student records support and so on, for teachers who themselves will be staying on Qwerty.

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    • Registered: 10-Sep-2013
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    Are any mainstream typing tutors including Colemak or other newer layout options? I am focusing PARTICULARLY on 'Really ready-to-go classroom candidates' with student records support and so on, for teachers who themselves will be staying on Qwerty.

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    • Registered: 21-Apr-2010
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    What's your platform?

    Gtypist comes with Qwerty, Dvorak and Colemak lessons.

    https://www.gnu.org/software/gtypist/

    It's a good introductory program.  It focuses on rote lessons concentrating on a row/subset of letters at a time.

    It doesn't:

    * Have an onscreen keyboard (you could just print something for this, or use the OS one)
    * Show you nice pretty graphs of your progress
    * Create personalised lessons for you.

    It's supposed to be simple to create your own lessons and add them to the program if you arn't happy with the stock tutorials.

    --
    Physicians deafen our ears with the Honorificabilitudinitatibus of their heavenly Panacaea, their sovereign Guiacum.

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    • Registered: 04-Apr-2013
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    Amphetype is a popular intermediate program with some stats capabilities.  More details on the class might be helpful.

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    • Registered: 10-Sep-2013
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    'Class' is very general at this point, as is 'teacher'.  My impetus for inquiry is the move toward the Core Curriculum in the public schools of many states (California in a leading position).  And, the accompanying testing which, in traditional language, will have students above [??] grade-level writing 'essay answers' on a computer.  That is, fewer and fewer 'pencil-in-the-bubble' tests, more and more 'blue-books-as-text-or-word-processor' files that will be circulated to readers.

    As a grandparent and graduate-level-trained educator, writer/editor who has put in 55 years using Queerty, (sacrificing at least substantial productivity and apparently some wrist-area nerve health), and presently trying to make sure my granddaughter DOES NOT run any risk of getting stuck with Queerty, I began to wonder if:

    a) if the CC testers were going to insure, mandate, etc. "Layout equality" and/or "input skills preparation equality", and,

    b) [horrors] if with this new incentive to develop keyboard-input skills a whole new generation could get duped into learning Queerty! I have no indication that the educational establishment is even significantly aware of what I have come to believe over my lifetime is a real issue. IF I COULD SEE HOW TO BOLDFACE THE IMMEDIATELY FOREGOING WORDS, I WOULD HAVE!!!!

    We know that writing is a central activity in cognitive development, and in an increasingly communications and knowledge-processing world, an individual who is to any degree disabled in clear expression, analysis, synthesis, and translation of meaning, concepts, and process description is going to likely somewhat disadvantaged. If some have the easiest and fastest writing means at their disposal, and others have really inferior means, comparatively, "Houston, we've got a problem".  Pay and wealth inequalities are now astonishing enough--but the kind of inequality I am concerned with here strikes at the root of many quintessentially non-material aspects of life and personal interaction, as well as community productivity.

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    If we're talking about schools perpetuating questionable standards, I'd worry even more about Windows, .doc/.docx, etc.  Those are essentially training the student to become dependent on Microsoft in later life - with Microsoft raking in all the profits, of course.

    Keyboard layouts at least aren't monopolized by a company.  But I guess they're also an example of the problem.

    Anyways, I suppose you're wanting proof-of-concept typing lessons for the classroom.  Searching, I came upon typefaster, t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶l̶e̶m̶a̶k̶ ̶(̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶v̶o̶r̶a̶k̶)̶ (Edit: colemak typefaster lessons).

    Though not a software, tarmak may also be of note; it can act as a proof-of-concept for ease of transition.

    Last edited by lalop (12-Sep-2013 03:10:11)
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    • Registered: 08-Dec-2010
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    I used TypeFaster to learn Colemak. After you can type all keys, switch to any typing tutor you'd like.

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    Thanks, everyone -- your information has been very helpful. Assuming there may be at least a little interest, I will relay back what i find out about what the schools and others (particularly the Common Core people) have to say.  I have more contacting to do in those directions.

    Peter Cross

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