Learning to type?

Hay Duders,

I have never leaned to type properly and want to start learning how to do it correctly. Anyone have any recommendations for software/websites? Have any of you you learned to type as an adult? How was your experience?

Thanks,

@ravingham91: Typing of the Dead: Overkill.

Typing of the Dead maybe.

I know that's a game and all but is it a serious teaching tool?

@ravingham91: Sure? You have to type really fast so it's basically the Dark Souls of typing games.

Serious? Hah, no. Not in any way. But I can't think of any better way to practice your typing skills.

To be honest, rigidly following typing guidelines has never worked for me and I don't think it really works for anybody. I certainly rest my fingers on the home row keys, but I probably don't exactly follow which finger is supposed to hit which key. I didn't care in elementary school, and nobody cares now so long as I can type fast. And I can type fast, not blindingly fast but more than fast enough.

If you don't have to look at the keyboard often, then you're probably fine.

I remember in Jr. High, grades 6-8, we had to take a half a semester worth of typing. The proper way of typing was fine for those who didn't know how to type but my 'advance hunting and pecking' was much faster. So now I have some weird hybrid of typing.

Really the best way to learn for me was to catch onto some of the basic ideas but eventually learn the relative positions of all the letters and go from there. Repetition of always IMing, bloging, writing papers, and writing articles has left me with a memorization of the keyboard and now I can just do so without looking or hunting.

So really the key is to just keep trying and practicing. Talk to people online and don't give up. And nothing is really needed instantly so if you're on IM or emailing always take your time before sending something off misspelled.

Honestly, I learned by playing online games on pc. I had to learn to communicate in chat windows fast, so that I didn't die by missing a health potion while typing. That and the repetition of just communicating with people cemented my keyboard skills. If you want to learn through a program though there are tons of them out there. Pick one that makes games out of it and play the games. Make sure you know proper finger positioning, use all of your fingers, and do what feels natural and fast from there. Don't worry too much about hitting specific keys with the "correct" finger as long as you aren't doing some extreme cheating that's hurting your speed.

I bought a blank keyboard. It took a few months to get used to, but my speed and accuracy has increased dramatically. Typing races are fun practice too http://app.typrx.com/

I really doubt I'm typing the "correct" way, but I average 50-60 wpm and I always start on the home row so its close enough for me.

Something rather low tech that worked for me:

Put a sheet of paper over my hand while typing, and force myself to learn the positions of at least the letter keys by heart/feel. Anything more than that is gravy.

TypingMaster

I've tried a lot of typing learning software. I think this one is the best.

I'm not sure how well this works as an adult, but I learned to type well as a kid by using message boards and writing reviews. I never took a typing class, though I remember my class in elementary school receiving lessons once in a while that I absolutely hated. They wanted me to put my hands in a certain position and move my fingers a certain way that felt completely unnatural to how I was teaching myself. The "home row" nonsense feels completely alien to me. I'm not even sure anyone actually uses that method.

The best way to do it is to type...a lot

I basically just got better at typing by text chatting for the last 20 years- MMOs, chat rooms, forums, etc.

I'm not the greatest typer, I only type like 50 wpm or something I think (It's been a while since I took a typing test), but I'm good enough for me.

I used TypeOnline

Thanks for the feedback. A blank keyboard sounds nuts though I can see how it would force you to learn. I am very much a "hunter and pecker" and I am not super fast but not super slow either. Really the only reason I wanted to get faster was for work. (My spelling and grammar etc could all probably improve to) I feel a bit better knowing that some of you also don't type "properly". I will look into some of the websites mentioned.

I still only type using my index fingers. But I am really fast so no one cares.

I used to practice with those typing software, but I don't think they provided me as much educational value as just typing a lot. I still can't use the "proper" technique, I'm only using three fingers per hand to type out letters. That sort of speed is not necessary unless you are a professional typist. I think my typing has improved a lot especially since I've started programming and "socializing" online more. It took a while, but eventually I started looking at the keyboard less and less. I think it took me a couple years before I could comfortably type without looking at all.

That said, I'm going to recommend trying out the Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing games because they're cool.

Bascialy just put your index fingers on the two keys with little bumps (f and j) so that you've got proper positioning and then play Iccarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing. Then play the episodic sequel.

Stick with the classics.

My only recommendation is to type a lot, I never learned it so to speak either. I'm purely self-taught in that regard, and really I don't think that techniques and such is something you should care about to learn, just type the way you find comfortable and effective.

All I did when I was learning to type was type the alphabet over and over in a word document to get a feel of my finger placement on the keyboard. As a preteen/early teen I spent a ton of time on message boards, so my typing just naturally got a lot better from that point on.