What I really wanted to observe was a typical technology class period in our high school or in another district.   I would like to compare different styles, programs, and strategies used by tech coordinators.  Unfortunately, I had scheduling difficulties and time constraints.  While my interest is not with the keyboarding program, this was an easily accessible observation.

My class of 20 fourth grade students began their third year of keyboard training on January 31.  This is a six week course that meets one half hour, three days a week.  We were in a lab of 30 Mac computers so each child had their own computer.  I chose a student of average ability.  After looking through the Best Way to Collect my Information paper and worksheet, I decided to make a simple table that would help me to record the student's keyboarding techniques.
  This observation focused on obtaining baseline data.  I recorded the lesson number so that I could later compare the student's work to either another student or to the same student at a later time.

The observation went very well.  The lab teacher first explained the directions, then with their headphones on, they listened to the directions from the program.   The student I observed did very well.  She generally looked at the keyboard only when hitting the return or delete key buttons.  I tallied 18 times that she looked at the keyboard in lesson 1-Home Keys.(about 15 mins).  Her hands left the homerow only twice during that lesson.  After the basic practice lesson, the program takes them to  speed lines where I recorded 17 scores showing words per minute.  Her average wpm was 17.  The program then has a short skeeball game that shows their accuracy. She had three scores, 100, 100, and 64.  This included a goal of 8 words per minute which she exceeded each time.

She began lesson 2 -H & E but did not get it finished before it was time to go.  Overall I was impressed with how well this student did on her first lesson of the year.
 

Focus questions:

What is the purpose of the observation?
I want to determine if the program Paws is a effective tool for teaching keyboarding.
 

What are good keyboarding strategies?
See table above

How did I decide who to observe?
I wanted to first choose a student who has already completed two prior years of keyboarding
so that I can compare the results to another fourth grade student who has not received any
keyboarding lessons.  This will help to determine if students are retaining skills from year
to year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Liz Sanford
1-31-00