Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/635847
M A N Y Y O U N G S T E R S C A N text like the wind, post pho- tos to social media while skateboarding, and play video games at warp speed. But when it comes to sitting down at a traditional keyboard and using all 10 digits, they may resort to hunt-and-peck. Like some things in life, keyboarding requires practice and patience. Josh Miller is practicing, and he can now type 18 words per minute (WPM) at an 80 percent accuracy rate with proper finger placement. He wants to increase by two WPM each week. The sixth-grader is feeling more confident, and doesn't need to look at his fingers when typing. During class, he and other students cover their hands with a file folder so they can't peek. "It's hard because the faster I go, the worse my accuracy," sighs Miller, a student in Sheri Irion's key- boarding class at El Portal Middle School in Escalon. Students learn the essential skill of typing By SHERRY POSNICK-GOODWIN Photos by SCOTT BUSCHMAN Sheri Irion of El Portal Middle School supervises students as they practice typing. Students cover their hands with file folders so they can't peek at the keys. Not All Thumbs 43 February 2016