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Kiwanis Supports Keyboarding for Kids


This blog post was typed on a computer. It went from first draft to published all on a screen, having been typed out on a keyboard. I would bet most of the things you’ve read today were written the exact same way.


In today’s world of digital communication, the skill of typing fluently is essential. It’s on par with being the importance of learning to write!
The necessity for typing starts in school, where most standardized tests now require the use of a keyboard and are timed. Students in our district are equipped with personal computers in Grade Four, and assignments are written and turned in on those devices. The latest technology standards from the State Department of Education even require keyboarding skills to be taught to Alabama students.
Keyboarding is an essential skill for life and work in the 21st Century.
Lee Lott, a Business Tech Teacher at Decatur High School, has found that keyboarding skills are essential to students beyond school as well. She states, “It is important for our students to gain keyboarding skills so they can excel in the current job market. Many jobs require prospective employees to have the ability to type a minimum number of words per minute, and we want to make sure that our students are able to meet that requirement in order to secure a job. Having keyboarding skills is a MUST!”


But keyboarding won’t just help kids with standardized testing and job searches. It has also been shown to improve reading comprehension and vocabulary, to assist English language learners in acquiring the language, to provide practice of spelling and sight words, and to benefit students that struggle with dyslexia.


In the 2018–2019 school year, Decatur City Schools will begin using EduTyping—a premiere keyboarding program that provides a comprehensive K–12 curriculum, classroom management tools, timed tests, grading tools, and fun games and competitions to reinforce lesson content.


All of those tools aren’t without their cost, though. To make sure that our students are ready for success in school and beyond graduation, we have made funding a Keyboarding Curriculum a high priority for 2018. Joining us in that commitment, Kiwanis Club of Decatur has given the first donation toward funding Typing for Success!


Partners like Kiwanis Club are critical to providing the very best educational opportunities for all students in Decatur City Schools. Donors to our organization are a part of something very 
special—they’re a part of our community. We’re thankful that you make everything we do possible.

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