OFFC 329 Keyboarding on the Internet

 Course Description | Course Competencies |WebCT
Course Outline | DMACC Home Page | Instructor's Home Page |

Welcome! I would love to have you join Keyboarding.  I am Helen Grattan, and I would be your instructor. You can reach me at my e-mail address hggrattan@dmacc.edu  or by telephone (515) 964-6412. However, if you live outside of the local calling area, you may wish to call toll free at (800) 362-2127 select 1 select 8 and finally select my Extension 6412.

I also teach Keyboarding on the Ankeny campus. Should you need additional help during the fall semester, you are welcome to come to my computer classes on the Ankeny campus.  I’ll be glad to make an appointment for you.  I encourage Keyboarding students to get started early and keep at it: that’s the secret to success in this class.    As with an athletic or a musician, it will take time to develop the hand and mind coordination that are necessary for success.  Skill development takes a lot of time, so beware of the temptation to leave too much work to be done at one time.  Regular consistent practice is the best way to develop touch keyboarding. 

 Getting Started

If you are already registered with Des Moines Area Community College for this class and the class has started, you may go to the class website. Use your first initial, middle initial, and full last name for both your logon name and your password; for example, Helen G. Grattan would be hggrattan.  The class website is located at http://webct.dmacc.edu/

You can purchase your textbook and CD software at the DMACC Ankeny Campus Bookstore. The text is College Keyboarding by VanHuss, Forde, and Woo with accompanying CD software, or you can call the bookstore at (515) 964-6412 to have them sent to you.

System Requirements:

Personal Computer (100% compatible to IBM)

32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended for Windows 2000)

Hard drive with 20 MB free (standard install) or 180 MB free (full install)

The CD is useful on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4.0, Millennium, and Windows XP.

4X speed CD-ROM

SoundBlaster compatible Sound card

Speaker or headphones

Loading the CD software

Installation Procedure

Follow the steps provided below to install the Keyboarding Pro Ver. 3 software CD.  The installation program will copy the software from the CD-ROM to the computer’s hard drive and create the South-Western Keyboarding program group as well as save your work in your program files on your C: drive.

1.       Insert the Keyboarding Pro ver. 3 CD-ROM into the CD-Rom drive.

2.       Click the START button at the bottom corner of your monitor screen, and choose RUN.

3.       Key d:\setup and strike ENTER.

4.       Read the instruction screen and select next or yes unless you have a reason to change the defaults.

You may use your icons by clicking on “My Computer,” click “D: Drive”, and double click “setup.exe” and follow the screen prompts.

Using the CD Software

Now that your software is loaded in your CD drive, you’ll need to log on to the software.

Select Run Keyboarding Pro from your Computer Window's Start menu's Program selections. (To eliminate this step, you may create a short cut to be placed on your computer desktop.)

Once the software is opened select NEW USER on Log In menu

1. Key in your full name:  First and Last

2. Key in WWW as your Class ID.

3. Select your password, which can be 1 to 9 characters  (Note:  I will also use the same password you create, so keep it simple and clean)

4. Then click OK

Set your preferences:  From the EDIT pull-down menu select PREFERENCES.  On the Preferences dialog box key in my e-mail address (hggrattan@dmacc.edu) Click on each tab and remove the “X” in each box that states “Backspace Allowed” by placing your cursor on it and clicking the mouse.  On the Skill Builder change the Emphasis from Speed to Accuracy.  Then select “OK.”

You are now ready to begin keyboarding by selecting Alphabetic Lesson 1.  Be sure to turn you speaker up so you can hear the instructions.

Call me (515) 964-6412 if you are having problems setting up your program.

 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

I suggest that you print a copy of the class assignment calendar at the class website.

You are expected to send in your completed lessons weekly.  Sending in your lessons on a regular bases is proof that you are in the class.  Estimated time to complete a lesson is a half hour.  The class will take approximately 30 hours. Plan your time wisely. 

Computer failure is not an excuse for failing to complete assignments on time. 

While the class is available for you 24 hours all semester, I am only available during my college office hours.  Please e-mail or phone me if you have questions or would like an appointment.

Try to do practice your lessons daily.  Daily practice is the best way to develop your eye and hand coordination.  Do not use the backspace key.  It is important that you learn from your errors; therefore, your mind will learn the correct patterns and not depend on the backspace key if you turn off the backspace key.   To turn off the backspace key go to your EDIT menu and select PREFERENCES on the preferences dialog boxes select each tab and remove the X in each box that says “Backspace Allowed” by using your mouse to click on it.  Stay on task!

Try to work a half-hour daily. Successful development of the hand requires consistent exercise; however, not work for long periods of time. Do not attempt to do more than three lessons in one sitting since when you get tired you develop bad habits. Your mind can only remember so much at a time. Your goal is to learn the keyboard by touch. One student found that placing a file folder under the computer screen to cover the keyboard helped him learn the keys correctly and another used a towel over her hands. If you find yourself looking at the keyboard frequently, you might want to try that.

Keep your eyes on your copy, and discipline yourself to learn the keys by touch.

 

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO E-MAIL LESSONS You can use the send button on the software if you have a MAPI enabled e-mail provider.  Since you have a Microsoft Outlook account with DMACC, I suggest that you use Microsoft Outlook as your PROFILE when prompted.

Note:  A MAPI enabled program for sending e-mail messages (Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Mail, Eudora Pro, Netscape Messenger, Novell Groupwise, Banyan BeyondMail, Hewlett Packard OpenMail or Lotus CC:Mail), You can send your lesson report within the application using the button “Send File.”   If your e-mail system is not MAPI (American On-Line, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Juno, Pegasus, etc.), you must exit the application and attach your student file to an e-mail message to send it.  If you choose to do your lessons at a computer (the software is already on the system) at the Ankeny DMACC campus, your lessons will automatically be recorded.

 

If you wish to use your own e-mail provider and not the DMACC Outlook, do the following to attach your documents manually:

Fill in the "TO" line with my e-mail address (hggrattan@dmacc.edu)

Use KEYBOARDING in the SUBJECT line with your name.   For example:  Keyboarding/Your Name

You do not need to write a message when you attach your student records.

To attach a your student record select your system download feature

Browse your C:\ drive for Keyboarding (kpm) folder.

Open the Keyboarding (kpm) folder.

Next open the Student Folder

Select your name (name.swk) by highlighting it

Select Open (Attach)

Select Send.

Internet Keyboarding OFFC 329 Guidelines

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Instructor: Helen Grattan

Office: Building 8 Room 1C

Phone: 515.964.6412

(Toll Free 800.362.2127 + 1 + 8 + 6412#)

E-mail: hggrattan@dmacc.edu

 (Textbook and CD can be purchased at the DMACC Ankeny Bookstore)

 Textbook: Keyboarding Course 1 –25 by VanHuss, Forde, Woo, South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati

Keyboarding Pro ver. 3CD-ROM, South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati

Course Description: Basic instruction on a personal computer to learn the touch system for the alphabetic keyboard, number keyboard, and the ten-key numeric pad.

Course Competencies:

During this course, the student will be expected to

1. Demonstrate correct keyboarding techniques.

2. Key the alphabetic reaches by touch.      

2.1 Practice the key reaches on the computer.  

2.2 Key alphabetic material by touch at 15+ NWPM

3. Key the numeric keypad reaches by touch

3.1 Practice the keypad operations on the computer.    

3.2 Demonstrate the ability to key numeric material by touch.

4. Demonstrate the correct numeric and symbol reaches on the top row of the keyboard.

4.1 Practice the numeric and symbol keyreaches on the computer.

4.2 Demonstrate the ability to key figures and symbols by keying mixed copy

5. Key straight copy for 3 minutes.

5.1 Practice to develop speed and accuracy.    

5.2 Key alphabetic material by touch for 3 minutes at a rate of 15+ NWPM.

Course Outline:

·         ·         Introduction to the Computer

·         ·         Module 1 Alphabetic Key reaches

·         ·          Module 2 Figure and Symbol Keys

The lessons on the software are 75 percent of your and can be turned in early for you who are already skilled at keyboarding.  Also, for those who are skilled at keyboarding a challenge test is available.  If you wish to pass out of the class based on your current skill level, please call me to make an appointment. The challenge test requires that you key at a speed of 25 Net Words a Minute (which means you are penalized for your errors, you cannot use the backspace key, and you cannot look at the keyboard).  The challenge test also requires that you be able to use the numeric keypad by touch.  If you fail to pass the Keyboarding challenge test, you’ll remain in the class.  Since you are registered in this class, there is no charge to take the challenge test.

The Final 3-Minute Timings are 25 percent of your grade and require that you be able to key material that is in the textbook for three minutes without looking at the computer keys or screen and by not using the backspace key.  Your grade will be based on your net words per minute. To figure your net words per minute, multiply the errors by two and subtract from your gross words per minute. For example if you typed 40 gross words per minute and made 4 errors your net words per minute would be 32.

The math is 40 - (4x2) = 32 net words per minute.

Evaluation:

The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:     

           

Daily Work . . . . . . . . . . 75%

3-Minute Timings . . . . . 25%

Daily Work, is 75 percent of your grade, and will be based on the percentage of lessons completed successfully.

A = 10 keypad unit plus Lessons 1-25 and Skill Building A to T

B = 10 Keypad unit plus Lessons 1-25 and Skill Building A to J

C = 10 Keypad unit plus Lessons 1-25 and Skill Building A to C

D = Lessons 1-25 plus 10 Keypad unit

F = Less than Lesson 25

3-Minute Timing is 25 percent of your grade will be based on your best 3-timings done in each timed writing.

*You may do these timings over and over as you progress through the skill building lessons to improve your net words per minute ratio or you can come on to the Ankeny campus to do a 3-minute supervised timing.  Timing grade is figured on net words a minute (deduct two words from minute average speed for each error). The grading scale for timings is as follows:

30+ NWAM = A

25 - 29 NWAM = B

20 - 24 NWAM = C

15 - 19 NWAM = D

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