iPad: Week 5 - Typing & Letter Identification Practice

As I start this school year with iPads instead of desktops, I wanted to share some of the apps and websites I plan to use with my elementary aged students throughout the year. While I don't think that typing is something to focus tons of attention on while on iPads, I do definitely think that it's worth covering throughout the year so that our kids don't get to the point where they're typing college essays with one finger, right? So without further ado -

Apps:

• Word Burst: This app has words pop up in bubbles, and you have to type them before they burst. Words get more difficult as time goes on, and more words appear on the screen at a time the more you get right. There are multiple levels and you score points for each letter you type correctly as your finish the word. You get 5 "lives" and you lose a life each time the bubble pops before you spell a word correctly. 
• Flappy Type: Not quite the same concept as flappy bird, but they do have the same background. Basically different words show up on the screen one at a time and you have to type them. You see how many words you can type in a certain amount of time (1 minute). At the end, it tells you how many words you've typed and how many you got right. It also shows a list of words that you've typed. I typically have my students screen shot the words and send it to me so I know how they're doing. 

Online (iPad friendly):

• Typing Class: Choose from 56 different lessons and use the onscreen keyboard to type. Sometimes it is a little laggy and I don't always like that you're using their keyboard instead of yours on your iPad, but it serves its purpose. It does have a time and accuracy level across the top. 
• Keybr: You can pick one letter to focus on at a time and then use your iPad keyboard to type. It keeps track of your speed, score and errors. Super easy to use and you don't need to login to try it for a class period. I like to use this when I have a sub because it's easy to access and needs little explanation. 
• Typing.com: Here you can pick to use the onscreen keyboard or the one on the iPad. You can also choose from beginner, intermediate, advanced or practice levels. This site walks you through the fingers you should use to type each letter and then slowly builds as you add more letters. The advanced levels add in symbols and numbers and have you type jokes or medical terms so you can practice full sentences or unfamiliar words. 
• Nitro Type: Teach typing through an interactive race car type camping game. There are sentences that appear at the bottom of the screen, which I love because students aren't just aimlessly typing words. They car goes slower or faster depending on how quickly you are typing, and get a place at the end of the game based on how you do. You can play as a guest, but it doesn't save your scores. To help with this, just have your students screen shot their results and then the picture will save with the date on it so they can see how far they've come. 
• Typing Home: Full of over 20 hours of free typing practice, with different lessons to choose from. Part of what I really like about this program is that it really does focus on which finger you are supposed to be typing with. Obviously that isn't as important on an iPad, but still a good lesson. There is also a typing test so you can see your typing speed and accuracy. I like my students to take this first without saying that it's a test so that we can see how they improve over the year. 

Happy Typing,

Hilary