Computer Skills and Applications Module 2 Notes Computer Skills and Applications

Proper Keyboarding Posture and Techniques Sit up straight Feet flat on the floor Body centered in front of the computer Elbows naturally by side Fingers curved Wrists low, but not touching the keyboard Quick, snappy strokes Quick, down-and-in motion of the thumb Right little finger used for the enter key; other fingers remain on the home row Use the appropriate little finger for the shift keys

Work Area Arrangement Keyboard directly in front of chair Keyboard even with edge of desk Monitor placed for easy viewing Disk drives placed for easy access Copy to the right of the keyboard

1.01 Vocabulary – Implement proper keyboarding techniques Technique – The form and keying style that a typist uses while operating the keyboard Touch-Method – To key by touch rather than by the hunt-and-peck method Posture – The way the typist sits, the way the typist’s arms, wrists, fingers legs and feet are placed Work Area – Arrangement of the keyboard, copy, mouse, and other materials on the desk

Touch Method of Keyboarding Examine the keyboard carefully to form a mental picture of the layout. Keep your eyes on the copy. Place your fingers on the center of each key with the fingers slightly curved. Keep your wrists straight, low, and not touching the machine. Strike the keys firmly and release them quickly. Do not look at your fingers while striking the keys. Eyes on copy!!

Computing GWAM Keyboarding speed is measured in words per minute. GWAM (Gross Words A Minute) is the number of keystrokes a typist can make in a timed period. A standard keyboarding word is five characters or any combination of five characters or spaces. The following sentence has how many standard keyboarding words? All middle school students should learn to keyboard. (Answer: There are 55 characters and spaces in this sentence so there are 11 standard keyboarding words in the sentence (55 characters/spaces divided by 5).

To determine your keyboarding GWAM Type for a specific number of minutes as directed by your teacher. Determine the number of standard keyboarding words you keyed. Remember every five strokes (characters and spaces) count as one word. Divide the total number of words keyed by the number of minutes that you were timed.

1.02 Vocabulary – Execute the touch method in operating the alphabetic keys. Alphabetic Keys – Letter keys on the keyboard Enter/return – Used to move the cursor down a line GWAM (Gross Words a Minute) – The number of keystrokes a typist can make in a timed period; can calculate by dividing the total number of standard words keyed by he number of minutes that the typist was timed. QWERTY Keyboard – The most commonly used keyboard arrangement Space bar – Used to insert spaces between characters Standard Keyboarding Word – Five characters of any combination of five characters and spaces.