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Upgrading Keyboard Instruction

Author: George Rhodes, Founder of The Keyboard Teacher.George Rhodes

This essay is an effort by a former business education instructor to upgrade and stabilize keyboarding instruction. The material is largely based on personal teaching experiences initiated in 1960 and continued through 1991–involving first typewriting instruction, then keyboarding instruction.

Be forewarned that many long accepted typewriting instruction procedures are challenged regarding their usefulness in today’s keyboarding classrooms. In 1985, upon switching from service as a typewriting instructor to the role of a keyboarding instructor, i.e., replacing typewriters with computers, the writer strived to determine what typewriting instruction procedures should be transferred to the keyboarding classroom, and those that should be eliminated. For example, does the typewriting textbook deserve to be a keyboarding instruction basic, or should it be replaced by computer software?

Following teacher retirement in 1991, George Rhodes established a business titled The Keyboard Teacher through which he has nationally marketed a keyboarding instruction software program and a keyboard vision shield, both products earlier developed for use in his own keyboarding classes. The described marketing endeavors have enabled the writer to continually interact with keyboarding teachers throughout the United States.