Michael Lopez doesn't think that typing is an important skill for the youngsters. And he's right. I've never taken any kind of structured, official "keyboarding" course, and yet, when I take one of those online typing tests, my speed almost never comes in below 70 wpm. The reason is simple, as Michael explains: like him, I have spent many years in the presence of a keyboard. And it's not just PCs; before that I used to play Colossal Cave and other text adventures on the mainframe at my father's university, and before that, as a proto-writer in grade school, I'd use an ancient typewriter.
I don't know what I find more amazing: that anyone thinks that the "right" way of typing still needs to be taught, or that we can identify that particular skill as "essential in today's economy", or that we still have people teaching this stuff in an era when we're jettisoning little things like music programs.
The kids are growing up with computers. They type their term papers, they do IM's, many have blogs, et cetera. I think they'll pick up typing along the way.
The personal blog of author Kelly Sedinger, chronicling the adventures of one overalls-clad wanderer.
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