4 ms·
When I learned in school, we used normal non-electric typewriters. When starting out we got a paper to look at. This was only to learn the character for the fir
by Moru 6y ago
When I learned in school, we used normal non-electric typewriters. When starting out we got a paper to look at. This was only to learn the character for the first time since the keyboard was under a plastic hood so you could not see your hands. After that you are expected not to look at the paper. It did not take very long to learn the basics and then it was just to keep at it.
It improved the typing of game listings from magazines immensely, much less debugging needed to find that character that was wrong :-)
- suby 6y agoThat's interesting that they expected you to not glance at the paper. I actually think looking at the paper (or nowadays a screen) to see the result of what you're typing is good for learning. You get immediate feedback on whether or not you're correct. Also yeah, those plastic covers are good. I'm not sure if this is common nowadays but my elementary school had a typing class that probably met once a week. We too used a plastic cover over a keyboard. I couldn't type before that, and it set me on the path to being a good typer.
- MereInterest 6y agoSometimes, the immediate feedback can be a problem in itself. If you are typing as fast as somebody is speaking, the last thing you want to do is recognize a mistake and try to correct it. Doing so will just make you fall behind, which is worse than having a typo in the transcription. Since mistakes cannot be corrected until afterwards, it is better not to be distracted by them at all. This differs quite a bit from programming, where a single character typo might not be noticeable in review, and should be watched for while typing.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]