The History of Keyboarding

In 1853, the record handwriting speed was 30 words per minute. As the pace oI business
outpaced communication techniques, copying documents by hand became restrictive. On June
23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes was granted a patent Ior the Iirst commercially
successIul typewriter--along with his partners Samuel W. Soule and Carlos Glidden--
according to the Milwaukee Public Schools website. In 1915, schools began teaching
keyboarding as an occupational skill. Today's technology would not exist without the
keyboarding innovations oI the 19th century.
. Uld-fasbioned Penmansbip
4 Communications proIessionals, oIIice personnel and students alike relied on
good old-Iashioned penmanship prior to the Sholes & Glidden Typewriter. A
group oI essays Irom the late 1800s Iound in the University oI Pennsylvania
Law School's vault revealed the manner in which documents were produced.
The documents were careIully penned and bound with ribbon or brass
Iasteners. Footnotes written in smaller text and cover pages created with
elegant writing were indicative oI the document style oI the time.
boles & Clidden Typewriter
4 The Remington Arms Company purchased Sholes' typewriter patent in 1873
Ior $12,000. The Sholes & Glidden Typewriter was mass-produced beginning
in 1874. While not a huge success--only 5,000 were sold in Iive years--the
production ushered in a new industry in the United States. Because oI Irequent
jamming and slow type bar movement, Sholes rearranged the keys to Iit a list
oI the most Irequently used English letters. As a result, the length oI time to
locate letters increased, which allowed the type bars time to return to their
place--an ingenious method to resolve the drawback. Consequently, the
QWERTY keyboard was born.
Tbe QWERTY Keyboard
4 Today's QWERTY keyboard structure arose Irom drawbacks in the Sholes &
Glidden Typewriter. However, the design remains in use alongside alternative
structures--including the Dvorak layout--and special use keyboards. For
example, stenographers use stenograph keyboards and their knowledge oI
shorthand to create written transcripts oI verbal communication.
Today, most personal computers utilize the QWERTY keyboard type. It is
unclear why the QWERTY layout has been in use Ior more than 150 years.
However, standardization may play a role. For this reason--and many others--
keyboarding has become a standard classroom endeavor.
Keyboarding in Education
4 Currently, elementary schools, high schools and colleges oIIer keyboarding
classes. The inIiltration oI the computer and its standard QWERTY layout
requires tomorrow's workIorce to prepare early. Frank Edward McGurrin
popularized "touch typing" during the late 19th century, when he won a typing
contest in Cincinnati. "Touch typing" requires memorization oI a keyboard
layout, which increases typing speed. Those unskilled at keyboarding typically
use a visual search method, or "hunt and peck," to locate keys on the keyboard,
which decreases speed. Today, courses in keyboarding provide a Ioundation
Ior learning based on memorization.
Tbe Facts
4 The government and writers were among the Iirst in America to utilize
keyboarding techniques, according to the University oI North Carolina. Mark
Twain, claimed to be one oI the Iirst users, submitted the Iirst typewritten book
manuscript in the United States.

8ead more 1he PlsLory of keyboardlng | ePowcom
hLLp//wwwehowcom/abouL_6432860_hlsLorykeyboardlnghLml#lxzz1Za?4v09M

















1yplng Skllls have been consldered Lo be flL Lo be possessed by LyplsLs so LhaL Lhey can Lype
documenLs fasL save Llme and be more producLlve 8uL ln recenL Llmes wlLh compuLers Laklng up
more of Lhe offlce space and LypewrlLers golng onLo Lhe museum Lyplng has almosL become a
necessary sklll for each and every person WlLh exLenslve use of compuLers of communlcaLlon and
oLher Lasks Lyplng has almosL become a necessary sklll Lo be developed early ln llfe

Many people have access Lo compuLers buL are really noL boLhered Lo lncrease Lhelr Lyplng speeds
and are happy by [usL Lyplng a word or Lwo ln a long span of Llme Much of Lhe producLlve Llme and
energy goes wasLe ln such Lasks A good speed and accuracy means masLery over Lyplng

We are Lalklng abouL producLlvlLy of human resources ln Lhls economlcally advanced world buL many
people forgeL LhaL a good way Lo lncrease producLlvlLy ls lmprovlng Lhelr Lyplng skllls 1he reason ls
slmple nowadays we spend more and more Llme on Lhe compuLer We use compuLer Lo
communlcaLe wlLh our frlends creaLe new documenLs and flnd lnformaLlon We spend lncreaslng
share of our Llme wlLh Lhe compuLer And desplLe Lhe rlse of oLher ways of lnLeracLlon (llke speech
recognlLlon) Lhe maln way of lnLeracLlng wlLh Lhe compuLer ls sLlll Lyplng ?ou need Lo Lype Lo Lell
Lhe compuLer whaL you wanL

Ma[orlLy of Lhe [obs offered nowadays are compuLer based you have an opLlon of worklng from your
home on your own C and earnlng money All records and daLa ln facL ls sLored on compuLers whlch
requlres Lo be fed lnLo lL and Lhen needs Lyplng Lo feLch lL back or Lo do modlflcaLlons on lL 1yplng
has obvlously become a musL learn sklll [usL llke drlvlng readlng and wrlLlng

ln Lhls dlglLal age lf you donL know how Lo handle a compuLer you are consldered as llllLeraLe 1o use
a compuLer you need Lo Lype and Lo use Lhe compuLer efflclenLly you need Lo Lype efflclenLly and
accuraLely 1hus 1ouch 1yplng skllls should be developed early ln llfe and should be pracLlced
regularly elLher wlLh a Louch Lyplng sofLware or an onllne Louch 1yplng 1uLor

8ead more hLLp//wwwarLlclesbasecom/sofLwarearLlcles/LyplngsklllsandLhelrlmporLanceln
llfe4746103hLml#lxzz1Zp0kxq9v
under CreaLlve Commons Llcense ALLrlbuLlon no uerlvaLlves









A keyboard is a computer hardware input device. Originally based upon the design oI the
mechanical typewriter, computer keyboards have evolved with technological advances much
as other computer hardware has evolved. New ergonomic keyboards can cost as much as a
central processing unit or quality computer monitor. Besides the mouse, the keyboard is oIten
the principal input device on home and oIIice computers. Although primarily used Ior text
input, keyboards are also used Ior precise image and interIace manipulation, sending special
commands to the operating system, and even controlling characters and objects in computer
games. Some keyboards include other input/output Ieatures such as card readers, USB ports,
or integrated trackballs. Although there are pseudo-standards regarding key arrangement,
keyboard manuIacturers are Iree to create original arrangements and designs. While most
keyboards intended Ior use in English-language environments use the QWERTY layout,
many keyboards are available with alternative layouts such as Dvorak. Some specialty
keyboards have two or more layouts or languages printed on the keys, while others have no
layout printed at all. These blank keyboards are intended Ior touch-typists only, who have no
need to look at the keyboard while entering inIormation.
Most conventional keyboards are built using dome-membrane technology. In these models,
keys are mounted on a tray which aIIords them up and down movement only. The keys are
supported in the up position by rubber membrane domes on which they rest. The domes are
easily collapsible, and quickly return to their upright positions when released Irom the
collapsing Iorce. The underside oI each dome houses a graphite bullet, which completes an
open circuit underneath the dome when the dome is collapsed. Special circuitry senses the
completed circuit, and translates this to a keypress which is then transmitted to the computer.
Complex circuitry grids and patterns allow most keyboards to support over one hundred
diIIerent keys with only about two dozen diIIerent circuits. In Iact, careIul layout oI speciIic
meta keys allows two- and even three- key-press combinations to be registered. More
complex key-press combinations require very specialized circuitry, which Iew keyboards
today support.
In addition to standard Ilat keyboard layouts where all alphanumeric keys are grouped
together, as was the case in virtually all typewriters, recent ergonomic keyboard designs
Ieature creative key placement and shape. These keyboards are designed to increase user
comIort, typing speed, and to reduce common ailments associated with prolonged keyboard
use such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Most popular among the ergonomic keyboards is the split
design, in which keys pressed by the leIt hand are physically separated Irom those pressed by
the right hand. As much as ten centimeters may separate the key groups, providing a more
natural hand position than a single group oI keys does. Some ergonomic keyboards go so Iar
as to oIIer two completely separate boards that can be positioned independently oI one
another. Other innovative keyboard designs include chorded keyboards, hand keyers, and
Kanji tablets. Chorded keyboards typically have between 5 and 12 keys, which are pressed
together in order to Iorm letters in a Iasion akin to guitar chording. Chorded keyboards are
usually intended Ior one-hand use. Similar to the chorded keyboard is the hand keyer. While
the operation oI a hand keyer is comparable a chorded keyboard in that multiple Iingers are
used simultaneously in order to type a single letter, hand keyers are worn on the hand or arm
instead oI lying on a table. This makes them more comIortable Ior some users, as well as
aIIording a certain amount oI mobility Ior portable devices such as PDAs. Kanji and other
tablets, which have super-small keying surIaces capable oI supporting hundreds oI characters
in a reasonable amount oI space, are designed Ior use with languages which have too many
characters to assign an individual key on a conventional keyboard. This is typical oI many
Asian languages. Kanji tablets are now considered outdated, as more eIIicient text input
systems have been designed which allow Asian character input on conventional-style
keyboards. Keyboards designed Ior use with these systems have an additional 5 keys
dedicated to interIace with specialty character input soItware.






















Tbe Benefits of Improving Your Keyboarding ills
Although you may use a computer on a regular basis, you probably haven't given much
thought to the importance oI keyboarding skills. Here are just a Iew oI the many reasons why
you may want to take the time to learn how to become a better typist:
O Answerlng and composlng emall messages ofLen Lakes up Lwo Lo Lhree hours of Lhe Lyplcal
workday Learnlng how Lo lncrease your Lyplng speed wlll reduce Lhe Llme you spend on Lhls
Lask
O lf your offlce communlcaLes by uslng lnsLanL messaglng chaL rooms or a company lnLraneL
accuraLe keyboardlng skllls wlll make you a much more efflclenL employee
O 8logglng ls becomlng an lncreaslngly common way for busy professlonals Lo make a name for
Lhemselves ln Lhelr parLlcular lndusLry 1yplng skllls can help you qulckly compose effecLlve
posLs for your blog
Typing Tips
To get the maximum beneIit Irom Iree online typing courses and typing games, remember the
Iollowing simple tips:
O Ad[usL your compuLer so Lhe Lop of your screen ls near eye level
O SlL up sLralghL oor posLure ls hard on your back and wlll slow down your Lyplng
O uo noL bang on Lhe keys 1yplng requlres a mlnlmum amounL of force
O 8esL your palms on Lhe keyboard Lo mlnlmlze hand drlfL and arm faLlgue
O Alm for conslsLency When you Lype your keys should be flowlng consLanLly lnsLead of
sLopplng and sLarLlng
O 1ake regular breaks Lven Lhe besL LyplsLs sLarL Lo have problems wlLh accuracy when slLLlng
aL Lhe keyboard for hours on end CeL ln Lhe hablL of geLLlng up Lo sLreLch aL leasL once every
hour
O 8emember LhaL pracLlce makes perfecL ueveloplng your Lyplng skllls wonL happen
overnlghL buL youll soon see lmprovemenL lf you make lL a hablL Lo pracLlce on a regular
basls