Software of the Month Club 1997 February/Software of the Month Club 1997 February.iso/pc/dos/child/keyboard/2

Text File | 1996-01-08 | 5.4 KB | 133 lines

                      --THE KEYBOARD EXERCISER--
                             (QWERTY Keys)


     At the Program Selection Menu, position the cursor over
"Keyboard" and select this item.

     The Keyboard Exerciser provides paragraph copy timings up to
3-minutes in length.  As you view the Keyboard Exerciser Menu note the
default settings.  The current script selection is "1 Touch
Keyboarding," indicated at the bottom of the screen; the default mode
is Free Form, with 6 the default week of instruction.  By striking the
Tab key the cursor moves to the center of the next menu area; four
strikes of the Tab key returns you to your starting point.  Pressing
the PgDn and PgUp keys moves you through the three screens of timing
"Script Selections." To determine the grade scale for the entered
instruction week, press Function 9.

     Function 1 provides a help screen for all areas of the Keyboard
Exerciser.

     Accepting the default menu settings, now engage in a 3-minute
Free Form timing.  Perhaps you will wish to change the default
instruction week.  If so, Tab to "Week Number," press the CR key, key
in your desired week number (selection limited to weeks 4 through 82)
followed by again pressing the CR key.  Then, Tab to "Begin Exercise"
and select this menu item.

     The first of the two paragraphs contained in the script "Touch
Keyboarding" appears on the screen.  By pressing the PgDn and PgUp
keys you can toggle between the two paragraphs to select the one to
begin your timing.  Prior to starting the timing with the Tab key
remember to:  key the copy line for line as it appears on the screen,
end each line with the CR key, only spacebar errors are correctable
with the backspace key, and should you complete the first paragraph
the second paragraph immediately appears on the screen.  Your
keystroke entries (for the last 3 lines entered) appear beneath the
script copy display.  The Function 1 help screen summarizes this
information.

     Should you choose to stop your timing prior to the automatic
3-minute termination, you can do so by striking the END key.
Following each timing the script copy is removed from the screen and
all of your keystroke entries are displayed with each word marked that
contains an error.  The correct form of each error is presented at the
right of the keystroke entries.  Also, a Score Card flows to the
screen stating your exact words a minute rate, error total (6 errors
are permitted without penalty), and instruction week; these three
factors determine the grade presented on the Score Card.  Teachers may
revise the grade scale to reflect the speed and accuracy standards of
their instruction program.  The Score Card is valid, of course, only









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for a timing that extends for a full 3-minute interval that is
automatically concluded by the program.  The Score Card display may be
toggled to and from the screen with the spacebar.

     To conclude the timing session and return to the Keyboard
Exerciser Menu, depress the ESCape key.  Take care to strike the ESC
key lightly as EACH depression carries you backwards one program
level.  On your return to the Menu, the cursor is positioned on "Begin
Exercise." To initiate a second timing, employing the menu selections
of the first timing, simply select "Begin Exercise."


TEST TRIALS

     A second mode selection, "Test Trials" is a special application
of the Free Form mode.  Test Trials evaluates student keyboarding
skill and requires the completion of three 3-minute timings.
Following the completion of each Test Trials session, the grade of the
BEST timing trial is entered into the student's cumulative grade
average.

     Test Trials score cards are permanently retained in THE KEYBOARD
TEACHER program.  Upon selecting "Score Cards" from the Keyboard
Exerciser Menu, a summary of the student's Test Trials is displayed.
Note that the week number, script number, and grade attained in each
of David Clare's 21 Test Trials sessions are chronologically listed.
Also, the cumulative grade average of 89 for the Test Trials timings
is displayed at the bottom of the Score Cards screen, along with its
related letter grade of B+.  By selecting "Summary Chart" a graph is
displayed of the student's Test Trials words per minute rates.


PACED CURSOR

     A third mode selection is called "Paced Cursor." This is a
practice mode in which the student enters a Words Per Minute rate at
the Menu to determine the rate at which the cursor will track through
the script copy once the timing is initiated.  Should the student have
a keying rate of, say, 24 WPM and wishes to "push" for a higher
stroking rate, a WPM rate of 26 might be entered.  Once the timing
begins the student is required to key at 26 WPM in order to maintain
pace with the tracking cursor.

     With each keystroking error the pacing cursor stops until the
student enters the correct character, then the cursor resumes its
pacing function.  In most applications the Score Card grade that
follows each Paced Cursor timing should be ignored; errors in Paced
Cursor are marked by individual keystrokes rather than scored by
dictionary words as is done in Free Form.  Also unlike Free Form,
Paced Cursor permits end of line word wrap.









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