Hi everyone! I was asked to review this awesome typing program and believe you will love it as much as we do. If you are ready to get serious about your child's typing skills, this IS the program.
Bytes of Learning has a wonderful and economical one-year typing subscription plan called UltraKey Online Family Subscription that provides fun, engaging media-rich instruction for learning how to type! Typing skills are still essential for today's world of technology, don't you agree? Typing remains a fundamental asset, and it is still one of the most important computer skills you can learn. Learning to type fast and accurately will help your children in many ways throughout life.
My kids are now in the double digits and did learn to type in their early elementary years using a free web-based program. However, they haven't had a lot of practice the last couple of years other than a few creative writing papers. Using this new program, I discovered they developed a few bad typing habits. For example, I've caught them looking down at the keyboard while typing and using the wrong fingers for certain keystrokes. We are now on our way out of these bad habits thanks to this program!
When we first started the UltraKey Online Family Subscription, I was thrilled it emphasized the correct posture when typing. I would catch my kids on the laptop slouching over typing a paper so it was a relief to see that Bytes of Learning takes it seriously. With every lesson, the user is reminded of their posture. That's an A+ in my book!
Here's the Scoop
The one-year subscription we used provided us with seven users. If you have a larger family this is a wonderful asset to the online typing program. For homeschoolers, you can find options ranging from $19.95 to $49.95. There are school subscriptions as well, please see more here.
When my kids were younger in the lower elementary grades, I taught them how to type using a free web-based program. While it was sufficient for an introduction, it didn't teach them the correct posture, store their scores, or reinforce their new skills with games and tests.
I am thankful for UltraKey Online Family Subscription and will continue to use it in the future until my kids have mastered typing.
Let's get started discussing all 8 sections you can find under 'My Instructions'.
Home
Home is where you can find the dashboard. It gives you a brief summary of what level the user is in and next steps.
About Me
The About Me section contains key skill level information about the user. It tells about their accuracy, what level they've completed, and any tests or badges they've earned.
Posture
This area shows you the correct posture in 3-D and there's even an interactive game at the end to ensure your student understands where they should focus on positioning themselves ergonomically.
Fingers
The fingers section shows a video explaining the correct striking technique, the names of the fingers and correct hand position.
Lessons
This section is a panel of all lessons available, showing whether the lesson has started, completed or hasn't started yet. This is where they will spend the majority of their time in the beginning.
Skill Check
The instructor reminds the students during their lessons to check their skills using this module. Each lesson will be marked appropriately with passed, tried or hasn't started yet.
Typing Forum
The Typing Forum allows your student to take a test or use the free typing tool. The free typing tool allows them to experiment and challenge themselves. It also shows you how they can display results in a handy report.
Game Zone
Game Zone is exactly what it says...games! There are 6 games to choose from such as mixed up words, spelling, and what's missing? games. Plenty to choose from and you can try all of them. Game Zone provides typing fun, developing reading and writing skills, and improving typing fluency.
Our Thoughts
UltraKey Online tool is easy to use once you familiarize yourself with all of the components. I would suggest reviewing all modules before your student begins. The videos were professional and well done! My son flew through 6 lessons already while my daughter is taking a bit more slowly. I particularly appreciated the 3-D view of the typist showing the correct ergonomic positions. The components are in order at the top of the screen which helps with following the instructions.
We used the program for 20-30 minutes, every other day. However, it's more beneficial if your students can take one or two lessons on a daily basis. The key is to practice what you are learning every time you use a computer. They'll be well on their way to becoming a successful typing student! I am really excited about their progress and thankful for this typing program.
For you social butterflies, check them out on Facebook here! Please write any questions in the comments below as I read them all.
