UltraKey

There is a handful of typing programs worth considering if you are looking for software to use with literacy students. Typing Tutor by Educational Resources is popular among literacy programs in Canada. All the Right Type by Didatech Software Inc. is a simple typing program, licensed by the Ministry of Education in Ontario. UltraKey by Bytes of Learning and Type to Learn by Sunburst Communication are both popular in the United States. Learning Disabilities (LD) Online recommends UltraKey in a comparison of typing programs (http://www.ldonline.org/ld_in depth/ technology/) because of a few unique features well suited to students with learning disabilities.

One of Utlrakey’s special features that you’ll notice right away is its synthesized speech and videos. The synthesized speech allows students to hear the instructions, the text they are typing, and the feedback spoken to them in a computer generated voice. Because of these advanced features, you should play close attention to the technical specifications required by the software.

UltraKey is divided into five main sections: Posture, Fingers, Lessons, Skill Check and Typing Forum. The Posture and Fingers sections contain a thorough introduction to typing, appropriate for anyone who is learning to type for the first time. This includes a small movie of someone typing using correct posture and form. The Lessons are your typical drills with a couple of twists. UltraKey introduces the use of the return/enter key at the same time as the home row keys. Students can then get used to using the return key to move from line to line while they are practicing. In the Lessons section, students learn new letters and practice using these letters in words and sentences. At the beginning, with a limited array of letters to choose from, the words and sentences are nonsensical. But as the students progress, the sentences become more realistic. After completing a Lesson, students can attempt the corresponding Skill Check. Here students can get more practise typing paragraphs and receive feedback on their speed and accuracy. After every lesson the computer indicates to the student which section they should do next based on an analysis of their errors and their scores. The last section, Typing Forum, contains Typing Tests and a place for “Free Typing”.

If you compare UltraKey to some other popular typing programs you may notice the lack of games. It makes up for this in the program's ease of use.

Another great feature of the software is its flexibility. The programs allows you to customize several settings including whether students must do the lessons in order, whether they are able to correct errors and what size of font is used. It even allows you to change the skin colour of the hands shown on the screen to reflect an ethnically diverse class. The software also comes with a management feature that allows teachers to assign different settings to different students or classes. For more information, visit the company’s website listed below.