It was part of the standard curriculum (old school manual typewriter). I didn’t think much of it at the time, but in hindsight I appreciate it. I can only imagine the billions wasted as people who spend their entire work day in front of a keyboard tap away with two fingers.
Incidentally, the only career advice I’ve ever given anyone in my family was telling my niece to learn typewriting in school. Years later, I was surprised to discover that she actually followed my advice and found it most useful. She’s my favourite niece.
I took a typing class in high school, same as many others. Also used a typewriter too. I wasn’t too fast then, around 35 wpm. Now I’m up to about 60-70 wpm. I never considered it touch typing, just typing since anybody can hunt and peck.
With the way kids type these days, I don’t think most know how to touch type. It always surprises me when I find out people don’t know how since if you’re around computers all day, it is the most useful skill you can have since it will save up a lot of time.
I took a class in college as part of the requirement for my journalism degree, but it didn’t really do much for my speed. I just developed speed and accuracy over time on the job. Nothing’s more effective than a looming deadline.
Our school had computer class from 3rd grade until about 10th grade, with electives in 11th and 12th. I’ve known how to touch type for years, and everyone in my family is amazed at the speed at which I can type, and with the lack of errors I have when I actually try. The one thing I miss the most is capitalization, and that’s because I let my pinkies get ahead of the rest of my fingers.
As a child, I typed relatively fast with two fingers, but around 10, I decided to teach myself typing with my mom’s DOS program. It was this ugly thing that had various mini-games, but I absolutely cannot recall the program’s name. Did manage to learn touch typing though, and years later, the Typing of the Dead helped me improved.
Took the Typing Test at sinnick’s link and I got 105 WPM.
I do touch type. I’m (mostly) self-taught. My Dad showed me how on an old manual typewriter. That was interesting, as the keyboard on it didn’t have the letters on the keys, so you were forced to just know where everything was, or it was white-out time. I’m not blazingly fast or anything. 80-100wpm on plain the last time I checked. My error rate is so-so. Even having learned on a manual, I’m definitely a child of the computer age in that regard. I rely heavily on the backspace key.
I took a computer class as a freshman in high school where they tried to force you to use touch typing. I made a bet with my teacher that I could type faster than anyone in the class using my way instead of the Right Way. He swore that was entirely impossible.
I won at 114 words per minute with a 95% accuracy. I do not know how people type using touch typing.
That was a great semester of playing Oregon Trail.
Edited to add: I don’t know how I learned. My mom did typing as odd jobs for as long as I remember, so there was always a typewriter around. Then it was the DOS on the awesome green and black screen computer we had which I used to write little books on that she’d bind for me. I think I got real fast in the days of IRC in the 90s, then MUSHing, I guess.
According to sinnick’s link, I managed 106 WPM with two errors, for an adjusted speed of 104 WPM, with 98% accuracy.
I’ll take it. It’s certainly good enough for the Typing of the Dead.
I learned the QWERTY layout in kindergarten, even if we didn’t start typing until first grade. They were really stressing typing skills. To the detriment of my handwriting, I might add, which sucks and is little more than a childish scrawl to this day.
Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, I learned on an IBM Selectric typewriter. I still love that device, with its rapid-fire, machine gun-like, staccato performance. The desk would shake when I typed. It was far more of a beast than any computer keyboard I’ve ever used, nearly alive. The Model M came close, but nothing quite matches it.
Then, when we moved to another state, with better-funded schools, we had Mavis Beacon in the computer lab, on IBM systems outfitted with the Model M. I really should get another one of those…
I touch type. I learned as a high school freshman, around '96. It was a mandatory class and we had to use manual typewriters which I found odd since we had a nice, new computer lab.
The teacher did the box-over-the-hands thing. I didn’t do very well. I think I topped out in the 80wpm range. I’m just over 100wpm now, thanks to spending too much time on the internet.
Taught myself to touch type around 6 years old on the Apple IIe, then polished it up with a typing class in 8th grade. I scored 106 on sinnick’s link, adjusted to 105 due to 1 error. It’s probably slightly low because of left wrist pain from tendinitis.
I had a formal typing class in high school, and it was the worst class I’ve ever had in my entire life. I was so bored out of my mind I wanted to die. It did teach me one valuable life lesson through, I never wanted to work in data entry when I grew up. It also used manual type writers (not word processors, manual push-down-really-hard-to-get-a-letter-to-imprint-on-the-page type writers).
Technically I can touch type, but it is hard for me because my fingers aren’t than dexterous when so close together. Instead I type with about three fingers and glance at the keyboard when doing so, about half the time. I can manage around 75-80 wpm this way (when trying to avoid mistakes), according to various online typing tests I’ve taken.
