Alphasmart AS 3000 User Manual page 6

Why use KeyWords?
KeyWords doesn't require a computer, except for initial setup; it
runs on a portable AlphaSmart device, making it ideal for classroom
settings.
KeyWords was designed based on research about how people learn
to type:
• Speed and typing fluency increase more readily if simple words
are used and repeated. The KeyWords method follows this
model of repetition, presenting diverse vocabulary, rhymes, and
humor to keep lessons interesting.
• Typists learn patterns of keystrokes more quickly when
uninterrupted by immediate corrections. The KeyWords error-
checking method emphasizes the importance of words and
phrases.
• Speed skills and accuracy skills are best developed
independently. KeyWords provides separate lessons in these
skills. Learners can set their own proficiency goals, test
themselves, and create progress reports.
• Speed increases with practice typing words and phrases rather
than random letters. By practicing with words and phrases, new
typists learn common letter patterns that are the building blocks
of simple and complex words. This promotes the ability to
quickly recognize and type letter combinations that occur
frequently.
KeyWords never loses sight of its final goal: the training of capable
touch-typists. The result is a program that recognizes that touch-
typing goes hand in hand with having fun with language.
2 KeyWords User's Guide