Remember when we were kids and we used to race into the computer lab to retrieve the best computers with the coolest games? I’m sure we will never forget Galaga, the Lemonade Stand, Oregon Trail and, oh yes, even Typing Tutor and those other typing games that tested our speed and agility with the keyboard.
I distinctly remember, for example, getting dunked into a digital pool of water every time I didn’t type the sentence correctly enough in time. Yet even with all the frustration and close misses, it was a fun way to learn the “home row” and prepare ourselves for the papers we would write in junior high and high school.
Still, as entertaining as those childhood games were, I propose a new way to teach children and even teens how to type better and faster. It is easy to download and operate, it doesn’t cost any money and it even encourages socialization.
Yes, you’ve probably already guessed which fabulous invention I am referring to – AOL Instant Messaging. That’s right.
Ever since I began using AIM in high school, I have seen quite an enormous improvement in my overall typing skills. Not too long ago, I had to keep at least one eye on the keyboard as I spent many a night typing up those tedious five to seven page papers.
Now, I can type practically any sentence with the speed and accuracy of a pro – without once looking at the keyboard.
Ironically, I never even wanted to get attached to an instant messaging program because it seemed like an impersonal and rather boring system of communication. Since I have never been a big fan of long phone conversations and the awkward silences that too often ensue, I quickly latched onto this free and convenient idea.
Now, more than four years later, AIM has become the easiest way for me to keep in touch with high school buddies and dorm friends when we all go our separate ways during summer and winter breaks. My friends and I even discuss when we’re all going to meet for our daily dining hall meals over AIM. Needless to say, this instant messenger is an ingenious alternative to wasting time on the phone, and it helps us stay in touch with everyone.
But the greatest benefit of all, of course, is what I mentioned earlier about drastically improving your typing skills.
Whether it is in conversation with friends, online or writing a 10-page history paper, I promise you that you will be quite surprised at how easily and quickly you can race through your keyboard.
Forget games like Typing Tutor and paying up the nose for long-distance phone calls. Just download AOL Instant Messenger or some other form of instant messaging and you’ll be on your way to typing as fast and as accurately as the pros who do it for a living, no class required.
Rachel Brown is a junior liberal studies major.
