How Typewriters Are Used in Education
So many people use computers today that the typewriter can now be looked upon as an outdated communications tool. However, the typewriter is not altogether extinct, as educators might use typewriters as the focal point of a lesson in history or communications.
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History Education
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Educators might teach a lesson in history that includes the use of a typewriter, bringing a typewriter to class so that students can examine and explore its use. Some historians date the concept of the typewriter as far back as the 1700s, so there are many opportunities from then to now that an educator may use for teaching an historical lesson.
Communication Education
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Students seeking to earn a degree in communications or journalism, for example, most likely are introduced to a timeline of the different forms of communication, to include the use of a typewriter. From ink to typewriters to computers, the evolution of communication tools must be studied by anyone earning a degree in communications or journalism.
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Keyboarding Skills
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A 1990 research report conducted by the SSTA Research Centre found that, "Typewriters and computers perform equally well in helping students to learn keyboarding." Today some educators still use typewriters as a tool to teach students how to use a keyboard. In fact, the typewriter influenced the design of a computer keyboard according to The Elementary School Journal.
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References
- Think Quest: Communications Through the Ages and Into the Next Century
- Saskatchewan School Boards Association: The Development of Elementary Keyboarding Skills Using Typewriters and Computers
- JSTOR: An Experiment in the Use of Typewriters in the Elementary School
- Xavier University: A Brief History of Typewriters
