Disclaimer: This Inside South Florida segment is sponsored by Typing.com. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.
While Gen Z and Gen Alpha are growing up as tech naturals, tapping away on smartphones and tablets, many are missing a critical skill: typing. According to Dan Trepanier from Typing.com, the once-standard keyboarding class has nearly vanished from classrooms, leaving today’s students more comfortable thumbing out texts than typing full sentences.
“Kids nowadays are surrounded by technologies. However, most of this technology is touch, so they're really good with their thumbs, but they're not really exposed to a keyboard,” Trepanier said during an appearance on Inside South Florida, “They can out-thumb you, but they can't out-type you any day of the week.”
Once a common part of middle school education, keyboarding courses have declined dramatically. In 1997, nearly 50% of graduates had completed some kind of typing class. By 2019, that number had dropped to just 2.5%, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Recognizing the growing gap and the long-term academic and professional impact, schools across the country are now bringing typing back into the curriculum. Locally, Miami-Dade County Public Schools is preparing to roll out keyboarding lessons across elementary classrooms this fall.
But typing class today looks nothing like the droning sessions of the past. “It’s come a long way from the days of monotonous, hour-long classes where you'd stare at a piece of paper with paragraphs and words and just type. Now, it’s personalized, interactive, and fun. It’s gamified so students actually want to be on the platform learning,” Trepanier explained. “Teachers love it because it fits right into their classrooms with just 15-minute sessions, three times a week and students still become proficient at keyboarding. You no longer need to carve out a full hour for it.”
Programs like Typing.com allow educators to seamlessly integrate lessons into their existing schedules, while giving students a fun, competitive platform that makes learning to type enjoyable.
For parents whose children aren’t yet learning to type at school, Trepanier suggests advocating for the curriculum and checking out free online tools. “Typing.com is a great place to start and it’s accessible, easy to use, and built for today’s learners.”
To learn more, visit typing.com.
