Monday

TOS Crew Review: Keyboard Town Pals

 Keyboard Town Pals is a typing program which teaches children
how to use the keyboard in as little as a one hour session. 
By adding fun and taking away the anxiety of "timed tests,"
this program allows children to view the skill of typing as a game.

When children begin the program,
they are introduced to a super silly character...
...named Sunny.

She guides them through Keyboard Town,
in which they are introduced to
several new puppet friends,
known as...
...the Keyboard Town PALS.

PALS is more than the name
of the fun characters in Keyboard Town-
it is also an acronym.
The Purposeful Associative Learning System
is the way in which keyboard skills are taught in this program. 
Creators Rita Herman and Donna Katz
use meaningful association
to excite children to complete lessons.

*******************************************

To watch a video demonstration
of how the program works, click HERE.

To watch a sample
of the one of the lessons, click HERE.

******************************************

Parents can purchase the program
in either a CD Rom or Web-based package
for $39.95,
with English, Spanish, and French versions available.

The Keyboard Town PALS program
centers around children
who can recognize all the letters of the alphabet. 
However, the program "Little Hands Can Type"
is also available
for purchase for younger children.

*****************************************
Now,
how did my kiddo truly 
respond to the program?
 VERY well,
as a matter of fact!
The program really kept the kiddos' interest,
especially my younger ones.
The instructions were clear and easy to follow...
...and fun to watch!
Sure, the character Sunny...
...might have been a tad ridiculous for them a times...
...but the silliness of the puppet characters...
...more than made up for it.
I am already noticing an improvement
in all the kiddos' typing skills...
...and they are willing to keep up
with the program...
...even when they make mistakes!  ;0)
The modeling provided in the program...
...helps even the smallest of hands
learn their position.
The fact that REAL words are typed during practice...
...only strengthens my emerging readers'
language abilities.
My eldest has also been showing me
a concerted effort with her typing skills
even when NOT using the program.

So,
if you are asking if I recommend checking out
this program,
I would have to answer with a resounding
YES!

**************************************

Make certain to check out other
TOS Crew members' reviews
by clicking HERE...

*************************************

Disclaimer:  I received a free 
subscription to this program in exchange
for my open and honest review.
I was not compensated in any other way.

No comments:

Post a Comment