How did you learn to type?

The first time I used a computer was...I believe around '95? Maybe a little earlier. Nobody taught me how to type, and I never typed lyke dis. In fact, I never even used abbreviations. I typed exactly as I wrote, and I didn't see why I should type in such a way either. I actually don't remember much about that time aside from the fact that we used AOL and I used the Internet to read a lot of fan fiction (I know... I don't even like fan fiction now)

So I've taken keyboard classes in middle school, but it never really stuck to me. I didn't really learn to type til himes. Oh god. I had to type fast or die, which eventually made me learn to type fast

Typing Challenge or whatever the hell the 3rd-5th grade typing program was they made us do. If any Americans know what I'm talking about you'll remember it as that one program where you could fly to various planets in our solar system by passing certain typing challenges.

Did it help? No. When you were deemed "good enough," they "upped the challenge" by placing a cardboard visor over your hands so you couldn't look at the keyboard. Which meant I f[ucked up all the time. Plus there was a glitch in the program where you could lag it, then type the whole sentence as slow as you wanted, un-lag it, and have it count as a super fast score. Lol elementary school glitching.

This, only we used a different program. Personally, I find myself typing in a rather unorthodox way compared to the way that we were taught in school. For me, I never found it comfortable and I always felt like my fingers were too tight and restricted. Later on when I started browsing the Internet more often and that school required more computer-based assignments where we had to type reports in Word, this way grew on me, and it's been that way ever since. Everytime I go type stuff up at my school's library, people always comment that I type fast and usually thank them for the compliment and joke about it. In fact, whenever I have to talk about how fast I type in real life, I always describe my typing as "typing like the Fist of the North Star".
In terms of grammar: I had always viewed that anywhere where I can take the time to write, I should write properly. With games, I used to believe in the abbreviations my friends had always used, but then I stopped after a month because I simply didn't like it.

Started to type when I was young (forgot what age I was), and eventually improved over the years. In around 5th or 6th grade there were some typing practice programs/games like many others have mentioned. So basically I was self-taught and had a bit of "help" in school as well. a-@

funny enough i learnt how to touch type via Maple i found that i cannot train/talk if im looking @ the keyboard. though i lernt the basics in primary school on the apple 2 and then the Macintosh

I taught myself while playing RuneScape in grade 2 and 3. Msn helped me improve a little.

I had some basic typing lessons in grades 1-3, then I taught myself because they didn't work for me.

Started using a computer over 15 years ago, completely self-taught. More or less the same when I retaught myself Dvorak.

Our first computer was an old Time one... I think it was Time 95? Not so sure on that though.

Used to use it JUST to draw in Paint, then eventually my mum told me that it came with some games, played them more and more, eventually started e-mailing my friends and just built up from then. No sort of typing games I played, or lessons of the sort, just me, myself, and a keyboard. I was typing fastest in my family by the noughties.

I started when I was like 6 or 7. I didn't know what the hell I was doing back then, but then started to learn, all by myself.

Our computer was like a '94 one. I remember Microsoft Word being the most advanced program which was on it.

Took a typing class when I was in 5th grade (10 years old). It was part of the curriculum in the private school I was at. I learned the basics of "points left hand on F, pointer right hand on J, pinky on A, press Q with your pinky" and stuff like that. After just practicing it for so long, I finally got my typin speed.

I used a computer program in about the 1-3 grade, and then adter that it was just regular computer use. I type wierd though. I use my index fingers to do most of the typing, and then my ring fingers press shift. I type perfectly fast though, so I see no problems.

There was a PC Game I had when I was like 4 or 5, and I learned to type, that's all I can remember.

mostly taught myself but i did take a typing class in middle school so i guess that helped somewhat.

About 3rd-4th grade we took computers as a "specials" class and it was basically internet safety and basics of the computer. We started using Mavis Beacon then and learned basics, i.e where to put your hands. Middle School focused on speed and efficiency with more Mavis Beacon, one quarter a year we had Computers/Web Design and had to do ten minutes of Mavis Beacon each day.

After learning basics from school I started learning how to type faster from online games, RuneScape, Dofus, Maplestory, where you are required to type fast in order to communicate.

Some home practice when I was little with our own Mavis Beacon during Elementary School years as well.


Mavis Beacon-Michelle Obama of typing.

I didn't know how to type properly for a long time. I used to type with 1 finger in each hand and type letter by letter. That all changed when i got AIM. learning to try and talk to multiple people got me into typing somewhat fast, but it wasn't until maple came along did i learn to type fast. Since i was an archer, HP was kinda low, and when telling asshat KSer's to CC, i died a lot. So eventually i learned to type fast enough so that i could pot afterwards. I got faster when AIM + maple were going and both were going at the same time, while bossing. Yeah, didn't know what the little lines were for on the F and J. I dunno what my hand positions is, but it works for me.

My elementary school was funded enough for us to learn computers, but not real typing. I went to a public middle and high school, so computer class didn't really exist beyond going to the library to look up stuff for papers.

I'm mostly self-taught, though there was that one time when I got herded into a room lined with black monitors with glowy green text and was told to type in english sentences for no particular reason. It was cool and exciting for a 4 year old who had never seen a computer before (this was the early 90's), but we had 2 or 3 finger pecking sessions and that was that.

Other than that, my high school had a touch typing program that was never really used in class, but I "played" it for shits and giggles anyway. That helped me to start typing properly instead of finger pecking, but what really got me typing with decent speed and accuracy was the mudding phase I went through. I used Putty as a client back then, and not having aliases or macros meant more typing practice.

[color="#cc8899"]I taught myself, and completely ignored everything taught to me in "typing" classes, which I viewed as a complete waste of time.

I refined my typing speed in maple, but I've always been a relatively fast typist.[/COLOR]

I just kept using the computer at school/home and I eventually just memorized where all the keys are..going on forums and Maple helped.

Wow .. I'm surprised that nobody learnt from MSN chatting. lol


I learnt how to type through msn chatting x.x