CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

Chapter 5: The Keyboarding Fundamental

and Techniques
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn what keyboarding is and why it’s a valuable skill
2. Define and understand a keyboard interface
3. Acquire the essentials to learning or improving your keyboarding skills

Keyboarding
Keyboarding – is a widely accepted standard on correct finger placement when typing with a set
of 8 keys designated as the home row. Learning to keyboard ultimately allows you to type without
looking at the keyboard, without making as many errors, and increase your typing speed.

Keyboarding is a hard skill to learn and takes time to develop correctly. However, patience and
practice are all you need to accomplish picking it up.

Keyboarding vs. Typing

Home key oriented
For many, learning to keyboard
can be awkward and somewhat
difficult because we are not used
to holding our hands in a static
position on the home keys.
However over time it improves
your typing ability.
Muscle memory oriented
Most people are familiar with typing.
It’s any use of the keyboard that is not
home key oriented. Sometimes you
can become a fast typist to the point
where it’s ok not to learn keyboarding
but your typing ability typically stays
static over time.

Keyboard Keys 1
1. Esc Key (Escape)– exit or cancel operations
2. Tab – used to indent paragraphs or move from one text field to another
3. Caps Lock – makes all letters capital until you turn it off
4. Shift - allows you to capitalize letters when pressed down and allows you to access the
secondary function of your computer keys
5. Ctrl (Control) – a modifier key that performs a special operation when pressed in
conjunction with another key or keys
6. Windows Key – open and close your windows start menu
7. Alt (Alternate) – a modifier key that performs a special operation when pressed in
conjunction with another key or keys
8. Space Bar – adds one blank space between objects
9. Right Click Key– allows you to access contextual menu options based on where your mouse
is on the screen

Page | 1
CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

10. Enter – starts a new line or begins a process

11. Backspace – erases the object to the left of the cursor

Keyboard Keys 2
1. Insert – allows you to replace a word with another by writing over it
2. Home – moves your cursor to the front of your line of text
3. Page Up/Page Down – scrolls the page up or down
4. Delete – erases the object to the right of the cursor
5. End – moves your cursor to the end of your line of text
6. Numeric Keypad – a number pad typically found on the far right of a keyboard
7. Num Lock (Number lock) – enables and disables the numeric keypad. Turn the Num Lock
on to use the numbers on the keypad, turn it off to use the keys other functions
8. Print Screen/Sys Rq – copies the current screen to the clipboard to paste or sends the
current screen to the printer
9. Scroll Lock – temporarily stops the scrolling of text. Use is mostly restricted to Microsoft
Excel
10. Pause/Break – allows a user to pause and unpause an action such as a computer game or
scrolling text

Page | 2
CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

Keyboard F Keys
1. F Keys are known as Function Keys and may have a variety of different uses or no use at all
depending on the OS and the open program. They can be combined with modifier keys as
well.
2. F1 – almost always opens a help screen in a program
3. F2 – allows you to rename a highlighted file, icon, or folder
4. F3 – often opens up a search feature
5. F4 – opens the address bar in Windows and Internet Explorer. Closes the currently active
program when combined with the Alt key
6. F5 – refreshes a website or webpage
7. F6 – moves the cursor to the address bar in most web browsers
8. F7 – opens up spell check in Microsoft Office programs
9. F8 – enters the Windows startup menu when computer is booting up
10. F9 – refreshes a document in Word and sends email in Outlook
11. F10 – activates the menu bar in an open program. Can also operate as the right click
when combined with the Shift key
12. F11 – activates full screen mode in all web browsers
13. F12 – opens the save as window in Microsoft Office programs

Page | 3
CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

The Home Keys

The Top Row Keys

Page | 4
CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

The Bottom Row Keys

Keyboarding Skills
Keyboarding skills - the ability to input information at a keyboard smoothly while typing.
Touch typing - a method of typing (with all the available fingers) without looking at the keyboard.
 Touch typing can increase typing accuracy and speed.
 Touch typing includes understanding keyboard layout and its functions.

Benefits of touch typing:

1. Speed (efficient): type faster
2. Accuracy (focus): make fewer mistakes
3. Productivity: type longer without getting tired
4. Health: less likely have health problems (hands, wrists, neck, etc.)

Typing tips:
1. Maintain a healthy posture.
2. Familiarize yourself with the keyboard layout.
3. Start typing with touch typing.
4. Press each key with the proper finger.
5. Each key has to press by the same finger all the time.
6. Take a typing speed test to keep track of your progress.

Page | 5
CC 111 - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

Keyboarding Technique:
1. Body: Center body in front of keyboard and sit up straight.
2. Arm position: arms relaxed and bent to about 90 degrees; elbows naturally close to body.

The mouse and keyboard should be set to the height of elbow height.
1. Hand position: hands should be flat, but palms of hands not resting on the keyboard.
Keep wrists off the keyboard.
2. Feet position: feet should be flat on the ground, slightly apart (don’t cross).

Page | 6