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Home Guide for

Parents and Home Schoolers

UltraKey 5.0 for Windows and Macintosh

Australia New Zealand Edition

Published by

www.bytesoflearning.com

©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

The UltraKey name and logo and the Bytes of Learning name and logo are registered trademarks of Bytes of Learning Incorporated. Take It Home Bonus and School Link are trademarks of Bytes of Learning Incorporated. All

other trademarks in this guide are the property of their respective owners.

Created in Canada Version 5.0.8.1

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UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated I

Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................... i

Bytes of Learning Development Team ............................................................................................................ i Thanks to Lakewood Elementary School and Modesto, California ................................................................. i

Note to Parents About this Guide .......................................................................................................................... i UltraKey: A Teaching and Learning System ........................................................................................................... 1

Proven Effective ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Adaptable and Highly Flexible ........................................................................................................................ 2 Fits the Curriculum and the Time Available ................................................................................................... 2 Accurately Analyzes and Recommends How to Improve ............................................................................... 3 Engineered for Schools................................................................................................................................... 3 Backed by People Who Know and Care ......................................................................................................... 3

Control is the Goal ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Making Keyboarding a Standard of Excellence ...................................................................................................... 6 Best Practices in Keyboarding Instruction ............................................................................................................. 7

Keyboarding Makes Time ............................................................................................................................... 7 Best Return on Investment: Grade Four ........................................................................................................ 7 Start in Kindergarten ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Six Weeks Recommended .............................................................................................................................. 7 Teach It Once ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Whatever It Takes .......................................................................................................................................... 8

Playing Games with UltraKey ................................................................................................................................ 9 Meeting Special Needs with UltraKey ................................................................................................................. 10 Using UltraKey with a Whiteboard or Projector .................................................................................................. 16

Use Practice Mode ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Exploring Correct Posture with Virtual Reality ............................................................................................. 16 Using the Live Classroom Videos .................................................................................................................. 17

Assigning Grades to Students .............................................................................................................................. 18 The Keyboarding Support Center ........................................................................................................................ 19

Accessing the Keyboarding Support Center ................................................................................... 19 Implementing the UltraKey 5.0 Program ............................................................................................................. 20

Installing and Starting on Windows ............................................................................................................. 20 Minimum System Requirements ................................................................................................... 20 Installation ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Starting UltraKey ............................................................................................................................ 20

Installing and Starting on Macintosh ........................................................................................................... 20 Minimum System Requirements ................................................................................................... 20 Installation ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Starting UltraKey ............................................................................................................................ 20

Activating UltraKey ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Updating and Maintaining UltraKey .................................................................................................................... 22

Finding Out Whether an Update Exists ........................................................................................................ 22 How to Update UltraKey .............................................................................................................................. 22

Managing UltraKey ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Attention: Vista and Windows 7 Users ........................................................................................................ 24 Managing Local Records and Options .......................................................................................................... 24

The Local Management Menu ....................................................................................................... 24 Setting and Hiding Management Access ...................................................................................................... 26

Contents

II UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

Alternate Management Access ..................................................................................................... 26 Changing the Manager Name and Password .............................................................................................. 26

Setting Program Options and User Preference Defaults ..................................................................................... 27 Using the Options Panel .............................................................................................................................. 27 User Preference Options ............................................................................................................................. 28

Sounds ........................................................................................................................................... 28 Speech ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Skin Tone ....................................................................................................................................... 29 Show Hands ................................................................................................................................... 30 Key Frames .................................................................................................................................... 30 Time Bar ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Editing ........................................................................................................................................... 31 Themes .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Dual Language Support ................................................................................................................. 32

Program Options ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Challenge Levels ............................................................................................................................ 33 Challenge Levels - Levels 1, 2 and 3 .............................................................................................. 34 Challenge Levels - Set Your Own ................................................................................................... 34 Challenge Level Test ...................................................................................................................... 35 Spacing .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Shift Key Usage .............................................................................................................................. 36 Sequence Control .......................................................................................................................... 36 Skill Check Length .......................................................................................................................... 37 Typing Test Length ........................................................................................................................ 37 Free Typing Length ........................................................................................................................ 38 Speed Calculation .......................................................................................................................... 38 Best or Last Results ....................................................................................................................... 39 What is Better? ............................................................................................................................. 39 Control Report Printing ................................................................................................................. 40 Passwords...................................................................................................................................... 40 World Wide Web Access ............................................................................................................... 41 User Access Functions ................................................................................................................... 41 Distributing Option Settings to Classes ......................................................................................... 41

About the UltraKey Themes ........................................................................................................................ 42 Understanding Typing Performance Assessment ........................................................................................ 43

Examples of Speed Calculation ..................................................................................................... 44 How a Change in Speed Calculation Method Affects Student Records ........................................ 44

Deciding What is Better Performance ......................................................................................................... 45 Examples of How UltraKey Praises Students as They Improve ..................................................... 45 Avoiding Conflicts Between Better Results and Passing Results ................................................... 46

Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content ................................................................................................... 47 Accessing Skill Checks and Typing Tests ...................................................................................................... 47 Printing Skill Checks and Typing Tests ......................................................................................................... 47 Creating and Editing Skill Checks and Typing Tests ..................................................................................... 48 Analyzing Skill Checks and Typing Tests ...................................................................................................... 48

Managing Local Records ..................................................................................................................................... 49 Automated Student Enrollment .................................................................................................................. 49 Importing Student Records ......................................................................................................................... 49 Exporting Student Records .......................................................................................................................... 50 Deleting Student Records ............................................................................................................................ 50

UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated III

Editing Student Information and Locking It ................................................................................................. 51 Setting and Resetting Student Records ........................................................................................................ 51 Locking and Unlocking Student Settings ...................................................................................................... 51 Viewing and Printing Student Progress Reports .......................................................................................... 51

Progress Reports ............................................................................................................................ 52 Skill Check: Most Recent Results ................................................................................................... 52 Skill Check: Overall Performance Chart ......................................................................................... 52 Skill Check: Performance Charts .................................................................................................... 52 Typing Forum: Performance Chart................................................................................................. 52 Typing Forum: Most Recent Results .............................................................................................. 52 Free Typing: Most Recent Results .................................................................................................. 52

Exporting Student Progress Reports ............................................................................................................ 52 Printing, Viewing and Saving Class Reports.................................................................................................. 53

Management Menu Functions ............................................................................................................................ 54 File Menu ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 Edit Menu ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 Movies Menu ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Help Menu .................................................................................................................................................... 54

Online Help for Managers ................................................................................................................................... 55 Accessing Online Help .................................................................................................................... 55

Using the UltraKey Student Guide ....................................................................................................................... 56 Printing Copies of the Guide ........................................................................................................................ 56 Student Guide Included in this Guide .......................................................................................................... 56

What Excellent Keyboarding Does for You .......................................................................................................... 57 What You Learn with UltraKey ............................................................................................................................ 58 The UltraKey Tips for Success .............................................................................................................................. 59 Logging in to UltraKey ......................................................................................................................................... 60

Opening an Existing Record.......................................................................................................................... 60 Creating a New Record ................................................................................................................................. 61 Saving Records ............................................................................................................................................. 63 Working in Practice Mode ............................................................................................................................ 63

Taking a Challenge Level Test .............................................................................................................................. 64 Getting to Know UltraKey ................................................................................................................................... 67

Screen Buttons ............................................................................................................................................. 67 Getting Help Using UltraKey......................................................................................................................... 69

Accessing Help ............................................................................................................................... 69 What is in Help ............................................................................................................................... 69

Using Menus ................................................................................................................................................. 70 File Menu ....................................................................................................................................... 70 Edit Menu....................................................................................................................................... 70 GoTo Menu .................................................................................................................................... 71 Movies Menu ................................................................................................................................. 72 Help Menu ..................................................................................................................................... 72

Operating UltraKey with the Keyboard ........................................................................................................ 72 Technical Notes ............................................................................................................................................ 72

UltraKey Voices .............................................................................................................................. 72 Printer Setup and Viewing Reports ................................................................................................ 72

Learning Correct Posture .................................................................................................................................... 74 Tip for Students Learning Posture ................................................................................................................ 78 Tip for Teachers Teaching Posture ............................................................................................................... 78

Contents

IV UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

Learning Finger Names ....................................................................................................................................... 79 The Importance of Home Row Position....................................................................................................... 79 How the Module Proceeds .......................................................................................................................... 79

Taking Lessons .................................................................................................................................................... 83 Completing a Lesson .................................................................................................................................... 83 Tips for Students Taking Lessons ................................................................................................................. 88 Tips for Teachers Teaching Lessons ............................................................................................................. 88

Learning More about Keyboarding ..................................................................................................................... 89 Accessing More Information ....................................................................................................................... 89 What is in More Information ....................................................................................................................... 89

Improving Performance with Skill Checks ........................................................................................................... 90 Important Teaching Notes about Skill Checks ............................................................................................. 90 Taking Skill Checks ....................................................................................................................................... 90 Reading Copy Aloud .................................................................................................................................... 95 Skill Check Reports and Printouts ................................................................................................................ 95 Tips for Students Taking Skill Checks ........................................................................................................... 95 Tips for Teachers Assigning Skill Checks ...................................................................................................... 95

Mastering the Typing Forum............................................................................................................................... 96 Taking a Typing Test .................................................................................................................................... 96 Using Free Typing ........................................................................................................................................ 99

Student Progress Reports ................................................................................................................................. 101 Accessing Reports from the Student Interface .......................................................................................... 101

Learning at Home with UltraKey ....................................................................................................................... 102 Logging in to Your School Record from Home ........................................................................................... 102 Using an Exported UltraKey Record at Home ............................................................................................ 103

Exporting a record ....................................................................................................................... 103 Opening an Exported Record ...................................................................................................... 103 Saving an Exported Record ......................................................................................................... 103 Returning an Exported Record to School .................................................................................... 103 Never Tamper with an UltraKey Record ..................................................................................... 103

Congratulations from UltraKey ......................................................................................................................... 104 Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................................... 105

Accessing the UltraKey Operation Logs ..................................................................................................... 105 Common Topics ......................................................................................................................................... 105

UltraKey Fails to Activate ............................................................................................................ 105 We Cannot Find Our License Key ................................................................................................ 105 We Have Forgotten the Management Access Key ...................................................................... 106 I Have Forgotten the Password to Access Local Management ................................................... 106 A Student Forgot a Password ...................................................................................................... 106 UltraKey Settings Not Retained from Session to Session ............................................................ 106 Speech is Not Working ................................................................................................................ 106 UltraKey Fails to Initialize on Windows ....................................................................................... 107 UltraKey Does Not Remember it Has Been Initialized and Activated ......................................... 107

Helping Yourself ........................................................................................................................................ 108 Helping Us Help You .................................................................................................................................. 108 For Further Assistance ............................................................................................................................... 109

Index ................................................................................................................................................................... cx

UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated i

Acknowledgements

Bytes of Learning Development Team

UltraKey is the work of many talented and dedicated people.

Development Direction and Oversight: Art Willer

Project Management and Design: Julie B. Sorensen

Research, Development and Programming: Paul Thomas with Diego Quesada

Additional Programming: Frank Huntley, Kingston Software Factory

Keyboarding Instructional Process: Frances Henderson and Cheryl Cerri-Llamas

3D Graphics and VR: Votch Levi, BVS Media Productions

Videography: Chris Oar, BVS Media Productions

Video Editing: Michael Filson, BVS Media Productions

Video Narration: Pam Imbessi

Thanks to Lakewood Elementary School and Modesto, California

Live video footage for UltraKey was shot at Lakewood Elementary School, in Modesto, California. Administrators, teachers, students, parents and other members of the Modesto community, including the City of Modesto Police Department, co-operated. Bytes of Learning is very grateful to these people for their wonderful support and encouragement.

Note to Parents About this Guide

The UltraKey Home Edition Guide for managers is derived from the School Edition Guide for Managers, which is written for a teaching audience. Many elements of this guide will read as if the reader is a teacher.

Many parents home-school their children or they supplement their children’s education with home instruction. All of the principles discussed in this guide, except for specific school practices, apply to the home situation.

If your school is not yet an UltraKey school, you may wish to share this guide with the teacher. School trial editions of UltraKey are available at: www.bytesoflearning.com

http://www.bytesoflearning.com/

UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated 1

UltraKey: A Teaching and Learning System

In today’s modern world, most written communication occurs through computers. Keyboarding skill is a required competency

UltraKey fosters fluency in keyboarding. As important, it lays the groundwork for effective communication with computers.

Today, UltraKey is the keyboarding software of choice for thousands of teachers around the world, serving millions of students age 5 to 95.

Proven Effective

UltraKey was conceived in 1984. Its design was based then on proven keyboarding instruction practice, and its design has constantly improved ever since. As a result, UltraKey provides the greatest satisfaction by making everyone a success, including the teacher!

Each new user begins with a light typing challenge to determine a recommended challenge level. The student chooses a challenge level, which can be adjusted any time. It forms the basis for regular messages of praise and encouragement as the student learns to type with UltraKey.

UltraKey systematically builds each student’s keyboarding knowledge and skill, beginning with introductory modules on posture and striking technique. Following these modules, sequenced lessons present several new keystrokes at a time. They start with home row keys and progress to more remote keys. The lessons are cumulative so previously learned keys are rehearsed. Unfamiliar keys are not presented in exercises until after they are taught.

As each lesson proceeds, UltraKey introduces common letter combinations, words, and sentences. In skill checks, the learner progresses to full paragraphs and whole passages.

Throughout this process, UltraKey develops typing skill holistically. As each element of keyboard communication is presented – letter, letter chain, letter pair, word, sentence, paragraph and passage – the user types each element as a whole in a real-language context.

Each lesson is paralleled by a skill check that provides relevant practice in a word-processing environment that formatively assesses the student’s typing performance. When UltraKey detects symptoms of strategic problems or troublesome letter pairs and chains, it provides additional instruction and remedial help on the spot.


2 UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

Summative assessment occurs in the Typing Forum, where students can take standardized evaluations with 1-minute to 5-minute timed typing tests. UltraKey is the only typing tutor that reliably assesses even the most accomplished typist. The Typing Forum also offers Free Typing, a tool for typing experiments and games.

UltraKey helps people learn by using every form of modern multimedia including voice, musical frames, 3D animated graphics, live video, and interactive virtual reality video. Each form of media appears when it is appropriate to the learning task. Teachers and students can use the media when they choose.

UltraKey features a comprehensive learning management system that lets teachers monitor student performance across classes, the school and the district. Highly detailed reports enable teachers to assess progress and adjust instructional strategies as needed.

UltraKey is the ultimate keyboarding tutor because it provides effective instruction for students and meets the wide-ranging needs of professional educators more completely than any other software tool in its category.

Adaptable and Highly Flexible

Over more than 25 years of use and evolution, teachers and other users have suggested ways to improve UltraKey. Most suggestions have reflected differing instructional styles and a broad range of student needs. On occasion, some teachers have asked for one thing, while others have asked for the opposite.

Bytes of Learning has considered every suggestion regardless of how rarely it has been heard. We believe software should respond to individual needs, whether it is the teacher or the student who is being accommodated and regardless of whether the majority of users require it or not.

Today, UltraKey features numerous adjustable options so the software can adapt to a wide range of teaching styles, learning styles and special needs. These options are applied district-wide, school-wide, class-wide and at the individual student level.

For instance, teachers can elect controlled sequencing, change pass levels, tell the program how to calculate speed, and much more. Users can change skin tone, select a preferred voice, and set their own challenge levels.

Students can even select a preferred desktop and colour theme. Students who need reading assistance or are learning English as a second language, can request UltraKey to read instruction and content aloud. UltraKey can further assist with spoken Spanish when a Spanish speech engine is available.

A high-contrast colour theme helps students who have visual impairment. Colours can be removed from the display so ADD students can attend. The animated hands can be hidden so one-handed students, and learners with missing digits, can develop alternative typing strategies.

Fits the Curriculum and the Time Available

Rather than linger on early lessons until arbitrary pass levels are achieved, keyboarding experts recommend students advance through all UltraKey lessons within the time available. Accordingly, UltraKey lets users quickly proceed through each lesson, experiencing only the most essential learning concepts. When more time is available, students can access the more



extensive information in the UltraKey onboard web site and develop their skills to greater proficiency.

UltraKey practice content is easily customized. A built-in skill check and typing test editor lets teachers edit the supplied content, create their own content, and incorporated content from other sources. The editor includes an analysis tools that assesses the appropriateness of the material.

UltraKey reads aloud any test content using text-to-speech technology, so all content can be read aloud to students. This opens the door to integrating typing instruction with any curriculum theme. Skill check passages and typing tests are easily enabled or hidden at the school and class levels.

Accurately Analyzes and Recommends How to Improve

UltraKey includes a powerful analysis engine researched and developed by Bytes of Learning specifically for keyboarding skill assessment. When UltraKey tests typing performance, users type just as if they are using a word processing program. When students finish typing, UltraKey identifies every wrong key, inserted key, and missed key.

Effective typing teachers watch for problems with technique such as incorrect posture. Likewise, UltraKey identifies symptoms of strategic problems and provides written recommendations when detected. When no specific issues are present, UltraKey encourages students to continue practicing or move on.

People do not speed up by striking keys faster but by spending less time between keys. The fluent typist keyboards whole words as single actions. When students take skill checks, UltraKey looks for troublesome pairs or chairs. When they are found, UltraKey provides remedial help with these letter combinations to promote greater fluency.

Engineered for Schools

Bytes of Learning researches and develops original software technology to meet the needs of schools and classrooms. Classroom software must serve many students at a time, operate on a wide range of computers, and run reliably. In many cases, teachers have limited IT support so the software has to be robust and easy to diagnose.

UltraKey adheres to the highest industry standards. It traps for unexpected errors and reports them when they occur. UltraKey records a running log of all its operations so customers can send the logs to technical support staff for diagnosis.

Backed by People Who Know and Care

Bytes of Learning exclusively researches, develops and publishes educational software for people in schools, homes, and other learning places. Suggestions for improvement are always welcome. Calls for support are too. We are glad to help with any technical or instructional issue. We know and we care! To contact us, visit: www.bytesoflearning.com



Control is the Goal

When teachers define their goals in keyboarding instruction, it is natural to state them in terms of accuracy and speed. Speed and accuracy are measures of typing competence, but they are products of keyboarding instruction, not the goals.

Control is the goal.

To understand the difference, consider driving instruction.

Driving instruction begins by having the student adjust the car seat, the steering wheel, and the mirrors. Then, the student drives at a speed where the student is safely in charge of the automobile.

In driving instruction, the instructor teaches control. Driving speed and precision emerge as products of that control.

The principles of driving instruction hold for keyboarding instruction. When keyboard control is achieved, speed, accuracy, and the ability to type by touch, emerge as products.

When control is the goal of keyboarding instruction, then it follows that teachers should evaluate every activity in the keyboarding curriculum from a control perspective: Does it encourage control? What do my students learn about control in the process?

Racing games encourage students to abandon control in favor of winning the race. However, racing games can teach valuable understandings about keyboard control.

For example, you could have students race through a typing challenge and then try the same challenge using a relaxed approach. Then, discuss their results. This is to learn that the tension and anxiety students feel when they race, reduces control and produces poorer results.

Cheryl Cerri-Llamas, co-author of the book and video How to Teach Keyboarding, tells student to race, saying, "burn those keys." Mrs. Llamas then challenges students to type as slowly as they can. She claps her hands at a slow rate and tells students to keep pace with her. Going r-e-a-l-l-y … s-l-o-w-l-y… creates as much tension as racing does, because it is outside the student’s comfortable typing pace the same as racing is.

The lesson in both cases is that typists should type at speeds that feel comfortable and allow them to maintain keyboard control. Among different people, the optimal speed varies.

Typing instruction should include a range of experimental activities like the above, which teachers discuss with students as they complete them. This makes the class interesting and helps students become conscious of typing control strategies.

Control is the Goal


UltraKey helps teach keyboard control by providing options to suit the occasion. For instance, UltraKey lets students hide their typing as they take skill checks and tests. The Hide button appears to the upper right of the text entry window.

When students hide their typing, they can no longer see their errors. This makes them concentrate on what they are typing and rely on their fingers to locate the keys. When students have developed sufficient skill, they happily discover that letting their hands do the typing and forgetting about errors, usually results in better typing. They learn their fingers can do the typing when they trust them.

Before students hide their typing, ask them to speculate how well they will type when they hide their typing. Always let the students speculate freely. Students must not fear getting lower grades when they explore different techniques – in fact, teachers should praise them for

experimenting regardless of the outcome.

Keyboard covers can be a helpful tool for teaching keyboard control, but only when students use the covers with clear purpose and for limited periods.

In the learning stages and even among experienced typists, it is necessary to look down at the keyboard from time to time.

With effective instruction, the need to look down reduces as control increases.

Rather than viewing covers as a way of forcing students to type without looking, think of them as

a way to help students discover they can type without looking.

For students to gain control, you must give them control. After introducing keyboard covers, let students decide when to use them. This teaches students to be aware of their habits and to take ownership of their own performance improvement.

In summary, consider these guides for effective keyboarding instruction:

• Focus instruction on developing control.

• Evaluate all teaching strategies and activities in terms of how they teach control.

• Promote student buy-in by discussing the purpose of each lesson and sharing the students’ discoveries.

• Encourage exploration and experimentation.

• Expect mistakes. Turn them into opportunities to teach control.

• Teach control by granting control.


Making Keyboarding a Standard of Excellence

As soon as you walk into any school or class where students are successful, the standards of excellence are in plain view:

The school community and all its members value the skills and knowledge students are learning.

Pictures of top students and achievement awards decorate the hallways.

Posters remind students and visitors of those skills and values members of the community share.

Pride is in the air.

Add keyboarding skill to the standards of excellence your school community cherishes.

Schools can establish keyboarding as a standard of excellence in many different ways:

All teachers model typing excellence.

The UltraKey license lets all teachers install UltraKey on computers for instructional preparation. Learning to keyboard as a teacher is part of the preparation.

Schools arrange their computer facilities and furniture to encourage excellence.

Monitors are below student eye level. Chairs are adjustable or students have a selection of different chair sizes. Students may adjust their situations to improve typing comfort.

The school invests time in keyboarding skill development.

The school teaches keyboarding because students who type well are more productive and do better in all subject areas.

During any lesson using computers, teachers remind students about typing well.

Teachers notice students who forget good typing habits and they provide friendly nudges to pick up the behavior.

Posters showing good posture and coloured keyboard maps are in plain view inside and outside the computer lab.

The school celebrates keyboarding achievement.

The award for top typist is as big and prominent as any other award.

Top typists are not just fast. They exemplify keyboarding excellence and they encourage other students to type well through example and direct assistance.

The school involves parents.

The keyboarding teacher encourages parents to help at home. Parents may purchase a copy of UltraKey so students and their families can continue the learning. Bytes of Learning offers the Take It Home Bonus™ and the School Link™ programs to meet this need.

Visit: www.bytesoflearning.com



Best Practices in Keyboarding Instruction

This section shares elements of best practice in keyboarding instruction, and discusses how schools achieve keyboarding excellence even when instruction time is limited.

Keyboarding Makes Time

Schools that need to raise test scores, teach keyboarding. When the curriculum does not prescribe keyboarding instruction and there is presumably no time in the curriculum, excellent schools still teach keyboarding because students who are proficient typists make better use of school and home computers. As a result, they perform better in all subjects and any time used to learn keyboarding is recovered many times over.

Best Return on Investment: Grade Four

Our surveys and discussions with educators confirm that 9- and 10-year-old students make the most gains for the effort expended on keyboarding instruction. They are physically and cognitively ready to establish the life-long habits necessary to keyboarding fluency. Keyboarding can be taught at any grade but grade four is the optimum time.

Start in Kindergarten

Author Cheryl Cerri-Llamas begins keyboarding readiness activities and basic keyboarding with students as early as age four and five. The book, How to Teach Keyboarding provides a number of activities to develop hand and finger co-ordination, and knowledge of the keyboard. Young students cannot be expected to type fluently nor use all the correct keystrokes, but they can start sitting well at a keyboard and begin using all fingers from day one.

Six Weeks Recommended

UltraKey provides 8 ½ hours or 510 minutes of total instruction on average. Put differently, students should have 510 minutes of hands-on time to complete all UltraKey lessons and skill checks, in addition to introductory activities, discussions and games.

Ideally, each lesson should be about 30 minutes long with no more than 20 minutes of intensive keyboarding activity. Learning to keyboard is like learning a new sport skill. Muscles have to be toned and conditioned. Correctly applied, 20 minutes with UltraKey should be exhausting in the early stages of a keyboarding course.

A daily lesson for two weeks works best in the introductory stages. At 20 minutes per session, this accumulates 200 minutes of UltraKey time. Then, four more weeks of 2 to 3 lessons per week work well, providing another 200 minutes of hands-on time.

The remaining 110 minutes can be achieved through homework, extra class time, or other creative approaches. Use discarded keyboards or make cardboard keyboards for practice when computers are not available. This is not the same as real keyboarding but students can practice their keystrokes this way and build confidence between computer lab sessions.

Best Practices in Keyboarding Instruction


Teach It Once

Keyboarding cannot be taught in a single round of instruction. Keyboarding has to be rehearsed constantly to make the skill a life habit. Every year should begin with a keyboarding review.

On the other hand, students should not re-learn the whole subject of keyboarding year after year. Rehearse the skill regularly. Remind students constantly. However, do not re-teach keyboarding except to take the skill to another level.

Whatever It Takes

The foregoing comments and suggestions are not gospel. In fact, UltraKey is as flexible as it is because there are hundreds of variables that determine what has to be done and how you do it. Do whatever it takes to help your students acquire the highly important skill of keyboarding.


Playing Games with UltraKey

Thoughtfully applied, games can add interest to the class and teach valuable lessons. UltraKey provides opportunities to conduct typing games using the Typing Forum.

For example, in Word Challenge, the teacher writes a word on the white board. Using the Free Typing tool with a timed typing, the students keyboard as many words as they can from the letters of the word on the white board. UltraKey interrupts when the time expires.

Students can play Word Challenge once every lesson and watch their personal improvement over time.

Word Challenge and similar activities add interest to a lesson. They also help students switch their brains away from thinking about the physical action of typing. This develops keyboarding reflex. When the brain is occupied with a creative task, it has to let the fingers do the typing, which is the ultimate goal of learning to keyboard.

In their book and DVD, each titled How to Teach Keyboarding, Cheryl Cerri-Llamas and Fran Henderson describe a range of games and activities teachers can conduct with the Free Typing and Typing Test tools.

When students use Typing Test to play games, do not use test results for grading. Give credit to students for attitude and co-operation demonstrated during games and other activities but that is as far as marking should go. Otherwise, games become tests and that defeats the purpose.

The following criteria should be considered for every game teachers introduce:

The game should be fun but it should not create tension, unless the purpose is to teach students the negative effects of tension.

Students should do better at the game by relaxing and adopting other constructive strategies, than by abandoning good technique.

The game does not have to teach a concept. However, a game is more valuable educationally when students can discuss results and identify better strategies for keyboarding well.

Games can involve groups of students where teams compete. Most students naturally like to compete with each other, but the competition has to be balanced. Fun is the objective. Learning is the goal.


Meeting Special Needs with UltraKey

From its very beginning, UltraKey has been created with the highest regard for each individual user.

UltraKey is the result of over 25 years of customer suggestions, including requests for features to meet a wide range of special needs.

The following table identifies UltraKey features and how they help teachers and individuals use UltraKey to their best advantage.

Feature Special Needs Met

Clear presentation Clear presentation is important to young learners and students with attention difficulties. The UltraKey interface is attractive but its composition is simplified so learners focus on the critical information.

Numerous aspects of the interface can be adjusted to suit the individual. See User Preference Options page 28 and Edit Menu page 70.

Success-based

UltraKey is not game-based. It is success-based! It motivates students by having them set measurable and congratulating users as they achieve those goals.

Students of all capabilities prefer this success-based approach. With UltraKey, students glow with pride when they finally beat their challenge levels

See Taking Skill Checks page 90.

Personally paced and infinitely patient

UltraKey proceeds at whatever pace the user requires, whether slow or fast. UltraKey never limits the time for response or otherwise interferes with the student. This infinite patience is essential to students who have learning difficulties, students who are mentally disadvantaged, and students who have physical impairments such as cerebral palsy.

See Taking Lessons page 83.




User controlled Left on its own, UltraKey capably guides and supports any learner. As needed, teachers can control every aspect. Inside confines set by the teacher, UltraKey never decides what the learner can or cannot do.

Individualized challenge levels

Challenge levels are adjustable for speed, accuracy and practice weight. Teachers and students can decide whether speed, accuracy, or both are considered. See Challenge Levels page 33.

UltraKey pre-tests the student to suggest an appropriate challenge level. Teachers can adjust the test to suit the student. See Challenge Level Test page 35, and Taking a Challenge Level Test page 64.

Four interface themes (more to be added)

The UltraKey themes provide pre-set preferences to suit a range of tastes and needs. Themes with brighter colours support early learners. The high contrast theme is especially useful to visually impaired students but can also help students who need simpler presentation. See About the UltraKey Themes page 42 and Edit Menu page 70.

Individualized preference settings

Students can set many personal preferences or teachers can set them, all of which are stored on an individual basis. You could pass two students using UltraKey and need a close look to confirm they are using the same program. This means every special needs person can learn right along with the rest of the crowd. See User Preference Options page 28 and Edit Menu page 70.

Examples above show the Classic theme on the left. The High Contrast theme on the right has been altered

using the preferences settings, to remove colour labels from the key and darken the hands.




Automated voice

The UltraKey automated voice assists students learning to read, students learning English as a second language, and students who are visually impaired. Students can choose any voice installed on the computer.

See Screen Buttons page 67 and Speech page 29.

Reads aloud selected text and elements.

Teachers can import content related to curriculum themes, and UltraKey can become a learning-to-read tool because all content can be read aloud. This especially helps students learning to read and students who are visually impaired. See Reading Copy Aloud page 95.

Reads for managers too In case the teacher or parent is visually impaired, UltraKey reads aloud any management screen. Strike Ctrl-T or Cmd-T when the manager is logged in to management.

Dual language support

A second speaking capability supports Hispanic-people who are learning to speak and write English. This helps Spanish-speaking people learn to keyboard while reinforcing their understanding of English. See Dual Language Support page 32.

Optional audio reinforcement

Keyboarding involves all senses, so all lesson elements include key clicks for correct keys and melodic tones for incorrect keys. When success is achieved in the sentence stage, UltraKey plays a short jingle. Like all features, audible clicks and music tones can be turned off or on to suit special needs and circumstances. See Sounds page 28 and Edit Menu page 70.

Adjustable skin tone

Skin tone selection ensures every user is included. Teachers in African-American communities or other distinct communities can set the skin tone default, as they deem appropriate. Every user selects a tone that is recorded as a personal preference.

Visually impaired users may find a darker skin tone provides better contrast. Tones can also be set to translucent, which helps some learners better understand the demonstrated keystrokes.

See Skin Tone page 29, and Edit Menu page 70.

Adjustable text size Text can be adjusted to accommodate visual impairment and students learning to read. Themes set a default text size, which can be adjusted. See Themes page 32, and Edit Menu page 70.




Variable practice weight Practice weight is part of the challenge level. Practice weight can be reduced for students who have short attention spans or have limited time to complete UltraKey lessons. Practice weight can be increased to challenge students who are proceeding too quickly through the lessons. See Challenge Levels page 33 and Edit Menu page 70.

Hands can be hidden This feature was added for one-handed typists, but it can be used by anybody who finds conventional typing methods challenging or impossible. Hiding the hands allows students to focus on key locations and to develop their own strategies for reaching them, especially when they are unable to mimic the actions demonstrated by the hands. See Show Hands page 30, and Edit Menu page 70.

Adjustable keyboard display

Colour-coding helps develop a mental image of the keyboard and patterns of motion. However, colour-coding can distract students who have attention deficit or cannot discern colours. Removing the colour from the keyboard leaves black and white display.

Key labels are also adjustable. When you use the High Contrast Theme, further adjust the keyboard to make UltraKey even easier for visually impaired students and students who require minimum colour on the screen. See Themes page 32, and Edit Menu page 70.

Adjustable content The UltraKey skill checks and typing tests have high interest and low reading challenge. Teachers and home schoolers can edit the content or import their own in order to decrease challenge, increase challenge, or better adapt the content to suit any learner. See Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Sequence control Sequence control lets teachers lock UltraKey procedures in place. Students, who have require it, are more firmly guided through each step of the program. Sequence controls can be relaxed so students take only those UltraKey parts of suited to their needs. See Sequence Control page 36.

Always positive UltraKey takes every opportunity to congratulate the student. When automatic voice is turned on, UltraKey reads the praise aloud. This is extremely important to students who are challenged. Students are never terminated from a session and they never see negative comments. See Examples of How UltraKey Praises Students as They Improve page 45.




Supports language and communication development

When UltraKey presents a new keystroke, it immediately combines the new key into combinations, whole words, and whole sentences. The skill checks and typing tests are meaningful passages of reading material. All this supports communication and language development, especially among learners who have learning challenges. See Taking Lessons page 83.

Adjustable to individual capacity

Challenge levels are adjustable for practice weight, which determines the amount of repetition required of each student as the user proceeds through lessons. In skill checks, users can take as little as one paragraph. The content itself can be shortened by the teacher or parent. This means that students, who may find a single sentence an enormous challenge to type, can still work through UltraKey with minimum frustration. See Skill Check Length page 37.

Challenging for fast learners

UltraKey can challenge any typist. At Lakewood Elementary School, school typing champions in grade four clock averages of 120 words per minute. UltraKey is their tutor.

Remote learning enabled Some students cannot travel to school or live in remote regions. The UltraKey IP-based data management capability lets students continue learning remotely while their progress is automatically recorded at any central location.

Accessible UltraKey is entirely operable by keyboard so the challenged user can use one device for operation. Adaptive devices can operate UltraKey as easily as standard keyboards. See Operating UltraKey with the Keyboard page 72.

UltraKey is programmed to industry standards. System controls and system adaptations, used by visually impaired learners or hearing impaired learners, work very well with the UltraKey interface.

Automatic window sizing Some visually impaired users keep the computer screen set at 800 X 600 resolution so text and other elements are larger. UltraKey detects this and uses an alternate layout so the UltraKey window fits the screen while content presentation remains large.

Easy for teachers and managers to operate

Special-needs students are better served by UltraKey because it is so easy for teachers to evaluate student progress, and adapt the program. Given the assistance UltraKey provides, teachers can spend more time with those students who need their attention.




Supported In addition to UltraKey itself, the program provides instant access to an onboard web site with more information about learning to keyboard, online help for managers, the online Keyboarding Support Center, and this guide. Bytes of Learning stands by to help wherever possible.

See Learning More about Keyboarding page 89, The Keyboarding Support Center page 19, Online Help for Managers page 55, and For Further Assistance page 109.


Using UltraKey with a Whiteboard or Projector

UltraKey is an excellent tool for group instruction, especially when a whiteboard or digital

projector is available. The whiteboard provides the opportunity for interactive operation right at

the whiteboard. This section provides a number of suggestions.

Use Practice Mode

At the UltraKey title screen, teachers can choose Practice Mode from the File menu. This lets the

teacher operate UltraKey without creating or storing a record. UltraKey asks you to enter your

name for printout purposes. Having entered a name, you can operate UltraKey as if you are a

student. This is an excellent way to demonstrate, or share a lesson or video with students.

Exploring Correct Posture with Virtual Reality

If you have installed the UltraKey non-

essential movies, the Movies menu

offers several videos that are invaluable

for group instruction. The video Correct

Posture VR is a unique tool that lets you

and your students virtually walk around

and view the correct posture model

featured in UltraKey lessons. When VR is

not supported, a linear Psoture movie is

offered instead.

Open the Correct Posture VR video by

selecting it from the Movies menu. It is a

virtual reality video, which means you do

not play it. You explore it.

When the video opens, notice the controls in the bottom left corner.

To rotate the video, click and hold the mouse anywhere over the video and drag the mouse left

or right.

To show a hot spot, click the show hot spot control.

A hot spot is a location that you click to move to a different part of the video, in this case a

close-up of the hand position. The illustration at the right shows the hot spot over the model’s

hands.

Click the hot spot.

Using UltraKey with a Whiteboard or Projector


In this second illustration, we have

clicked the hot spot over the model’s

hands. This has revealed a close-up of the

hands and keyboard. The new hot spot

displayed reveals where you click to

return to the broader view of the model.

In both instances, the hot spot is in the

approximate center of the video. Notice

the cursor changes when it hovers over a

hot spot.

You do not need to show the hot spot in

order to click it. Once you know where it

is, hide the hot spot.

Like the broader view, you can virtually walk around the close-up of the hands by holding the

mouse button down while dragging the mouse around the video area.

The zoom in and zoom out buttons can zoom in or out on any of the posture views.

Shift and Control are key equivalents for zooming in and out. The video can enlarge to

about 200% before showing too much deterioration.

Using the Live Classroom Videos

The Introduction, Posture and Fingers

videos can be used at any time by

selecting them from the Movies menu.

Introduction to UltraKey is an excellent

resource for introducing the

keyboarding course. If you are ever

presenting UltraKey to parents, use this

video. The video conveys the importance

of learning to keyboard, and why the

skill is so valuable.

Introduction to Posture demonstrates

the importance of correct posture and

the consequences of poor posture

habits.

Introduction to Fingers shows keyboarding excellence. For your information, the students

featured in the videos are former Lakewood Elementary School students who averaged 80 to

120 words per minute with 98% accuracy by the time they graduated from grade 6.


Assigning Grades to Students

Bytes of Learning is developing more detailed discussion and downloadable resources to help teachers grade students in keyboarding. This section provides brief notes to get you started.

As experienced teachers understand, student grades should reflect how well the student has met the course goals. Student grades also reward positive behaviors such as co-operation, enthusiasm and helping others, but the greater part of the mark is determined by goal achievement.

Although the top typist in the class ought to get a good grade, it is a mistake to base grades solely on typing test results.

Compare two students. One understands that correct posture is important and practices control. The student types at 32 words per minute.

A second student practices posture only when the teacher is watching. This student types 36 words per minute on a good day, especially if we overlook the error rate.

The first student deserves a higher grade regardless of the typing speed. Given continued practice of the control techniques you have taught, this student will reach 60 to 80 words per minute. This outcome may not be achieved in the course of a few weeks, but the control strategies ensure the student will eventually achieve it.

The second student will never achieve better than 36 words per minute. The reason you teach control and the reason a student should be rewarded for learning it, is that the student who learns control will achieve his or her maximum potential for keyboard-based communication.

The following questions should be included in the foundation of any grading mechanism:

Does the student understand the importance of control, and how control it is achieved?

Does the student practice control, in the keyboarding class and outside the class?

Has the student reached a challenge level that was appropriately set for his or her talents? It matters less how high or low the challenge level was. Achieving it is the more important.

Did the student complete the keyboarding course? It is far more valuable to complete all the lessons and skills checks at a lower challenge level, than to linger on early lessons until a high challenge level is achieved.

Does the student have an attitude that will further the student’s development into the future? In particular, does the student take ownership of the situation, taking time to adjust the situation and body, to maximize control?

Visit the Keyboarding Support Center to find more information and help about grading. See The Keyboarding Support Center page 19.


The Keyboarding Support Center

Bytes of Learning launched its first web site in 1993 and created the first online keyboarding instruction assistance center in 1995. This became the Keyboarding Support Center, which remains part of the Bytes of Learning web site and remains available to all UltraKey users.

The Keyboarding Support Center provides a host of teaching ideas, keyboarding information links and other valuable resources that enrich the keyboarding instruction curriculum. The modern school curriculum includes Internet-based research and discussion. The Keyboarding Support Center is a portal for such learning.

Teachers and researchers are welcome to contribute to the Center.

Accessing the Keyboarding Support Center

When it is displayed, click the WWW button illustrated above right. Administrators, managers and teachers can choose Keyboarding Support Center from the Help menu. Everybody can visit the Bytes of Learning web site and choose Keyboarding Support Center from the Resources menu.

A sample of information appears at right.


Implementing the UltraKey 5.0 Program

If you have already installed a trial copy of UltraKey and the copy is current, you do not need to reinstall it. Go to Activating UltraKey page 21.

Installing and Starting on Windows

Minimum System Requirements

Any multimedia PC with Pentium I processor or better and 64 MB RAM with Windows 98SE/XP/ 2000/2003/NT/ME/Vista/Windows 7; requires approximately 80MB to 180 MB hard drive space, depending on installation options. Requires a default printer driver to view reports.

Installation

When you insert the UltraKey CD into your CD drive, the installation process automatically starts. If it does not automatically start, then open My Computer, open the CD-ROM and run Setup.exe. On Vista and Windows 7 computers, always right-click the application and choose Run as administrator when you are performing installation or setup activities.

Follow the directions presented by the installer. The installer will look for the presence of required features such as QuickTime and a compatible speech engine. If you are installing with a downloaded installer, the installer will perform the same analysis and offer additional Internet downloads.

Do not install voices on a Vista or Windows 7 computer. Vista and Windows 7 have the necessary voice engine plus an excellent array of voices.

Starting UltraKey

Once UltraKey is installed, you do not have to place the UltraKey CD in the drive. It is only for installation. If you installed a desktop shortcut, start UltraKey by double-clicking the shortcut. Alternatively, choose UltraKey 5.0 for Windows from the Windows Start menu.

Installing and Starting on Macintosh

Minimum System Requirements

A Power Macintosh or Intel Macintosh with OS 10.2.8 or later and 64MB of free RAM. Requires approximately 180MB hard drive space.

Installation

Insert the UltraKey CD into the CD drive, the UltraKey 5.0 CD mounts on the desktop. Double-click the UltraKey 5.0 CD icon to open it. Double-click the UltraKey installer and follow the instructions displayed. If you are installing using a downloaded image, open the image and run the UltraKey installer.

Starting UltraKey

Locate the UltraKey program in the Applications directory and double-click the UltraKey 5.0 icon. For future convenience, drag the icon to the dock.



Activating UltraKey

On first operation, you must be logged into the computer with administrator rights because UltraKey has to write the license information and other configuration data to restricted areas.

Vista and Windows 7 Users: On first operation, you must right-click UltraKey and choose Run as administrator from the menu. This is true even when you are logged in to the computer as an administrator.

If you have already installed a trial copy of UltraKey, then start the application and click the Activate button presented on the trial license dialog. If you are re-activating a copy of UltraKey, start the software, enter the management section and choose Activate from the Help menu.

If you have just installed UltraKey and have not previously activated it, the software will automatically request the entry of a license key when you start it.

1. All UltraKey purchasers receive a 4-part license key with their purchase. Enter the license key, striking Tab to move between fields. The key can be entered in upper or lower case.

2. Check accuracy, and click OK.

3. If the key fails, UltraKey will inform you and exit. See UltraKey Fails to Activate page 105.

When the key is valid, UltraKey presents a dialog so you can enter the school or site name. Enter the city or town and state or province where your school is located. Check spelling and click OK.

UltraKey presents the license information on the opening screen. For details, choose About UltraKey from the Help menu (UltraKey menu on Mac). If you misspell the school or site location, you can re-activate UltraKey by accessing the management area and selecting Activation from the Help menu.

Copy your license key in the space provided here. If you misplace your license key, you can request a replacement key from Bytes of Learning but a charge might apply.

Serial Number: UK

License Key: - - -


Updating and Maintaining UltraKey

Between major releases, Bytes of Learning releases 10 to 15 interim revisions. For example, this guide was first released with UltraKey 5.0, build 5.0.7.1. Changing from UltraKey 5.0 build 5.0.5.1 to UltraKey 5.0 build 5.0.6.1 is called an update.

Updates include more than bug corrections. We do correct any known issues from time to time, but most interim revisions of UltraKey 5.0 are feature additions or process improvements.

To install an update, you must first own a license to the original UltraKey 5.0. To date, Bytes of Learning has provided updates for no charge to customers. It contemplates the possibility of charging a maintenance fee, but the company continues to rely on the initial license revenue and renewals to fund this service.

UltraKey does not automatically update. In school environments, automatic updates are problematic because updating requires the computer user to have administrative rights. So, Bytes of Learning continues to offer downloadable updates. New product CDs can be purchased at the Bytes of Learning web site.

Finding Out Whether an Update Exists

Bytes of Learning sends notices by email to registered users.

The most convenient way to check whether an update exists is to choose Updates from the Help menu. This item is only available when the user is logged in as an administrator or manager.

You can also visit the Bytes of Learning web site and choose downloads from the Support menu. Compare the information provided with the specific build number of your copy of UltraKey. Choose About UltraKey from the Help menu on a Windows computer or from the UltraKey menu on a Macintosh.

How to Update UltraKey

If an update exists, your first task is to download the update to the computer on which UltraKey is operating or to a workstation that accesses UltraKey.

The update may be a complete installation program or a program designed to detect where UltraKey is installed and update it. As Internet speeds have increased, Bytes of Learning has tended to offer full installations instead of updating programs. The net result is the same.

To update, first download the installer or updater offered by the Bytes of Learning web site.

Make sure you are logged in to the computer or workstation with administrative rights because the installer or update will have to write files in public directories. Then run the installer or updater.

When you run an UltraKey installation program over an existing installation, the installation program replaces existing files with new versions of the files. Otherwise, it leaves everything else as it is, including configuration files, license files and other data created after the program was installed.



Once you finish installing or updating UltraKey, you can start the software as you have before. You should not have to re-enter any activation information.

If UltraKey does ask for activation information, then you might have installed the wrong language edition of UltraKey. For example, if you use a British edition of UltraKey, be careful not to install the North American edition over it. The North American edition requires a different license key from the British edition.


Managing UltraKey

UltraKey features a wide range of controls, options and content customization functions that make it an excellent teaching tool.

The rest of this manual focuses on management tools. It also contains a copy of the same pages provided in the Student Guide.

Attention: Vista and Windows 7 Users

Whenever you are configuring UltraKey or changing its local management settings, right-click the application and choose Run as administrator from the context menu. Even if you are logged in as an administrator on the Vista and Windows 7 computer, this step is necessary so UltraKey can write information to the shared users' area.

Managing Local Records and Options

When the UltraKey title screen is presented, click the Management button.

Choose Local from the host list. You can tell UltraKey to default to the Local directory, which will simplify user login.

If a manager account has not been created, enter a manager name and a password. On subsequent access, UltraKey asks for the management password you create.

The Local Management Menu

Once you are logged in to Local management, the Local Management menu is presented.

General Management with the Data Server


For economy, the balance of this discussion references other sections of the manual that detail the specifics of each function.

Local Options controls a wide range of attributes that affect the experience students have when they use UltraKey. Options set here, determine the default settings for all records created and used within the Local area.

See Setting Program Options and User Preference Defaults page 27.

Local Skill Checks manages the skill check content presented to students when they take skill checks using local records.

Edit existing skill checks, duplicate and create modified versions, and create your own skill check content.

The skill check editor analyzes content for use and application in UltraKey.

See Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Local Typing Tests manages typing test content presented to students when they use the Typing Forum with local records.

Typing tests are managed using the same techniques as skill checks, so they are discussed in the same section.

See Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Local Records accesses the records stored in the All Users documents area. For those records listed, the manager can change certain options, review user progress and generate group reports. Many of the functions are the same as regular class management. See Managing Local Records page 49.

Records stored in personal user workspaces cannot be accessed here.

Record Location sets where user records are stored. If users have personal workspaces on the local computer, UltraKey saves to that location.

The Online Help button accesses the UltraKey help for managers. An Internet connection is required.

Exit Management takes you back to the UltraKey welcome screen.

General Management with the Data Server


Setting and Hiding Management Access

The Management button can be hidden to reduce temptation for students to access management. When the Management button is hidden, managers must access management by striking a combination of keys. This combination and the state of the Management button are determined by a setting called Management Access.

To set Management Access:

1. Log in to management.

2. Choose Set Management Access from the File menu.

3. Select how management is to be accessed.

4. Change the key combination if desired.

5. Click OK.

For greater security, change the access key periodically and use obscure manager passwords.

Alternate Management Access

The default management key combination is Shift-Ctrl-H (same on Mac and Windows). If the key was changed and forgotten, contact Bytes of Learning. An alternate management access procedure is available.

Changing the Manager Name and Password

The manager can change his or her name and password by choosing Manager Name and Password from the Edit menu.


Setting Program Options and User Preference Defaults

UltraKey includes many options that adapt the program to suit the teaching situation, teaching style, and student needs.

When the administrator or host manager sets general options, they determine the default settings for all new classes created thereafter in the current host. When a class manager sets class options, they apply only to the class. In both cases, managers can distribute the options to selected classes.

When the administrator creates a new host, UltraKey adopts the general options for the new host from the current host.

When many teachers are involved in providing keyboarding instruction, review the options as a group to identify options that should apply across schools and classes. For example, the standard of whether two spaces or one space is typed between sentences should be agreed.

Managers can adjust options any time, but it is best to review all options before using UltraKey with students.

Using the Options Panel

Click an option or use the arrow keys. The details for each option appear on the right side of the panel. The interface explains each option. This guide further explains each option and its effects.

When you change an option, changes are recorded when another option is selected or you click Done.

To apply options to classes, click Apply to Classes.



User Preference Options

User preference options appear on the Edit menu when students log in to UltraKey. When a student changes the preference, the change is recorded in the user’s record. A checkbox called Allow user control determines whether users can control each setting.

User preference options become the defaults for new user records created thereafter.

Sounds

UltraKey emits different sounds during instruction. Key clicks reinforce visual effect. Music greets students who complete the posture puzzle, type excellently during lessons, or pass challenge levels in skill checks. Some or all sounds can be silenced.



Speech

UltraKey speaks to the student as the user proceeds through UltraKey depending on how this parameter is set. Speaking during login is controlled by the general options set in the default host.

Speech benefits students who are emerging readers or who are learning English as a second language. Speech also helps students attend better to key concepts.

Skin Tone

Four personalized skin tones are offered in solid and translucent colours.

When UltraKey displays hands on a keyboard, it uses the skin tone selected. The tone helps personalize instruction for the student. Translucency can improve presentation clarity.

For non-Caucasian audiences, set the default skin tone to something matching the majority of students. Individuals can select a different tone when you allow user control.



Show Hands

Some students do not have two hands or they have missing digits on one hand or both. A person with cerebral palsy might not be able to mimic the UltraKey demonstrations.

In all these cases, it can be better not to show hands so the user can develop his or her personal strategy for typing. The default can be left to Yes but then changed for the specific user using the Edit menu.

Key Frames

Key frames are coloured boxes that appear around keys when UltraKey demonstrates correct striking technique.

This option is usually left as Yes. It can be set as desired on an individual basis. It should definitely be left as Yes when the Show Hands option is set to No.



Time Bar

Time bars let students know how much time they have left when students take timed skill checks, typing tests, and free typing activities.

Sometimes, time bars can be a distraction or cause anxiety.

Parts of this manual discuss letting students experiment to see what conditions help their typing and what conditions do not. The time bar display is example.

Editing

The editing option controls whether students may go back and correct during skill checks, typing tests and free typing.

When we type, it is more efficient to keep going and go back later to correct errors or change phrasing.

It is very useful to have students experiment with this setting so they learn how their results are affected when they go back to correct.



Themes

UltraKey offers four themes that form the basis for a user interface. Each theme is designed with different general needs in mind.

Even when a theme is selected, other options adjust finer elements of the theme such as text size, and keyboard colouring.

See About the UltraKey Themes page 41.

Dual Language Support

To accommodate students who are learning English as a second language, UltraKey can speak in Spanish when the spoken assistance button is clicked.

Spanish assistance is not available unless a SAPI-compliant Spanish voice is installed.

Speech must also be enabled when spoken assistance is enabled here.

See Speech page 29.



Program Options

Program options determine how UltraKey works for all users. Individual users do not have the ability to change these options, which is what distinguishes them from User Preference Options.

Options can be set at the class level where they affect only the users in that class.

Challenge Levels

Each student chooses a challenge level but the ranges of selection are determined by this option.

This option is set in co-ordination with the specific settings assigned to Levels 1, 2 and 3 and the Set Your Own option.

Checkmarks determine whether the level is offered.

The text fields determine what the levels are called when they are displayed for students. To change a challenge level name, click inside the name field.



Challenge Levels - Levels 1, 2 and 3

For each level activated in the general Challenge Levels option, each level’s configuration is set here. Checkmarks determine whether speed, accuracy, or both are in play.

Practice amount determines how many repetitions of instructional steps are presented to students. On the medium setting, UltraKey provides 3 lines of practice in each lesson step. On light, it provides 1. On heavy, it provides 5.

If there is very little time for students to complete UltraKey, set the parameter to light.

Challenge Levels - Set Your Own

If Set Your Own is permitted in the general Challenge Levels option, the level’s default values are set here.

The defaults are set here but the students can change the values and settings unless the Set Your Own level is not permitted.



Challenge Level Test

UltraKey provides a Challenge Level Test to help students choose an appropriate challenge level when they first use UltraKey.

You can require students to take the test or you can leave it optional.

UltraKey recommends a challenge level based on the test result but the final choice is the student’s decision.

Spacing

The original standard for typing with typewriters was two spaces between sentences. Electronic word processing calls for one space. UltraKey defaults to one space.

All content supplied with UltraKey has double-spaces so it can accommodate when the standard is set to two spaces. When this option is set to one space, UltraKey automatically removes double-spaces from any content used in skill checks and typing tests.

If you create your own content, keep this option in mind. See Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.



Shift Key Usage

The Shift key is a complex combination of strokes for beginning typists, so UltraKey does not normally teach it before Lesson 6. You can change that setting here.

Until the Shift key is taught, UltraKey corrects shift errors when users take skill checks and tests.

Depending on the option set here, UltraKey presents typing lessons in upper and lower case, or all upper case.

Sequence Control

Sometimes, students proceed through lessons or access modules they are not asked to use.

This option gives teachers a greater level of direct control over what students are required to complete and in what order.

Use sequence controls until students master an initial challenge level. Then, take the controls off and let students meet higher performance levels while providing more choice in the process.



Skill Check Length

UltraKey conducts skill checks using a variety of testing structures. UltraKey offers all these choices to students unless the check boxes are cleared.

When students have limited time for keyboarding, make shorter skill checks such as one or two paragraphs and 1-minute timed skill checks. When you want to increase the challenge, opt for longer passages.

At least one item must be checked.

Typing Test Length

Typing tests are performed in the Typing Forum.

When you have students take typing tests, you probably want to restrict this option to all but one choice. This ensures that all students take the same length of typing test when you direct them.

Even a 2-minute timed typing can be a long time for a typing test. On the other hand, standardized performance tests usually require 5 minutes.

At least one item must be checked.



Free Typing Length

Free Typing is offered in the Typing Forum.

Free Typing is a tool where students play games or complete other explorative activities.

Free Typing selections should be left active unless you have specific reasons for limiting the choices.

Speed Calculation

UltraKey can assess and report typing performance using a range of standard methods.

Gross speed is more easily understood among younger students because it is not adjusted for accuracy.

Modified International Typing Contest Rules is also called net speed because it is gross speed reduced by an error factor.

Modified International Typing Contest Rules is the industry standard for universally recognized performance measurement.

See Understanding Typing Performance Assessment page 43.



Best or Last Results

A student’s best result or last result decides whether a challenge level has been passed. This option determines which result is used.

For each skill check and typing test, UltraKey stores up to 10 results. When this option is set to Use Best Results, the best result is preserved as one of the ten results until a better result occurs. The determination of a better result depends on the What’s Better option discussed next.

What is Better?

UltraKey praises students when they improve their performance or draw nearer to their challenge levels.

When a student raises accuracy and speed at the same time, there is no doubt the student has improved.

When a student increases speed but drops accuracy, or the student increases accuracy but drops speed, either condition could be a better result.

The decisions depends on the parameters entered here.

For a detailed discussion of the issue, see Deciding What is Better Performance page 45.



Control Report Printing

Printing paper reports is costly and affects the environment. This option offers controls you can put into action.

As an alternative to printing, reports can be viewed without printing. Consider encouraging students to use this capability.

Most computers can now print or save to PDF documents, so teach students how to do this. Electronic reports can be sent home as easily as printed ones.

Passwords

In small classes and classes with students who are young or find passwords a challenge, password requirements can be turned off.

In any other situation, we strongly recommend that passwords be used to prevent students from accessing anything but their own records.

Manager accounts always require passwords so students cannot access them.



World Wide Web Access

UltraKey offers the WWW button that connects to the Keyboarding Support Center at the Bytes of Learning web site. This option controls whether or not students may visit there.

UltraKey features an onboard web site with additional help and information. This site is always accessible and may be sufficient for the class needs.

User Access Functions

The User Access Functions option controls whether students may open exported records in addition to logging in through the regular record storage areas.

This option also determines whether students may reset their records. When students complete the UltraKey course, they can be challenged the same year or the following year to achieve higher performance.

When you have carefully reviewed and set all the general options, click Done.

Distributing Option Settings to Classes

When a manager accesses the general options or a class manager adjusts class options, UltraKey can distribute the options to other classes by clicking the Apply to Classes button. You can apply to all classes or apply to classes as they are confirmed. Class managers can only apply options to those classes assigned to them.



About the UltraKey Themes

UltraKey 5.0 users can select one of four themes to suit their tastes and needs. Class managers can also set the theme as a default in Class options. Themes determine the starting options for the user. All options can be adjusted on the Edit menu.

Classic Theme

This is the original UltraKey 4.0 interface suited to a broad range of users.

Classic wood grain desktop

Pastel keyboards with small labels

Pastel program colours

Standard screen font

High Contrast Theme

The high contrast theme is for students who have visual impairment or attention deficit.

Dark blue desktop

High contrast keyboard, large labels

High Contrast program colours

Large screen font

Bright Theme

The bright theme suits the younger audience of learners.

Bright desktop

Bright keyboard with large labels

Bright program colours

Large screen font

Space Age Theme

This theme is for the middle school and high students who require that 'cooler' look.

Space age desktop

Pastel keyboards with small labels

Pastel program colours

Standard screen font



Understanding Typing Performance Assessment

Typing authorities developed typing assessment standards in the early 20th century so performance results could be expressed and interpreted consistently. These standards are collectively called The Modified International Typing Contest Rules (MITCR).

According to the MITCR standard, a typing word is five keystrokes. For instance, the phrase The king is out has four English words but only three typing words because it consists of three 5-keystroke elements as follows: The king is out

A typing word that contains one or more keystroke errors constitutes one typing-word error. For example, suppose the phrase The king is out is typed as: The kign is uot

There are four letter errors in the phrase, The kign is uot, but they occur within two typing words, so there are only two typing-word errors by the MITCR standard. The typing word ‘The k’ is typed correctly, but the typing words ‘ing i’ and ‘s out’ are not typed correctly.

Some people suggest the MITCR standard is outdated because the rules were invented when typing instruction was provided with typewriters. The historical point is true but the standard applies today because a keyboard is still a keyboard whether it is driving a typewriter or a computer. While the application of a computer is very different from that of a typewriter, speed and accuracy are still as relevant and they have the same basic meaning as before.

Some people argue that word processing programs correct spelling and grammar, so why even worry about learning to type, let alone how speed and accuracy are measured. Word processing programs correct many spelling errors but not all. None of them actually corrects grammar. In fact, word processing programs benefit fast typists as much as slow typists, so the faster typist still has the same edge.

The real question is, If a person claims he types at 50 words per minute, how reliable is this claim and what does the claim mean?

Some typing instruction titles analyze typing results only to the English word level and they treat an English word as if it is a typing word. With these programs, the words it and combination are both considered one word for measurement purposes. Therefore, a passage with many simple words yields higher typing speeds than a passage with longer words. The accuracy assessment is also not trustworthy because there is no common standard for what constitutes an error. Some of the world’s top-selling typing tutorials fail to adhere to any established typing assessment standard and they cannot be relied upon to provide a valid or reliable measurement of typing performance.

On the other hand, you can rely on UltraKey because it performs standardized assessment. It can be adjusted to use any typing measurement system divided into three categories.

Gross speed measures how many typing words the person types per minute but it does not consider errors. This measure tells how fast the user is typing but is not an official measure. However, younger students and students less concerned about standardized performance assessment can more easily understand the gross speed measure. When a person reports a gross typing speed, it is important to include an accuracy rate so the gross speed is qualified. Clearly, 50 words per minute with only 90% accuracy (1 in 10 typing words have errors) is not as desirable as 40 words per minute with 98% accuracy (1 in 50 typing words have errors).

A net typing speed, based on the MITCR standard, reduces the gross speed by two words per minute for each typing-word error. The resulting calculation is called. The principle is that a



typist who types quickly but makes many errors, loses time correcting the mistakes, and is therefore a slower typist than a person who types quickly and makes very few errors. This standard has the advantage of providing a single typing performance value stated as net words per minute. Since net speed is an internationally recognized measure, and since UltraKey conforms to this measure, UltraKey results can be shared on an employment application as a valid and reliable measure.

A custom net speed can be applied using any penalty system you want.

Typing experts are quick to add that a standardized net speed is usually measured using a 5-minute timed typing test. UltraKey can perform such a test. Skill checks should not be cited because they are limited in their scope of keys used. Only the Typing Test area of Typing Forum should be used for standard net speed measurement because passages there utilize the whole keyboard. Users who report net speeds under non-standard conditions, should qualify their claims by saying under what condition the speed was measured.

In UltraKey, managers may enter a custom set of rules. One penalty system subtracts a certain number of words for each error before dividing by the time taken. The other calculates the gross speed and then deducts a certain number of words per minute per word error.

To set the related UltraKey option, see Speed Calculation page 38.

Examples of Speed Calculation

A user types 80 words in two minutes. Two typing-word errors are made. The following calculations result:

Gross speed

Gross speed = 80 typing words / 2 minutes = 40 wpm

Net speed (Modified International Typing Contest Rules)

Net speed = (# typing words – 2 X typing-word errors) / time taken = (80 typing words – 2 X 2 typing words) / 2 minutes = 76 typing words/ 2 minutes = 38 wpm

Net speed (Custom) - 5 strokes per typing word and a 2 wpm penalty per typing-word error

Net speed = (# typing words / time taken) – 2 X wpm per typing-word error = (80 typing words/ 2 minutes) – 2 X 2 wpm = 36 wpm

How a Change in Speed Calculation Method Affects Student Records

If the Speed Calculation option is changed, UltraKey automatically upgrades all recorded speeds to the new method. Therefore, all speeds within any printed report are comparable. Skill check passes are also re-assessed using the new speed results.



Deciding What is Better Performance

UltraKey congratulates users when they improve their performance. If a person gets a higher accuracy and speed, this is clearly a better result. However, if accuracy improves and speed drops, is that a better result?

If you tell a user to slow down and aim for more accuracy, you would reward the person for doing this. However, how much slowdown is permitted?

If a user achieves 100% accuracy, it is very difficult to get a better result because the person is not likely to type perfectly every time. When a person has reached a high level of accuracy, how much accuracy can be sacrificed while trying to build speed?

When users reach a certain level of accuracy, they should be encouraged to build speed as long as they stay within that high range of accuracy.

While a person is developing accuracy, UltraKey encourages the user to let speed find its own level while the person focuses on accuracy. For instance, if a user increases accuracy from 92% to 94% while dropping speed by about 15%, UltraKey classifies this as an improvement and congratulates the user for achieving a better result. Over repeated efforts, the user will tend to keyboard better and will find a comfortable speed level. Managers determine the percentage by which the speed can drop during this stage of learning. 25% is recommended.

When the student reaches a high level of accuracy, UltraKey encourages the user to build speed so long as accuracy stays in the high range. When the accuracy remains high, UltraKey judges a result by totaling the accuracy and speed. If the total is increased, the result is a ”better” result. Managers determine what constitutes a ”high” rate of accuracy. 98% is recommended.

The accuracy pass level is different from the high accuracy level. Managers should not set the accuracy pass level higher than the high accuracy level. High accuracy should be set higher than any pass level accuracy.

Depending on how managers set the pass levels, the allowed drop in speed and the high accuracy, users will experience a series of responses as they work through each skill check.

Examples of How UltraKey Praises Students as They Improve

In the following scenarios, the pass level is 97% accuracy and 20 wpm. The permitted speed drop is 25% and high accuracy is 98%. Responses display in a dialog when congratulations are due.

Trial 1: 92%, 25 wpm.

This was the user’s first trial. The user has not met the challenge level.

Response: No praise. User is encouraged to try again.

Trial 2: 94%, 23 wpm.

The user has increased accuracy and the speed has only dropped 8%. The user has done better than before, but not reached the challenge level.

Response: “Well done! You improved over last time.”



Trial 3: 94%, 23 wpm.

The user has matched the previous result, but not met the challenge level.

Response: No praise. User is encouraged to try again.

Trial 4: 97%, 21 wpm.

This is the first time the user has passed so UltraKey congratulates the student.

Response: “Congratulations! You passed your challenge level.”

Trial 5: 100%, 20 wpm.

This is the user’s best result ever and is a passing result.

Response: “Excellent! That was even better than last time.”

Trial 6: 98%, 23 wpm.

Accuracy has dropped but it has remained in the defined high range of 98% or more. The total accuracy and speed have increased over the previous result.

Response: “Excellent! That was even better than last time.”

Trial 7: 97%, 20 wpm.

Accuracy has dropped and has not remained in the defined high range of 98% or more. The total accuracy and speed have decreased over the previous result, but is still passing for the challenge level.

Response: “Good work. You continue to pass your challenge level.”

Avoiding Conflicts Between Better Results and Passing Results

Depending on how managers set the pass levels, students can get a passing result even though they have not achieved a better result.

For instance, suppose the pass levels are 95% and 25 wpm. The user gets 94% and 40 wpm.

Then, the user gets 96% and 26 wpm. The last result is a pass, but it is not a better result. How should UltraKey respond?

It would be confusing to say, “You just got a worse result but finally passed the skill check!” To avoid this, UltraKey considers pass criteria before evaluating whether the result is better. If the user gets a pass result when previous results have not been passes, UltraKey considers the result better for record purposes. The program also congratulates the student for passing the skill check.

Now, suppose the user passed a skill check before and now gets a result that is better, according to the What’s Better option, but the result is not a passing result.

Like above, it would be confusing to say, “You got your best result ever, but you are no longer at a passing level.” When a user gets a better result but it is in fact a non-passing result, UltraKey does not sacrifice the previous passing result. UltraKey avoids causing confusion by withholding any congratulations.

In summary, UltraKey first congratulates the user when the student passes. It congratulates users on getting better results only after pass criteria are considered. When managers adjust pass levels and other evaluation criteria, they should carefully consider the levels at which they want learners to be encouraged and rewarded.


Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content

UltraKey lets managers edit existing skill checks and typing tests content, create new skill checks and typing tests, and activate or deactivate passages as needed. The built-in editor analyzes the content to make sure all the letters in the skill check or test are appropriate to UltraKey lessons completed. The editors do not have spell-checking capability, but managers can copy and paste between any word processing program and the UltraKey editor.

This section discusses skill checks and typing test content together because the processes are identical. The only difference is that skill check passages are used in the UltraKey skill checks that parallel UltraKey lessons. Typing test passages are used when students access the Typing Forum and take typing tests.

Accessing Skill Checks and Typing Tests

Access skill checks or typing tests, click the related button on the General Management menu or on the class management interface. The following dialog is displayed for skill checks:

Checkmarks determine the skill checks presented to students when the passages are listed. To activate or de-activate a skill check, click the checkmark area.

Select a skill check or typing test by clicking on its title. Then, click Edit to open the passage in the editor.

To duplicate a passage, select it and click Duplicate.

To delete a passage, select the passage and click Delete. Remember you can de-activate a passage instead of deleting it.

To make a new passage, click New.

Printing Skill Checks and Typing Tests

Teachers sometimes challenge students to type from printed copy. Managers might also want to print copies of test material for review purposes.

To print a copy of a test or skill check, select it and click Print.

Accept the offered printing font or change it and click OK.

To change other printout properties, click Properties when the printing dialog is presented. You can also select Print Setup functions from the File menu when dialogs are not open.

Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content


Creating and Editing Skill Checks and Typing Tests

To create a new skill check or typing test, click the New button on the skill checks or typing test list dialog. The editor appears with all fields blank. The skill check and typing test editors are identical. To edit an existing skill check or typing test passage, highlight the passage and click Edit. The dialog at right is displayed.

Click any field at any time or strike Tab to move among fields.

The note field keeps track of any specific purpose for the passage. Students do not see the note.

Enter the content in the content box. Content can be typed in or pasted from a word processor. The upper limit is 5,000 key strokes including spaces.

Do not enter double carriage returns between paragraphs. UltraKey spaces passages for easy reading without double carriage returns. Students are also not required to strike double carriage returns when they take skill checks and tests.

When using two spaces between sentences as a standard for instruction, be sure to enter two spaces between sentences in any skill check or typing test passage text you create. Consider using double spaces in any event, in case the passage is ever used with the double-spacing convention. UltraKey automatically reduces double spaces to single spaces but it cannot increase single spaces to double spaces. Also, see Spacing page 35.

If you click Cancel, all changes are lost. Clicking Revert restores all fields to their last saved state. When you finish editing, click the Done button. The content of the skill check or test is saved on the host.

Analyzing Skill Checks and Typing Tests

The above analysis results display when you click Analyze. This function monitors the letters used in a skill check or typing test relative to the UltraKey lessons. It also assesses the length of copy and several other parameters. When you exit the editor, the current level is stored for skill checks.

cannot edit content within the analysis area. Click in the content box to make changes to the text. Click the Analyze button again to analyze and generate a new report.

In Mac OS X, characters that appear in red are yet to be taught at the selected level. Characters that appear in blue are taught specifically on that level. In Windows, characters that appear in blue are yet to be taught at the level selected. Characters that appear in yellow are taught specifically on that level.


Managing Local Records

Classes are groups of students with a common set of options, skill check indexes and typing test indexes. Class managers can set all class options, adjust certain student options, review individual reports and generate class reports on the students in a class.

A teacher can create any number of classes that group students any way, such as Beginners and Advanced. This could make more sense because options and content can apply to all the students more readily. We call the groups classes only because this is the common use. The actual use is all up to the teacher.

When a class is opened from the class management interface, the roster is displayed with all the class functions. The following sections explain the functions located with each class.

Automated Student Enrollment

Click the Enroll Students button. The class manager can type in the names of the students. If a class list is available, it can be imported.

Import a list of students prepared as a comma-delimited text file (csv) or a tab-delimited text file (txt). The function of the presented dialog is identical to school enrollment save for the fact that multiple classes cannot be processed here.

Importing Student Records

To import students, click the Import button. You can select UltraKey 4.0 or UltraKey 5.0 records. Select more than one student at a time. An UltraKey 5.0 record might need to be imported



because it was exported so a student could use it on a home computer or other remote location. See next section.

Exporting Student Records

With home copies of UltraKey 5.0, students can log in from home and continue to have their progress recorded as if they are at school. This requires an Internet connection and an UltraKey connection key.

When a student needs to work at home but does not have an Internet connection, or other reasons prevent electronic connection, you can export the record as a file the student can take home.

Click Export. Then save the record in the desired location.

Exporting a record does not remove it from the class record. However, importing the record to a class where the record exists, will overwrite the record when you permit.

Deleting Student Records

To delete student records, select the records in the roster and click Delete. This is an irreversible process, so take care. Consider exporting the student records to an archive directory prior to deleting the student records.



Editing Student Information and Locking It

Certain student information can be altered and certain options can be set for the individual student.

At the class management interface, highlight the student and click Student Info. The dialog at right is displayed.

The class manager can alter the student name, password, and challenge level.

Students can modify their names and passwords but some students do not exercise this privilege well. The lock options on this dialog prevent the individual from changing the student information. Also, see Locking and Unlocking Student Settings page 51.

Setting and Resetting Student Records

Resetting a record means to clear the particular element of the record without altering the balance of the record. For example, resetting the lesson record, clears the record of lessons completed.

To set or reset student records, highlight a selection of students. Then, click the Set/Reset button.

If you reset the challenge level, the selected challenge level is applied to the selected students. Locking the setting, prevents the student from changing the setting. If you decide to unlock the challenge level setting capability, revisit this function and check the unlock box.

Resetting lessons, skill checks or typing tests, clears the related information from the selected student records. This can be useful when students are asked to review UltraKey after completing all the UltraKey lessons and skill checks.

Locking and Unlocking Student Settings

To lock or unlock student information elements for multiple students, highlight a selection of students. Then, click the Lock/Unlock button.

Locking prevents students from changing information when they are logged into their records.

Viewing and Printing Student Progress Reports

Local record management lets managers print, view and save reports for each individual student. Avoid using paper by either printing to PDF files or by saving report information in files. PDF documents can be emailed to parents as a more secure and more environmentally friendly way of sending home good news.



To review a student’s performance, select the student and click Print, View or Save. You can click View and print report pages from the viewing dialog.

For convenience, double-click any single student to review the student’s progress. View options are presented the first time but not on subsequent double-clicks. To change the view options, click View.

Elements of generated student reports are as follows:

Progress Reports

Progress Reports show lessons and skill checks completed. It shows the speed and accuracy for each skill check level, the types of errors made, and troublesome chains.

The data reflects the latest result on each level or the best result for each level, according to how the Report Best or Last Results option is set. See Best or Last Results page 39.

Skill Check: Most Recent Results

Most Recent Results shows details of the last skill check completed. Information includes speed and accuracy performance, what the student typed, errors made, and recommendations.

Skill Check: Overall Performance Chart

The Overall Performance Chart graphs the latest or best results for each skill check level. Use this report to assess the trend of student performance as the student progresses.

Skill Check: Performance Charts

The Performance Charts graph up to ten skill check results on each skill check level. To select specific levels to chart, click the Levels button on the view or print report dialog and check the levels to chart.

Typing Forum: Performance Chart

The Typing Forum Performance Chart shows up to ten typing test results taken in Typing Forum. This chart shows the development of the user’s skill over time.

Typing Forum: Most Recent Results

The Typing Forum Most Recent Results shows details of the last typing test completed in Typing Forum.

Free Typing: Most Recent Results

Free typing results are kept in memory during the course of a student session, but they are not saved in the student record, so the results cannot be displayed later by class managers. The results can only be printed by the student during the session in which the free typing is done.

Exporting Student Progress Reports

Managers can save data from student and class reports in a tab delimited text file that can be imported into any spreadsheet program. To save a student report, select the student and click the Save button under Student Reports in class or general management. To save a class report, click the Class Reports button on the class management screen and then click Save.



Printing, Viewing and Saving Class Reports

UltraKey class reports show how much of the program the class has completed so far and how well the class is doing on each level.

You can view, print or save a class report by student or by lesson. Class reports are selected by clicking on the Class Reports button on the class management screen. Skill Check information in the reports is based on the latest skill check results for each level or the best skill check results for each level, depending on the setting of the Report Best or Last Results option. See Best or Last Results page 39.


Management Menu Functions

File Menu

Setting and Hiding Management Access page 26.

Create Connection Key and Edit Host List are not available in Home Editions.

Accessing the UltraKey Operation Logs Page 105.

Exit Management logs out the manager.

Page Setup functions sets printer options for printouts. Exit (Quit on Mac) closes UltraKey.

Edit Menu

Speak reads aloud the current management.

Cut, Copy, Paste, and Select All are active when the skill check and typing test content editor is used and the Enroll students functions are in use.

Voice lets you choose a voice for spoken assistance.

Changing the Manager Name and Password page 26.

Movies Menu

This menu provides access to the UltraKey live videos and the correct posture virtual reality video. When VR is not supported, a linear posture movie is offered. Students have the same menu access when they use UltraKey.

Help Menu

Online Help for Managers page 55.

The Keyboarding Support Center page 19.

Manager Guide links to this manual. Student Guide links to the student guide.

Getting Help Using UltraKey page 69. Learning More about Keyboarding page 89.

Order links to the Internet. Activating UltraKey page 21.

Updating and Maintaining UltraKey page 22.

About UltraKey shows version and license. This function is found on the UltraKey menu on the Macintosh.


Online Help for Managers

UltraKey adapts to the needs and styles of its users by providing several different forms of help for teachers and students. Administrators, managers and teachers have exclusive access to an online help resource hosted at the Bytes of Learning web site.

The online help resource repeats many pieces of information provided in this guide. It additionally addresses topics such as how to evaluate student performance and assign grades.

Accessing Online Help

Administrators, managers and teachers access online help by logging in to management and choosing Online Help from the Help menu. F2 is the key equivalent.

You must have an Internet connection for online help to function.


Using the UltraKey Student Guide

When students use UltraKey, an electronic form of the Student Guide is available on the UltraKey Help menu.

The Student Guide is a step-by-step presentation of the UltraKey program with suggestions about how to make best use of each element. Tips for students conclude each major module.

Printing Copies of the Guide

Do not print the Student Guide pages included in this guide, except for management use. To print a copy of the guide for students, choose Student Guide from the Help menu or open it directly from the UltraKey program directory.

Teachers may print copies of the UltraKey Student Guide in colour or black and white. See the limited permission stated in the Student Guide.

To save paper and the environment, consider teaching students to use electronic forms of media. Some students might not be able to read from a computer screen but most students should be able. Print a limited number of copies for students who really need them.

Student Guide Included in this Guide

The remaining sections of this Manager Guide contain the same content as the Student Guide plus some comments and tips for teachers. Teaching suggestions, which do not appear in the Student Guide, are highlighted in gray.

We include the Student Guide in the Manager Guide for these purposes:

Teachers can preview the UltraKey student experience.

Teachers may use this Manager Guide as a reference while students use the Student Guide.

For convenience, the page numbers for the next sections include references to the corresponding Student Guide pages.

Lower right: (SG 1) 57 means page 57 of this guide is the same as page 1 of the Student Guide.

Lower left: 58 (SG 2) means page 58 of this guide is the same as page 2 of the Student Guide.

UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated (SG 1) 57

What Excellent Keyboarding Does for You

Computers are really powerful tools but, if you cannot keyboard well, the inability to keyboard stands like a glass wall between you and all that power. When you learn to keyboard well, it is like getting the keys to the world.

Ask any person who can keyboard well: How much does that person value the skill? Does that person think you should learn to keyboard well?

Every excellent typist will encourage you. Ever since they learned to keyboard, the skill has been a significant part of their lives and their success.

Left on your own, you could invent your own way to type. Perhaps you already have. Why should you learn to type differently?

When you learn to keyboard the way experts type, you reach your full potential.

The Lakewood Elementary School students featured in the UltraKey videos average 80 words per minute. Their top typist reached 119 words per minute when he was in grade four!

When the Lakewood students graduated to high school, they zoomed through their high school courses much faster than students who could not keyboard as well. As a result, the teachers had to offer accelerated programs just for them. That is how much their keyboarding skill improved their ability to study and learn!

If you are already in the work force, imagine being able to do twice or three times as much work as you now accomplish or you can take far less time to accomplish the same thing. You will not only be happier and more productive -- you will probably get a promotion!

Unleash the full power of computers in your life.

Learn to keyboard well.

58 (SG 2) UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

What You Learn with UltraKey

You already know UltraKey is going to help you keyboard better.

However, that is not all you are about to learn.

Typing skill is measured by how well you control the keyboard.

Control begins with learning how to sit correctly. The UltraKey Posture module teaches you how to sit and how to position your head, arms and hands.

The Finger Names module starts you in the habit of placing your hands in the home row position. Your fingers have to learn where to start before they learn where to go. Starting in the right place is the first step to keyboard control.

You build control by teaching your fingers how to reach each key. The Lessons module builds the reach for each key so you can type any word!

A reflex action is when your brain does something without you thinking about it. For example, when an expert typist keyboards the word the, the person’s brain no longer thinks t … h … e. The brain thinks the as a single word, and the fingers do the rest. For the expert, the is a single reflex action.

UltraKey teaches you letter chains, letter pairs, and words so they become reflex actions. The more reflex actions you learn, the faster and better you type!

Skill checks provide the keyboarding practice you need to build typing reflexes and your confidence.

Experimenting with skill checks and typing tests, lets you discover what works for you. You learn to manage yourself and the situation for the best results.

You have learned keyboard control when you find yourself keyboarding about as fast as you can talk. You rarely have to look at your hands or even think about what your hands are doing. You just think the words and your fingers type them without a second thought!

All this is what you are about to learn with UltraKey.


The UltraKey Tips for Success

Have you ever watched a good typist’s fingers flying over the keys and thought: “Wow, I’d like to be able to do that!”

You can! Patience, time, and effort will lead you to success. Here are some special tips to help make the most of each keyboarding activity:

• Make correct fingering a habit.

Follow UltraKey directions carefully for posture, reaches, and fingering whenever you keyboard.

Approach the keyboard the same way every time, whether using UltraKey or not.

• Take charge of your own learning.

To help you learn keyboard control, UltraKey puts you in charge of your own learning. You determine your goals. You choose the activity. You set the pace. Make keyboarding well your personal source of pride and accomplishment.

• Keyboard daily.

Daily practice is better than having a long session once a week. Even five minutes of practice every day helps.

• Concentrate.

Shut everything out of your mind but the keyboarding lesson. As you keyboard, say the letters until you are sure of their locations. Feel, hear and see every action to help your mind and body learn to keyboard.

• Help your fingers learn new keys.

Before keyboarding, look at the new keys to see the location. Feel the distance your fingers must travel. Then, close your eyes. Make the reaches without striking the keys.

• Keep going.

Type whole sentences and paragraphs without stopping, even when you make mistakes. Stopping interrupts your typing and loses time. When you keep going, you naturally develop more accurate keyboarding. You type more, and you have fewer errors to correct.

• Be positive.

Accept that you will make errors while learning. Focus on what you do well. Learning any skill takes patience, lots of practice, and a great attitude.

As you use UltraKey, one of the goals is to identify what works for you personally.

When you discover ideas like the ones listed above, write a note to yourself or make a small sign so you can make the discovery a lifelong habit.


Logging in to UltraKey

Opening an Existing Record

1. On the UltraKey welcome screen, click Next.

2. Unless a default host has been set, the host list appears.

Select the host you wish to connect to or select Local for local records.

Click Connect.

You can also double-click a host.

3. If a default host has been selected, the classes for that host are listed automatically. Otherwise, they are listed when you click Connect.

Choose the class and click Open or double-click the class name.

Macintosh Users:

UltraKey operates identically on Mac and Windows with few exceptions. Appearance is the same except for some elements such as button styles.



4. Choose your name from the class list.

Double-click the name or click Open.

5. Enter your password.

Capitals and small letters do not matter when you enter the password. If UltraKey says the password is not correct, then you have entered a wrong letter or digit. Try again.

If you have forgotten your password, ask the teacher to enter a new password for you in class management.

At any time during the login process, you can strike Ctrl-T or click the Speak button to have information read to you. This is not available when speech is turned off for the host or class.

Creating a New Record

To create a new record in the class, click New when the class list is displayed.

If the New button is gray, this means that class enrollment is closed. You cannot create a new record. The teacher must do it in the UltraKey class management.

1. Type your first and last names in the spaces provided.

Then click Next.



2. If passwords are a class requirement, you must enter a password.

Do not enter a password that friends know. Do enter a password you can remember.

It does not have to be a word. Capitals and small letters do not matter.

3. Enter the password again to make sure you can remember it.

If you cannot enter it again correctly, UltraKey lets you try the same password or enter a different password.

You must enter it twice the same way before UltraKey accepts the password.

4. Unless the teacher sets UltraKey to provide a challenge level test, choose a challenge level.

If the teacher requires a challenge level test, then you do not choose a challenge level until the test is complete.

Choose a level and click Next.

5. Check your name and the class name. If everything is correct, click Next. Go back if you need to change anything.



Saving Records

UltraKey saves your record as you learn, and it saves it when you close your record. You do not have to tell UltraKey to save it.

Working in Practice Mode

Teachers and students can use UltraKey in practice mode without opening, creating or saving a record. This feature is useful when teachers demonstrate UltraKey or students do not have access to their records.

To operate UltraKey in practice mode, choose Practice Mode from the File menu when the UltraKey title screen is displayed. Follow the instructions displayed. UltraKey will operate in this mode using the general options set for the local copy of UltraKey unless a default host has contacted. In the latter case, UltraKey uses the general options associated with that host.


Taking a Challenge Level Test

Your teacher can set UltraKey to provide a challenge level test when you start UltraKey. You can also take it on your own by clicking the Challenge Level Test button when you are at the UltraKey introduction screen.

1. Read the introduction. Then, strike the space bar or click the arrow button.

2. Put your hands as you see on the screen.

Strike the space bar when you are ready.



3. Take a deep breath, keep your hand position and start typing whatever you see presented.

Do not stop before you finish.

Do not worry about mistakes. Just keep going and do your best.

Strike Enter or Return to finish the last paragraph.

4. When you complete the last paragraph in the test, UltraKey scores it and presents the results.

Look at your typing.

Strike the space bar or click the arrow button to see more.

5. A graph shows your accuracy and speed on this challenge level test.



6. Consider the challenge level UltraKey is recommending.

Is this a challenge for you?

If you can do better, try the test again by clicking the retake button.

Macintosh Users:



Getting to Know UltraKey

When you log into UltraKey, the screen can look different depending on the theme. However, the buttons and layout are the same in all themes.

Screen Buttons

Always displays a summary of where you are. Clicking this button, displays your name, your class and your current challenge level.

Exits the current activity and displays the UltraKey introduction screen shown above.

Presents the Posture module, which introduces correct posture and challenges you to remember the key points.

Presents the Finger Names module, which introduces correct striking technique and provides practice with your finger names. The Posture and Finger Names modules should be completed before entering other modules.

Takes you to the Lessons menu. This is where all new keys and combinations are introduced.



Accesses the Skill Check menu. Skill checks provide practice for each new lesson and assess whether you are meeting your challenge level.

Takes you to the Typing Forum, where you can take typing tests or carry out free typing activities.

Displays progress reports on screen. You can print reports but it might be enough to view them on screen.

Closes your UltraKey record.

Reads aloud the current screen. Speech has to be enabled by the teacher. Choose a different voice by selecting Voice from the Edit menu.

Turns automatic speech on and off.

Provides spoken assistance in English or Spanish. A Spanish voice must be present.

Starts the live UltraKey introduction video. Other videos are offered in the Posture and Finger Names modules.

Accesses the Keyboarding Support Center at the Bytes of Learning web site. This access might be disabled because the teacher has turned it off in class management.

Provides help and tips for better use of all the UltraKey lessons.

Accesses the UltraKey information site installed with UltraKey. You can learn many interesting facts about keyboarding that are not presented in the main UltraKey lessons.



Getting Help Using UltraKey

UltraKey includes an onboard help site, installed in the program directory with UltraKey.

This help site is a quick summary of the most critical information needed to operate UltraKey and understand its elements. Much of the information you read there is expressed in more detail in guides such as this manual. Teachers and administrators should use the Online Help tool for more detailed management assistance.

On Windows computers, UltraKey uses a customer web viewer to review the Help web site. This reduces concerns that some schools have permitting students to use Internet browsers. On Macintosh computers, UltraKey uses the built-in Help Viewer mechanism.

Accessing Help

Managers and students access onboard Help by choosing Using UltraKey from the Help menu. F1 is the key equivalent.

Students can click the Help button shown above.

What is in Help

When you access onboard help, the menu at right appears.

Click any menu item. For example, About Posture reveals information about the Posture module and how to operate it. A sample of About Lessons appears below:

UltraKey versions 5.0.6 and later re-introduce the popular Student Guide. The onboard Help is an alternative that may be more appealing to students and is more easily navigated.



Using Menus

UltraKey menus provide access to all UltraKey modules, personal preferences and other useful functions.

File Menu

Close closes the UltraKey record.

Save writes to Local or transmits to host.

Page Setup is used when printouts do not appear as expected.

View Report presents user record on screen.

Print Report prints selected items.

Exit (Quit on Mac) closes UltraKey. Your record is automatically saved.

Edit Menu

Edit functions are subject to class options and conditions. Anything changed here is remembered in your record.

Speak reads the current screen

Speak Object reads highlighted text.

Spell Word spells out highlighted text.

Dual Language Speak provides spoken help in Spanish when a voice is present.

Show Student Information presents name, class and challenge level.

Name edits your name.

Password changes your password.

Reset Lesson Record clears lessons.

Reset Skill Check Record clears skill checks.

Reset Forum Record clears all typing tests.

Challenge Level changes challenge level.

Voice selects a preferred voice.

Dual Language Support sets voice.

Show Hands hides or shows hands.

Show Key Frames hides or shows frames.

Show Time Bar is for skill checks and tests.

Allow Editing is for skill checks and tests.

Skin Tone changes colour and translucency.

Theme chooses from four pre-set themes.



Edit Menu – Speech Sub-menu

Off disables all speech.

Manual means only speak when requested.

Auto means speak with each new screen.

Spell Words means spell words displayed in lessons.

Edit Menu – Sounds Sub-menu

Musical Sounds play when you get excellent results in lessons.

Key Clicks sound as you strike keys.

Bell Sounds issue when you strike wrong keys.

Button Clicks sound when you click buttons.

Edit Menu – Fonts Sub-menu

Standard displays regular font size.

Large displays a larger font size.

Edit Menu – Keyboard Display Sub-menu

No Labels removes letters from keys.

Small Labels displays small letters on keys.

Large Labels places large letters on keys.

No Colours removes colour patterning.

Colours displays colour patterning.

GoTo Menu

GoTo menu items take you to the parts of UltraKey they name.

Notice the key commands that let you go to modules without removing your hands from the keyboard:

Ctrl-1 / Cmd-1 Posture

Ctrl-2 / Cmd-2 Finger Names

Ctrl-3 / Cmd-3 Lessons

Ctrl-4 / Cmd-4 Skill Check

Ctrl-5 / Cmd-5 Typing Forum



Movies Menu

UltraKey movies can be accessed at any time through this menu.

Correct Posture VR presents a full screen virtual reality video (or alternate linear video) that lets you explore the key points of a model typist. When VR is not supported, an alternate linear movie is offered.

Help Menu

Using UltraKey provides tips and instructions on how to use UltraKey.

More Information accesses additional onboard information about keyboarding such as repetitive strain injuries.

Keyboarding Support Center goes to the Bytes of Learning web-based support area.

Student Guide opens student user guide. Acrobat Reader is required.

About UltraKey displays the version and license details for the copy of UltraKey. On Macintosh, this is on the UltraKey menu.

Operating UltraKey with the Keyboard

In the student area of UltraKey, all lessons of the program are controllable using only the keyboard. Menus default to the recommended items. Just strike Enter, Return, or the space bar to select menu items. Escape exits any activity.

Technical Notes

UltraKey Voices

UltraKey voice selections depend entirely on the voices available on the computer. The UltraKey installer offers some good quality voices. Recent Windows computers with Vista or Windows 7 offer several excellent voices. Macintosh computers offer many good selections on all OS X computers.

When you choose a voice, it is remembered in your record. However, if you use a computer where that voice is not available, you might have to choose another more suitable voice.

Dual language support requires a voice be installed for the particular language. For clarity and correct pronunciation in Spanish, a voice for Spanish must be installed.

Printer Setup and Viewing Reports

UltraKey uses the default printer to display printable reports on the computer screen.



If UltraKey is unable to view a report on a Windows computer, it means a printer might not be available on the computer or a printer needs to be set as default. UltraKey uses its own view mechanism on the Macintosh.


Learning Correct Posture

If you play baseball and have difficulty hitting the ball, the coach will tell you to change your stance. The coach will tell you to place your feet differently, hold your body a certain way, mind where you hold the bat, and keep your eye on the ball.

In keyboarding, we call the way you position your feet, body, hands, and head, posture. Posture is as important to keyboarding, as stance is to hitting a baseball.

The Posture module helps you learn the important elements of correct posture.

Click the Posture button or strike Ctrl-1 (Cmd-1 on Mac) to get started.

At the Posture welcome screen, click the Introduction to Posture movie, and watch the live video.

The video shows real people and the value of correct posture.

When you finish reviewing the video, strike the space bar to move on or click the forward arrow button shown above.

You can proceed through all the screens using these two methods.

The next screen shows what poor posture looks like.



Moving forward, check your own posture right away to match the model you see.

Now, use the mouse to explore the virtual reality model. Click the mouse on the video, hold down the mouse button and drag to cause the video view to change. When VR is not supported, a linear movie is displayed.

As you explore, different messages appear on the left. You can click the buttons on the left image to make the virtual reality video move to that view.

Check your posture as each key element is shown.

1.



2.

3.

4.

5.



6.

7.

8.

9.



Now have some fun. Click the model to correct her posture. See whether you can find all the areas to fix!

Tip for Students Learning Posture

Make a habit of checking your posture before you start keyboarding. If your position is uncomfortable, change your situation. If you can elevate your chair, raise it to make yourself comfortable. Many computers have separate keyboards. Consider moving the keyboard onto your lap if it is too high. Whatever it takes, move yourself or the computer so you can adopt the best posture.

Tip for Teachers Teaching Posture

Use a projector or white board and discuss correct posture with your students. Choose Correct Posture VR from the Movies menu so you can all explore the model together. When VR is not supported, an alternate linear movie is offered.

See Using UltraKey with a Whiteboard or Projector page 16.


Learning Finger Names

Finger Names teaches the names of the fingers and the home row position to prepare you for the UltraKey lessons.

The Importance of Home Row Position

Home row and anchoring over home row is important because it provides a starting position for each reach your fingers make.

It is very important to keep your fingers over home row when you are keyboarding.

When you are just learning to type, you should rest your fingers lightly on the home row keys. This provides a better reference point to help you learn the key reaches. As you become more expert, the fingers can begin to hover over the home row without touching the keys.

How the Module Proceeds

Click the Finger Names button or select Fingers from the GoTo menu. You can also strike Ctrl-2 (Cmd-2 on Mac).

Play the video to learn about striking technique and the importance of the home row.

Strike the space bar or click the forward arrow button.

Watch the video that automatically starts. Messages are displayed at critical points during the video.

Replay the video if you want.

Strike space bar to proceed or click the arrow button.



Follow each Finger Name introductory step that is shown.

Place your hands as shown and strike the F key with your F finger.

Pay attention to each step of the lesson and keep doing what you see on the screen.

Strike F again.

Strike F to see all the left hand finger names.

Learn the touch of the home row keys by striking A S D F.

Do not go ahead of the instruction. It is best to hold the position and learn the feel, one key at a time.

Macintosh Users:




Continue the same calm approach as you learn the names of the right hand fingers.

You are learning more than just their names. You are learning how the positions feel.

Close your eyes and focus on how the home row position feels.

The thumb completes the finger names.

Use the right thumb as shown. Keep the left thumb tucked away.

Some left-handed people prefer to use the left thumb to strike the space bar and keep the right thumb tucked away. That is okay.

Do not use both thumbs.

You have now learned the home row position.

For all the remaining UltraKey lessons and in every keyboarding situation, start with your hands in home row position.



Anchoring is the habit of keeping at least one finger of one hand on its home row key.

If you do not do this, your hands drift and strike the wrong keys.

Anchoring means to give your fingers a reference point you can feel, so the fingers know where they are.

When you gain more confidence, you can stop doing this but do it for now.

UltraKey provides practice with the home row using this simple exercise.

As UltraKey highlights each letter, say the letter in your mind and strike the key.

It is important to say the finger names in your mind as you strike the keys. Your brain memorizes the finger names and how each finger position feels.

UltraKey requires a certain amount of practice before it lets you strike Enter or Return.

When you do, UltraKey celebrates your success with a little jingle and the presentation you see.

Move on to the UltraKey Lessons module.

Note: When you take UltraKey lessons, the program will offer a warmup. You will see an exercise very similar to the home row practice shown above. Use this to teach your brain about the home row keys, your finger names and any other keys you have learned. Remember to strike Enter or Return when you have had enough warmup.


Taking Lessons

The Lessons module contains twelve instructional units. Each lesson builds on earlier lessons by presenting new reaches and then combining them with keys already learned.

Each lesson introduces students to new keys one at a time. Students then exercise the new keys, practicing with the home row letter, then with common letter pairs and chains.

In Lesson 2 and higher, UltraKey provides practice using letter chains, and words or numbers. As students progress, they encounter sentences. Chains, words and sentences consist of the keys taught in the current lesson and keys students have learned in earlier lessons.

UltraKey has a cumulative curriculum. The Skill Check modules complement the Lessons module by providing typing passages that likewise contain only the keys learned in the corresponding and preceding lessons. That is why the skill check editor, found in the management area, includes an analyzer to identify keys learned to that level.

Note: The British Edition of UltraKey teaches the pound sterling symbol (£ ) instead of the dollar symbol ($). The British and Australia-New Zealand editions also differ in the spelling of words they display for typing practice.

Completing a Lesson

Click the Lesson Module button or strike Ctrl-3 (Cmd-3 on Mac). The Lesson menu is presented.

Choose a Lesson. Strike Enter or Return or click the forward arrow button.

If the teacher has set sequence controls, you must complete the lessons in their presented order.

When you have completed a lesson, you can re-take it any time.

Macintosh Users:


Taking Lessons


When you select a lesson, its steps are presented.

In the illustration at right, checkmarks indicate steps that have been completed.

The next step is selected for you depending on what you have completed before.

Select a step and strike Enter or Return or click the forward arrow button. You can also strike the space bar.

Having selected a lesson step, UltraKey shows you how to get ready.

Place your hands in position as shown. Also, check your posture.

Strike the space bar when you are ready.

On your first lesson of the day, UltraKey offers a warm-up or you can choose a warm-up from the Step menu.

When the warm-up offer is accepted, UltraKey presents the screen at right. This exercise is like the Finger Names module practice.

UltraKey presents keys you have already learned. Warm up until UltraKey presents the later keys you have learned. Then strike Enter or Return.

Taking Lessons


In this lesson example, UltraKey introduces the W key action.

Watch the screen and strike the key exactly the same way.

UltraKey provides practice striking the W key and then striking its home row partner S.

Strike the two keys as smoothly as you can.

Several lines of typing are provided. The amount of lines depends on the practice weight selected in your challenge level.

Next, UltraKey challenges you to type chains. In this example, the chain WN is present. This chain appears in the word clown.

You practice letter chains and pairs so you can reduce the time spent between typing these keys.

That is how you become a faster typing, but speed is not necessary right now. Keyboard correctly as shown, not quickly.

Taking Lessons


On this screen, UltraKey is providing practice with letter pairs.

Letter chains use two hands, while letter pairs use reaches with one hand.

Like letter chains, learning to strike letter pairs in a smooth action, speeds up your typing. Do not rush. Focus on typing correctly.

You can repeat any lesson step by striking M when you see this message. Strike the space bar and move on unless you really need extra time.

After all the lesson keys, their home row partners, letter chains and letter pairs are introduced, UltraKey challenges you with whole words.

Type the words as smoothly as possible. Speed is not important. Your goal is to strike the keys cleanly and smoothly.

When you make errors, stop for a moment and let UltraKey show you the keystroke actions. UltraKey shows the next letter pair or chain action so you can get started and keep going with a smooth flow.

Taking Lessons


Now that you have learned the new keys in combinations and words, UltraKey removes the hands from the screen and challenges you with whole sentences.

Here, UltraKey does not stop you from making errors and it no longer shows you the keystroke. That is how real keyboarding works.

Continue keyboarding as smoothly as you can.

UltraKey does not track your speed in lessons, but it does consider how well you type. If UltraKey recommends more practice, consider striking M. Otherwise, strike space bar to finish the lesson.

To register a complete lesson, make sure you proceed to this final lesson screen.

As suggested, you should take the skill check corresponding to the lesson you have just completed.

Congratulations on completing this lesson. Strike the space bar one more time.

Macintosh Users:


Taking Lessons


Tips for Students Taking Lessons

UltraKey uses speech to help students learning English, students learning how to read, and students who are visually impaired. Speech can also help pace you through the lessons.

Watch the action of the fingers on the screen. Then look at your own fingers during the first few keystrokes. After that, keep your eyes and head up.

Take your time. Speed is not important in the lessons. The lesson goal is to help you learn new keystrokes and to combine these into smooth typing actions.

To avoid eyestrain, look away from the screen occasionally. As you learn to type, you use muscles that have to be conditioned for keyboarding. Take a stretch break when UltraKey suggests.

Never complete more than two lessons before taking a skill check. Skill checks provide valuable practice using newly learned keys in real typing.

Remember control is the goal. Practice correct posture and strike keys correctly. Before you know it, you will keyboard much better and faster.

Tips for Teachers Teaching Lessons

The practice in each lesson is controlled by the challenge level. Practice can be heavy, medium, or light. Have students go through lessons on light practice for a review, or use light practice when you have restricted time to cover the entire keyboard.

Watch for students who linger on the home row keys. Move them on!

If you find students racing through lessons, set the sequence control to require that students perform lessons and lesson steps in order. Raise their challenge levels if they are finding the going too easy. Balance this with the need to finish the course o time.

It is far better to have short sessions of 20 to 40 minutes daily, than to have long sessions days apart. If you do not have regular classes, find a way for students to practice at home.

When students are refreshing skills after a summer break, clear their lesson records, and turn sequence control on for the lesson sequencing. However, turn the lesson step sequencing off. Have the students take each lesson but skip the letter introduction steps and start at the words and sentence steps.

Review student reports from skill checks to see which letter combinations are getting more wrong key errors. This will indicate which lessons ought to be reviewed.

Encourage students to look at the animation on the screen and not at their hands. If students persist in looking at the keyboard, try using keyboard covers. On the other hand, remember expert typists do look at their hands. The aim is to reduce looking at their hands, not to eliminate it altogether.

Automatic speech reads aloud the text to be typed and spells the words in the words steps. This can be helpful for younger students. Dual language support provides help for Spanish-speaking students when a Spanish voice is present.

Automatic speech can help students pay attention to key information. Try it yourself. Turn on the speech and wear a headset as you operate UltraKey.


Learning More about Keyboarding

UltraKey includes an onboard web site, installed in the program directory with UltraKey.

This web site provides additional information to teachers and students about keyboarding. Some experts say, “The topic of keyboarding is an inch wide and a mile deep.” You might think of the UltraKey More Information as the mile-deep part of keyboarding.

On Windows computers, UltraKey uses a custom web viewer to review the More information web site. This reduces concerns that some schools have permitting students to use Internet browsers. On Macintosh computers, UltraKey uses the built-in Help Viewer mechanism.

Accessing More Information

Managers and students access More information by choosing it from the Help menu.

Students can click the More information button shown above.

What is in More Information

When you access More information, the menu at right appears.

Click any menu item for more information. For example, More Information Posture reveals information about safe posture and why it is important. A sample appears below:

Teachers may use the More information learning resource as a group teaching tool. It provides excellent supplemental information that can stimulate further discussion about keyboarding and provide additional learning opportunities.


Improving Performance with Skill Checks

Skill checks should be taken after every one or two lessons are completed.

Each skill check provides students valuable practice, measures their skill, and suggests ways to improve. Each skill check also detects troublesome chains and letter pairs and offers remedial help when indicated.

Skill Checks are labeled with a checkmark when students pass them. If course time permits, students should revisit skill checks to build their skills even when they have previously mastered those skill checks. If a student does revisit a skill check and does not reach the minimum level of accuracy, the check disappears unless the best results option is set. This is not intended as a penalty but as a signal that skills in the particular area need re-sharpening.

Changing the challenge level or the pass settings of the challenge, causes UltraKey to reassess passing performances against the new challenge level. Checks disappear when the challenge level exceeds the best performance on the skill checks. Then the challenge is to improve performance to get them back again.

Important Teaching Notes about Skill Checks

Many options and controls are set for skill checks in the class options you set for each class. How are challenge levels defined? Is accuracy, speed, or both considered when assessing passes? Is editing allowed during a skill check? Do students have to pass a skill check before taking a new lesson? These are just a few examples of the many settings addressed in Setting Program Options and User Preference Defaults page 27.

Teachers can use the supplied UltraKey skill check passages or create their own using the skill check editor accessed in general management and class management. For more information about making skill checks and typing tests, see Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Taking Skill Checks

Access the Skill Check module by clicking the module button or striking Ctrl-4 (Cmd-4 on Mac).

UltraKey presents the Skill Check menu, which looks very similar to the Lessons menu. That is because each Skill Check level complements the corresponding lesson level.



When you choose a skill check level, UltraKey presents the skill check passages available for your class.

Teachers can control what is available on this menu using the UltraKey management tools. See Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Choose a passage. Double-click it or select it and strike Enter or Return, or strike the space bar.

Skill checks can be completed with a range of controls:

1, 2, 3, or all paragraphs.

1-minute to 5-minute timings.

Some choices might not be selectable depending on what the class options permit.

Choose the length of material you prefer. Strike Enter or Return. You can also strike the space bar.

Get ready by placing your hands as shown.

Check your posture.

Make sure you are alert but comfortable.

Strike the space bar.



Do not begin until you are ready. UltraKey does not begin any timing until you strike the first key.

If you are confident, consider hiding your typing by clicking the

Hide button. This helps you ignore errors and let your fingers do the typing.

Begin typing when ready.

This illustration shows what happens when the Hide button is clicked. On Mac, the letters are white on white so you cannot see them.

Type smoothly. Let UltraKey wrap the words. Only strike Enter or Return once at the end of each paragraph, including the last paragraph.

When finished, UltraKey analyzes your work. If you pass your challenge level or improve in some way, UltraKey congratulates you.



After you dismiss any messages, UltraKey presents the material you typed with a marked copy of your typing.

UltraKey looks for missed keys, extra keys and wrong keys because they tell about what you might improve.

When UltraKey detects a missed key, it inserts the key and colours it green. In the example, two w keys were missed in Morrow and wanted.

Strike the space bar or click the forward arrow button to see a chart of your results on this skill check level.

The best result is framed. A best result is determined using options set by the teacher.

UltraKey provides a written recommendation based on your results and the analysis of your typing.

In this example, the student has achieved the challenge level, so UltraKey recommends taking the next lesson.

You can take a skill check again by clicking the retake button.



When troublesome chains or pairs are noticed, UltraKey offers extra practice.

Strike Enter or Return or strike the space bar.

UltraKey shows a chart of the logged chains or pairs. In this case, the chain co has been identified as troublesome.

Click Practice for help with this chain.

UltraKey demonstrates the keys with their home key partners and as letter chains.

Complete the exercises to improve with the troublesome chains or letter pairs. By doing, so you will develop the reflex to type these combinations.



UltraKey encourages you to take the skill check again, but it does not insist. That decision is yours.

If you have not passed the skill check, you should retake it.

Striking the space bar takes you back to the troublesome chains screen.

Click the retake button to measure your improvement.

Reading Copy Aloud

UltraKey can read aloud the whole copy presented or a part of it. If you highlight part of the copy and right-click the highlighted area on a Windows system or click the highlighted area on a Macintosh, UltraKey reads the selected section.

Skill Check Reports and Printouts

You can click the Report button any time to print a report on your current skill check performance. Select the most recent skill check report to view or print the current results.

Tips for Students Taking Skill Checks

Once you begin a skill check, keep going. When you make corrections or hesitate, you lose time.

UltraKey begins timing when you strike the first key. Timing continues until you end the test.

When you are building skill, you are exercising new muscles. Build strength over time.

Try different passages for the same skill check level.

Experiment. Try pushing hard. Then, slow down. Compare the results.

Everybody makes mistakes. The best strategy for real computer keyboarding is to keep on going. Then, go back and correct your errors.

Tips for Teachers Assigning Skill Checks

Carefully review student reports. Weak pairs or chains can indicate students should do the lesson again. Many extra keys or missing keys can indicate students should slow down.

Encourage students to experiment with techniques. For example, have them hide their typing and speculate: Will they type better or more poorly?

Do not compare students. What counts is how well the individual is doing in comparison with what that student did before. Have students set personal goals to suit their individual capabilities.


Mastering the Typing Forum

The Typing Forum features two tools, Typing Tests and Free Typing.

Typing Tests is similar to Skill Check. It is intended to be used when students have completed the skill checks, and they are ready for greater challenges.

The Typing Forum is also useful for summative evaluations of student performance.

Teachers can use the supplied UltraKey typing tests or create their own using the typing test editor in general management and class management. For more information about making skill checks and typing tests, see Managing Skill Check and Typing Test Content page 47.

Free Typing lets users type whatever they want for however long they want and then print out their typing. UltraKey measures the gross speed but cannot analyze errors because it does not know what the student is expected to type.

Typing Forum can be used for much more than just typing tests and timings.

While you are in the Typing Forum module, click the More button to learn about fun activities that help build typing skill.

Also, see Playing Games with UltraKey page 9.

Taking a Typing Test

Click the Typing Forum module button or strike Ctrl-5 (Cmd-5 on Mac).

The Typing Forum presents two choices.

Select Typing Tests and strike Enter or Return, or strike the space bar.

Macintosh Users:




The typing test material is determined by the typing test management function set by the teacher in class management.

Choose a test and strike Enter or Return, or strike the space bar. You can also double-click a test title.

Available test lengths are determined by the teacher using class option settings.

Choose a test length.

Strike Enter or Return.

UltraKey prompts you to get ready. Place your hands in the home row position, check your posture, and strike the space bar when ready.



UltraKey presents the test.

Take your time.

In the example, the typing in the lower window is hidden because the Hide button was clicked.

Begin typing when you are ready.

UltraKey assesses typing accuracy to the character level and highlights errors.

To show a missed key, UltraKey inserts the letter in your typing and highlights it.

Strike the space bar to see more.

UltraKey shows you how the latest result compares with earlier results.

The example only shows one result because the person has not taken more typing tests.

To retake the test, click the retake button.



Using Free Typing

To access Free Typing, click the Typing Forum button or strike Ctrl-5 (Cmd-5 on Mac).

Select Free Typing and strike Enter or Return, or strike the space bar.

Choose the length of material or length of time.

In this example, a 1-minute timing is selected.

Select a length and strike Enter or Return, or strike the space bar.

Place your hands in home row position and check your posture.

Strike the space bar.



When a timed typing is underway and the class options and preferences permit, a time bar is displayed. The time bar shows how much time you have left.

The timer does not start until you strike the first key. Start the timing only when you are ready.

In a timing, UltraKey interrupts. Otherwise, UltraKey waits until you finish.

When you are finished, UltraKey displays what you typed and reports your speed.

You can print a copy of what you typed and review your accuracy.

Macintosh Users:



Student Progress Reports

Several kinds of reports show how the user is progressing.

Access the reports by clicking the Report button while the user’s record is open. Reports can also be accessed within the class management area.

Report printing privileges are controlled using class options. See Control Report Printing page 40.

Accessing Reports from the Student Interface

To access your report, click the Report button shown upper right. UltraKey displays the dialog at right:

Items are gray when there is nothing in your record to report, or the class options do not permit you to access this part of the report.

Check or clear the checks on those items to be viewed.

Click View to see the selected reports. An example appears below:


Learning at Home with UltraKey

To learn at home with UltraKey, you must purchase a copy of UltraKey for home use or you must acquire a copy from the school under a school lending license.

Schools can participate in the Bytes of Learning The Take It Home Bonus™ program and School Link™ programs that provide home users a large discount on the purchase. You can also buy directly from Bytes of Learning any time.

Some schools have laptop initiative licenses or lending licenses.

When you have UltraKey at home, the best way to have your learning recorded is to log into UltraKey with a connection key supplied by the school. A connection key lets UltraKey communicate with the school server through any Internet connection. When you log in this way, UltraKey records all your work.

Alternatively, you can take an exported record home. As long as you bring the record back to school, it can be imported into the school database.

Logging in to Your School Record from Home

If you have a home license for UltraKey or the school lends you a laptop with UltraKey installed, you should be able to log in to your school record from home.

Here is what you need:

The computer is connected to the Internet.

UltraKey is installed on the computer.

The school has provided you an UltraKey connection key file.

Here is what you do:

1. Double-click the UltraKey connection key file.

2. When UltraKey starts, it will automatically connect to the school data server and open the list of classes for your school. Open your class.

3. Open your record.

4. Enter your password and begin using UltraKey.

When you log in from home, UltraKey records your progress as if you are at school. When you are finished, close your record.

When you return to school and log in to UltraKey, everything you did at home will be there.

Learning at Home with UltraKey


Using an Exported UltraKey Record at Home

If you have a licensed copy of UltraKey at home, you can take your record home and continue to record your progress in it. Then, you can bring the record back to school where it can be added back to the school database.

Exporting a record

Teachers or class managers can export any record in their class to an independent file.

See Exporting Student Records page 50.

Opening an Exported Record

You must have a licensed copy of UltraKey 5.0 on your home computer to use an exported record.

There are two ways to open the record in UltraKey:

Double-click the record file. UltraKey will start and open your record. Click Next to continue.

Or

Start UltraKey.

Choose Open from the UltraKey File menu and navigate to the record.

Select the record and click Open.

Saving an Exported Record

UltraKey automatically records work as you complete UltraKey lessons. You can also choose Save from the File menu. Always close your record before exiting or quitting UltraKey.

Returning an Exported Record to School

Provide a copy of the exported record file to the teacher or class manager. The class manager then needs to import the record into the class. A copy of your old record will still be in the class, but this is replaced when you import the newer record and your latest results will become part of the school database.

Class managers, see Importing Student Records page 49.

Never Tamper with an UltraKey Record

UltraKey records are encrypted. They can only be read and written by UltraKey. If you change a record using anything but UltraKey, it will be corrupted and any information in it can no longer be accessed.


Congratulations from UltraKey

Dear Student:

Greetings!

My name is UltraKey. I have been teaching keyboarding for over 25 years.

Many people do not know the program, UltraKey, is named after me. Many people do not even notice me as I lead them through their keyboarding lessons. That is enough said about me.

The real story is about you.

Congratulations on completing my course and mastering the skill of keyboarding by touch. I am sure you are already enjoying the benefits!

As long as you keyboard correctly, you will reach typing speeds you never thought you could reach. More importantly, you will communicate with a keyboard as comfortably as you talk.

Enjoy it. You have all my best wishes in whatever you do with this wonderful new skill.

Yours sincerely,

UltraKey


Troubleshooting

UltraKey and is highly controlled for system level operations. It traps for errors and report them to users when they are encountered.

The UltraKey program writes log files that list system operations and errors. The logs are in plain English so managers can interpret them and even address matters on their own. The logs should be sent to Bytes of Learning when you need technical assistance.

Accessing the UltraKey Operation Logs

To access the UltraKey operation logs:

1. Start UltraKey on a computer where the errors occur.

2. Log in to management.

3. Choose Operation Logs from the File menu.

4. Open the most recent log file by clicking Open Log File. This will open Notepad on Windows and the Console on Mac. Scroll down the log to its last entries to see what UltraKey was doing, the last time it stopped.

5. To attach a copy of the log to an email, click Open Log Directory. Attach the latest log file to an email and address it to: [email protected]

When you are finished reviewing any log, close the log file. If the log file is in use when UltraKey runs, UltraKey cannot update it.

For UltraKey to write any log file, it must have writing access to the log directory. If access is denied, UltraKey does not report the problem. By design, UltraKey does not interrupt normal use because it cannot write log files.

If no log files are present, run UltraKey while you are logged onto the computer as an administrator and replicate the problem you have observed. Then open the log.

Common Topics

UltraKey Fails to Activate

Several conditions are required for activation to proceed successfully:

Use the correct key for the edition. If you purchased a British edition of UltraKey, the license key will not work with a North American edition. Make sure you have downloaded or installed the correct edition for the license you have purchased.

When the key is accepted, UltraKey must write the information to the local hard drive. If UltraKey reports it could not write the information, then you are not logged on with the rights you need. If you are using Vista or Windows 7, you must right-click the program and choose Run as administrator in order to have administration rights.

We Cannot Find Our License Key

You are activating a previously purchased copy of UltraKey on a new computer. Where is that license key?

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Log%20file%20for%20UltraKey%205.0

Troubleshooting


Do not call Bytes of Learning’s technical support.

Customers have four possible remedies:

1. Check the original packaging. Single school edition and home edition copies provide the license on a sticker visible when you open the package or when you remove the CD. Earlier versions of the school edition provided the license in an envelope with the software.

2. Check email archives and filtered email folders such as Junk, Spam or Quarantine. All Bytes of Learning multi-station license keys are now sent directly to the administrator of the site by email.

We regret that Bytes of Learning cannot replace lost license keys for single licenses.

We Have Forgotten the Management Access Key

Contact Bytes of Learning.

I Have Forgotten the Password to Access Local Management

Send an email to: [email protected]

A Student Forgot a Password

Class managers cannot retrieve a student password but they can create a new password for any student. Access class management, open the class, highlight the student and click Student Info.

UltraKey Settings Not Retained from Session to Session

Local configuration settings such as default host selections have to be written to a configuration file on the local computer. UltraKey cannot write its configuration file unless the current operator is logged in to the computer with permission to write to the computer’s public directories. If UltraKey reports that it cannot write its configuration file, or UltraKey fails to remember settings from the last time it was started, then the user privileges were not sufficient to write the configuration file. Even when you are logged in as an administrator, certain directories can be locked or protected by security software.

Once UltraKey is configured, it can be used by students who have limited writing privileges. If workstations are regularly refreshed, the configuration files have to be part of the source image. Details are provided in the next section.

Vista Users: To configure UltraKey, you must log in to the computer with administrator privileges. Then, you must right-click the application and choose Run as administrator. You must perform both actions in order for UltraKey to have the appropriate writing permissions.

Speech is Not Working

For UltraKey speech to work, the following conditions must be present:

The system volume control is turned up and the audio system is not muted.

The sound control panel directs audio to the correct device.

Class and local options enable speech. See Speech page 29.

User preferences on the user Edit menu enable speech.

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Forgot%20Local%20Management%20Password

Troubleshooting


Windows voice access is controlled using the speech control panel. When the user is logged on to the computer, access the voice control panel and confirm the selected voice is permitted to all users.

The voices provided with UltraKey should not be installed on Vista or Windows 7 computers. The built-in Vista and Windows 7 voices are as good if not better than the voices provided.

UltraKey Fails to Initialize on Windows

This error can appear when the UltraKey program is started on a local Windows computer, UltraKey cannot successfully initialize QuickTime or Speech.

Sometimes, software is installed by dragging files from CD-ROMs to the hard drive. This is not the way to install UltraKey. UltraKey installers perform system checks. Run the installers in accordance with instructions. See Implementing the UltraKey 5.0 Program page 20.

If QuickTime was pre-installed on the workstation prior to installing UltraKey, the installation might not have included all the necessary QuickTime services. You cannot tell just by running the QuickTime player because it does not use all the QuickTime services.

Compact installations of QuickTime omit the ability for QuickTime to operate virtual reality video, which is a service UltraKey requires. To install the missing QuickTime components, uninstall the current QuickTime and reinstall by operating the UltraKey installer or install the QuickTime supplied free by Apple Computer.

On Windows, check that speech is functioning by starting the Speech control panel and previewing the default voice. If the voice does not play or there is an error, UltraKey is subjected to the same problem when it attempts to initialize speed. The system might be repaired by uninstalling the present speech engine and installing the speech engine provided on the UltraKey CD. That speech engine is provided by Microsoft and is compatible with Windows XP systems and earlier. It is not compatible with Vista or Windows 7, which have their own pre-installed voices.

UltraKey Does Not Remember it Has Been Initialized and Activated

If UltraKey has been activated under a private user account or it has not been initialized correctly on a Vista or Windows 7 computer, UltraKey will repeatedly ask for initialization information or activation information. This indicates that critical instructions for installation and first-run have not been followed.

First, UltraKey has to be installed when running the computer with administrator rights.

When you first operate UltraKey on a Vista or Windows 7 computer, you must right-click the application and choose Run as administrator. This is necessary even when you log in to Vista or Windows 7 as an administrator. If you do not run as an administrator on Vista or Windows 7, or you do not run with administrator rights on other Windows systems, the system directs the configuration files to a personal directory rather than to the All Users directory.

A warning to this effect is presented by the UltraKey software on first operation.

The situation is remedied as follows:

Log in as the administrator or user as the case may be. Search for the directory named UltraKey5. Make sure you search hidden directories. At least two instances should be found. Delete all such directories found.

Troubleshooting


Log out and follow instructions for initialization. See Implementing the UltraKey 5.0 page 20.

Helping Yourself

In addition to this guide, the following resources are available at all times:

Whenever you are logged in to the UltraKey management area, click the Online Help button in the lower left of the presentation window and on the Help menu.

Click the Using UltraKey link on the Help menu.

Visit the Keyboarding Support Center found on the Help menu.

Visit www.bytesoflearning.com and access FAQs in the Support area. You can also search for key words on the site.

Helping Us Help You

1. Record the error message in its entirety and precisely as stated.

On a Windows computer, while the error is displayed, strike Alt-Prnt Scrn to copy the error dialog to the clipboard. Then start an email and strike Ctrl-v to paste the capture into the email.

On a Macintosh computer, strike Shift-Cmd-3 to capture a copy of the screen to the desktop. Attach a copy of the screen capture to an email.

2. In the email, write as many details as you know including answers to these questions:

What happened just before the problem occurred?

In what part of the program did the problem occur?

What was the user doing when the error occurred?

Are you able to make the problem occur again by repeating the same steps?

Has this problem occurred before or has the software been running fine until now?

Is the same problem occurring with any other software on the same computer?

Does the problem occur with other students on the same computer?

Is the problem occurring on other workstations?

Did the program report the error and continue running or did the program exit?

Was anything on the computer changed recently such as a significant update, a new version of the operating system, or a new program?

3. Access the UltraKey Operation log and attach a copy of it to the email.

On the same computer, close the student record in UltraKey (assuming it is still running) and log the student off the computer. Log back in as the administrator of that computer and start UltraKey.

Log in to management. Choose Operation Log from the File menu. Open the operation log directory. Attach the most recent log file to the email.

4. Add your name and contact details in the email. Always provide one or more phone numbers where you can be reached.


Troubleshooting


5. Send the email to your local district support or to Bytes of Learning at: [email protected]

For Further Assistance

Before you call or write, please see Helping Us Help You page 108.

Technical FAQs are available on-line at: www.bytesoflearning.com

Technical Support Email: [email protected]

Customer Support and Sales Email: [email protected]

In North America, call: 1-800-465-6428

International, phone: +1-905-947-4646

mailto:[email protected]




UltraKey 5.0 Home Guide ©Copyright 2010 Bytes of Learning Incorporated

Index

A

About UltraKey

Accurate analysis, 3

Adaptable to individual, 2

Backed by people who know, 3

Engineered for schools, 3

Fits the curriculum, 2

Introduction, 1

Proven effective, 1

Accessibility. See also Special needs

Automatic window sizing, 14

Dual language support, 12

Operable by keyboard, 14

Read aloud text, 12

Reads for managers, 12

Text size, 12

Themes, 11

Voice-supported instruction, 11

Accuracy. See also What is better,

See also Speed calculation

Challenge level defaults, 33

How UltraKey praises, 44

In challenge level test, 65

In free typing, 99

In lessons, 86

In skill checks, 92

In typing tests, 97

Product of control, 4

Tips for improvement, 87, 94

Tips for teaching, 87, 94

Understanding assessment, 42

What is high accuracy?, 44

Achievement awards, 6

Activating UltraKey

How to activate, 20

License key, 20

Vista or Windows 7 users, 20

Activation fails, 104

Adapting to invidividual needs, 2

Analyzing performance, 3

Analyzing skill check and typing

test content, 47

Anchoring, 81

Anxiety. See Control is the goal

Assigning grades. See Grading

students

Attention deficit disorder (ADD).

See Special needs

Automated enrollment

Class enrollment, 48

Avoiding conflicts between better

results and passing results, 45

B

Best or last results, options, 38

Best practices in keyboarding

instruction

Best return – grade four, 7

Ideal lesson structure, 7

Schools take the time, 7

Six weeks recommended, 7

Start in kindergarten, 7

Teach it once, 8

Total hands-on time, 7

Whatever it takes, 8

Bright theme, 41

Bytes of Learning, 3

C

Capital letters in lessons, 35

Challenge level test, 64

Challenge levels. See also Taking a

challenge level test


Naming and activating, 32

Setting criteria, 33

Setting your own, defaults, 33

Changing the manager name and

password, 25

Class reports

In class management, 52

Classic theme, 41

Computer facilities, 6

Computer furniture, 6

Congratulations from UltraKey,

103

Control is the goal

Defining goals, 4

Driving instruction metaphor, 4

Evaluating relative to control, 4

Experimental activities, 4

Guides for instruction, 5

Racing games, 4

The book and video, How to

Teach Keyboarding, 4

Using keyboard covers, 5

Correct posture, 73

Correct posture VR. See Teaching

with a whiteboard or projector

Correct Posture VR, 72

Creating a new record, 61

Creating skill checks and typing

tests, 47

Criteria for choosing games, 9

Custom assessment, 43

D

Deleting student records, 49

Development team, i

Disabled learners. See Special

needs

Distributing option changes, 40

Double carriage returns, 47

Double spaces, 47


E

Edit menu

Cut, copy, paste, and select all,

53

Manager name and password,

25, 53

Speak, 53

Voice, 53

Editing in skill checks and typing

tests, enabling, disabling, 30

Editing skill check and typing test

content, 47

Editing student information, 50

Effective instruction, 5

Engineering for schools, 3

Evaluating instruction, 5

Troubleshooting


Experimental activities, 4

Exploring with Posture VR. See

Teaching with a whiteboard or

projector

Exporting progress reports, 51

Exporting student records, 49

F

Fast learners. See Special needs

File menu

Exit Management, 53

Exit or Quit, 53

Operation log, 53, 104

Page setup reports, 53

Set management access, 25, 53

Finger names, 78

Anchoring, 81

Home row position, 80

Importance of home row, 78

Learning process, 78

Which thumb?, 80

Finishing a lesson, 86

Fitting the curriculum, 2

Forgot management key, 105

Forgot password

Local manager, 105

Student, 105

Free typing. See also Playing games

with UltraKey

In the typing forum, 98

Length options, 37

Report, 51

G

Games. See Playing games with

UltraKey

General management

General options, 26

Managing skill checks and typing

tests, 46

General options. See also Program

options, See also User

preference options

Purpose, 26

Using the options panel, 26

Getting class reports, 52

Getting to know UltraKey. See also

Help, onboard

Keyboard equivalents, 71

Operating with a keyboard, 72

Screen buttons, 67

Using menus, 70

Goal of keyboarding instruction, 4

Grading students

Criteria, 17

Details at Keyboarding Support

Center, 17

Gross speed, defined, 42

H

Help menu

About UltraKey, 53

Activate, 20, 53

Keyboarding Support Center, 18,

53

Manager guide, 53

More information, 53

Online management help, 53, 54

Order, 53

Updates, 21, 53

Using UltraKey, 53

Help, onboard

Access, 69

Content, 69

Introduction, 69

Use in instruction, 69

Help, online

Access, 54

Introduction, 54

Helping yourself with

troubleshooting, 107

Hiding hands, 5

Hiding management access, 25

Hiding or showing your typing

In free typing, 99

In skill checks, 91

In typing tests, 97

Teaching keyboard control, 5

High contrast theme, 41

History of UltraKey, 1

Home row. See Finger names

Hosts

Change manager name,

password, 25


Setting management access, 25

How to grade students. See

Grading students

How to operate UltraKey. See

Getting to know UltraKey

How to Teach Keyboarding, the

book and video, 4, 9

How UltraKey responds to student

performance, 44

I

Improving with skill checks, 89

Installing the UltraKey 5.0 program

Getting started, 19

System specs - Macintosh, 19

System specs - Windows, 19

Internet access

Enabling and disabling, 40

K

Key frames option, 29

Keyboard covers, 5

Keyboarding Support Center, 72

Access, 18

Information sample, 18

Introduction, 18

L

Lakewood Elementary School, i

Learning outcomes, 58

Learning process

Effectiveness, 1

Finger names, 78

Lessons, 82

Posture, 73

Skill checks, 89

Learning to read. See Special needs

Learning with UltraKey

Tips for success, 59

What you learn with UltraKey,

58

Why learn to keyboard, 57

Lessons

Finishing a lesson, 86

Introducing new keys, 84

Learning process, 82

Lesson steps, 83

Letter chains, 84

Letter pairs, 84

Index


Repeating lesson steps, 85

Tips for students, 87

Tips for teachers, 87

Warming up, 83

What UltraKey tracks, 86

Whole sentences, 86

Whole words, 85

Letter chains and pairs

Help with, 93

In lessons, 84

In skill checks, 93

Role in assessment, 89

Role in learning, 1, 58, 82

License key

UltraKey, 20

Local options, 24

Local record location, 24

Local record management

Automated enrollment, 48

Deleting student records, 49

Editing student info, 50


Exporting student records, 49

Getting class reports, 52

Locking and unlocking settings

for multiple students, 50

Locking student info, 50

Overview, 48

Printing student reports, 50

Resetting student records, 50

Saving student reports, 50

Viewing student reports, 50

Local records, managing, 24

Local skill checks, 24

Local typing tests, 24

Locking and unlocking settings for

multiple students, 50

Locking student information, 50

Log files

UltraKey, 104

Logging in from home, 101


Creating a new record, 61

Opening an existing record, 60

Saving a record, 63

Using practice mode, 63

Lost license keys, 104

M

Making keyboarding a standard of

excellence, 6

Management menu functions

Edit menu, 53

File menu, 53

Help menu, 53

Movies menu, 53

Managers

Local manager, 23

Managing local records and

options, 23

Managing skill checks and typing

tests

Accessing, 46

Analyzing, 47

Creating, 47

Editing, 47

Introduction, 46

Maximum length, 47

Printing, 46

Setting skill check level, 47

Managing UltraKey

Change manager name,

password, 25


Local options, 24

Local record location, 24

Local records, 24

Local skill checks, 24

Local typing tests, 24

Managing local records and

options, 23


Maximum length for skill check

and typing test content, 47

Meeting special needs. See Special

needs

Modified International Typing

Contest Rules (MITCRs), 42

More information about

keyboarding

Access, 88

Content, 88

Introduction, 88

Menu access, 72

Use in instruction, 88

Movies menu. See also Teaching

with a whiteboard or projector


Introduction to Fingers, 53

Introduction to Posture, 53

Introduction to UltraKey, 53

O

On-board help. See Help, onboard

On-board web site, 72

One space or two spaces, 34

Online help, 24

Opening exported records

At home, 102


Operating by keyboard, 71, 72

Operating in practice mode, 63

Operation logs. See also Enrollment

logs

UltraKey, 104

Options panel, 26

P

Parents, 6

School Link™, 6

Take It Home Bonus™, 6

Pass levels. See Challenge levels

Passwords

Required or not, 39

Performance assessment, 42

Physically disadvantaged. See

Special needs

Playing games with UltraKey. See

also Typing forum

Criteria for choosing games, 9

Teaching with games, 9

Posters, 6

Posture

Compare with baseball stance,

73

Key posture elements, 74

Posture puzzle, 77



Why posture is important, 73

Posture puzzle, 77

Posture VR. See Teaching with a

whiteboard or projector

Pound sterling symbol (£ ), 82

Practice mode, 63

Troubleshooting


Praise for students as they use

UltraKey, 44

Pre-testing, 64

Printer Setup, 72

Printing controls, options, 39

Printing skill checks and typing

tests, 46

Printing student reports

As a student, 100

In a class, 50

Program options

Best or last results, 38

Capital letters in lessons, 35


Challenge levels, criteria, 33

Challenge levels, names, 32

Control report printing, 39

Distributing option changes, 40

Free typing length, 37

Introduction, 32

Opening exported records, 40

Passwords, required or not, 39

Resetting records, 40

Sequence control, 35

Setting your own, defaults, 33

Shift key usage, 35

Skill check length, 36

Spacing between sentences, 34

Speed calculation, 37

Typing test length, 36

User access functions, 40

What is a better result?, 38

World Wide Web access, 40

Progress reports. See Student

reports, See also Managing a

class


For a class, 51

Promoting excellence. See Making

keyboarding a standard of

excellence

Proof of effectiveness, 1

R

Racing games, 4

Reading copy aloud, 94

Reflex action, defined, 58

Remediation for troublesome

chains and letter pairs, 93

Reports. See Student reports

Research, 1

Resetting records


In a class, 50

Returning an exported record to

school, 102

S

Saving an exported record, 102

Saving records, 63

Saving student reports

As a student, 100

In a class, 50

School Link™ program, 6

School software requirements, 3



Shift keys, 35

Skill check content. See Managing

skill checks and typing tests

Skill check length

In skill checks, 90

Options, 36

Skill check reports

Most recent results, 51

Overall performance chart, 51

Performance charts, 51

Skill checks, student use of

Chart of your results, 92

Example of congratulations, 91

Hiding or showing typing, 91

How missed keys show, 92

Important teaching notes, 89

Inserted keys, 92

Missed keys, 92

Reading copy aloud, 94

Reports and printouts, 94

Re-taking a skill check, 92

Skill check length, 90

Skill check passages, 90

Taking skill checks, 89



Troublesome chains, pairs, 93

Written recommendation, 92

Wrong keys, 92

Skin tone options, 28

Slow learners. See Special needs

Sound options, 27

Space age theme, 41

Spacing between sentences, 34

Special needs

Adjustable content, 13

Always positive, 13

Audio reinforcement, optional,

12

Automatic window sizing, 14

Challenging fast learners, 14

Clear presentation, 10

Colour coding, no colour, 13


Easy for teachers, 14

Hiding hands, 13

Individual capacity, 14

Individual preferences, 11

Individualized challenge levels,

11

Infinitely patient, 10

Language development, 13

Operable by keyboard, 14

Personally paced, 10

Practice weight, 12

Read aloud text, 12

Reads for managers, 12

Remote login, 14


Skin tone selection, 12

Success-based, 10

Supported, 14

Text size, 12

Themes, 11

User controlled, 11

Voice-supported instruction, 11

Speech

Is not working, 105

Setting options for, 28

Speed. See also What is better, See

also Speed calculation

Challenge level defaults, 33

How UltraKey praises, 44

In challenge level test, 65

In free typing, 99

In lessons, 86

In skill checks, 92

In typing tests, 97

Permitted speed drop, 44

Product of control, 4

Index


Tips for improvement, 87, 94

Tips for teaching, 87, 94


Speed calculation. See also What is

better?

Custom rules, 43

Examples, 43

Gross speed, 42

How it works, 42

Options, 37

When option is changed, 43

Standards of excellence. See

Making keyboarding a standard

of excellence

Starting UltraKey

Macintosh, 19

Windows, 19

Student Guide

Included in this guide, 55

Introduction, 55

Relating to pages, 55

Student reports

How students access, 100

Items not available, 100

Success, tips for, 59

System requirements

UltraKey 5.0 Mac OS X program,

19

UltraKey 5.0 Windows program,

19

T

Take It Home Bonus™ program, 6

Taking a challenge level test, 64

Taking lessons, 82

Taking skill checks. See Skill checks

Tampering with a record, 102

Teaching with a whitboard

Operating UltraKey in practice

mode, 15


projector


How fast is she typing?, 16

How to operate virtual reality,

15

Introduction to Fingers, 16

Introduction to Posture, 16

Introduction to UltraKey, 15, 16

Overview, 15

Using the live classroom videos,

16

Technical support. Also see

Troubleshooting

Australia or New Zealand, 108

Bytes of Learning, 108

Tension. See Control is the goal

Themes

Adapting to needs, 41

Bright theme, 41

Classic theme, 41

High contrast theme, 41

Setting the default theme, 31

Space age theme, 41

Time bar, hiding or showing, 30

Tips for students

Correct posture, 77

Improving with skill checks, 94

Taking lessons, 87

Tips for success, 59

Tips for teachers

Teaching correct posture, 77

Teaching with lessons, 87

Using skill checks, 94

Translucent hands, 28

Troubleshooting

Helping yourself, 107

Technical support, 108

Technical support - Australia or

New Zealand, 108

Troubleshooting – common topics

Activation fails, 104

Forgot local password, 105

Forgot management key, 105

Forgot student password, 105

License key is lost, 104

Settings not retained, 105

Speech is not working, 105

UltraKey does not remember

settings, 106

UltraKey does not start, 106

Troubleshooting - solutions

Engineering, 104

Operation logs, UltraKey, 104

Typing errors

How missed keys show, 92

Inserted keys, 92

Missed keys, 92

Wrong keys, 92

Typing forum. See also Playing

games with UltraKey

Taking a typing test, 95

Using free typing, 98

Typing forum reports

Most recent results, 51

Performance chart, 51

Typing performance. See also What

is better?

Custom rules, 43

Effect of calculation option, 43

Examples, 43

Gross speed, defined, 42

Modified International Typing

Contest Rules (MITCRs), 42

Typing word, defined, 42

Typing-word error, defined, 42


Typing test content. See Managing

skill checks and typing tests

Typing test length, options, 36

Typing word, defined, 42

Typing-word error, defined, 42

U

UltraKey development team, i

UltraKey voices, 72

Updating UltraKey

Checking if update exists, 21

How to update, 21

vs. Upgrading, 21

User preference options


Hide hands, 29

Key frames, 29

Prevent or enable editing during

skill checks, typing tests, 30

Show hands, 29

Skin tone, 28

Sounds, 27

Speech, 28

Themes, 31

Time bar, hiding or showing, 30

Translucent hands, 28

Using an exported record at home

Exporting a record, 102

Home license needed, 102

Opening a record, 102

Troubleshooting


Returning record to school, 102

Saving a record, 102

Tampering with a record, 102

Using menus, 70

Using UltraKey without a record.

See Practice mode

V

Viewing reports

As a student, 100

In a class, 50

Printer setup, 72

Virtual reality video, 72, See


projector

Vista or Windows 7 users

Activating UltraKey, 20

UltraKey does not remember

settings, 106

Visually impaired. See Special

needs

Voice selection, 72

VR video. See Teaching with a

whiteboard or projector

W

Warming up, 83

What is better?. See also Typing

performance

Better results, passing results,

avoiding conflicts, 45

Examples of praise, 44

High accuracy, 44

Permitted speed drop, 44

The issue, 44

What is Better?

Criteria, 38

What you learn with UltraKey, 58

Which thumb?, 80

Whole sentences, 86

Whole words, 85

Why home row is important, 78

Why learn to keyboard, 57

Word Challenge, the game of. See

Playing games with UltraKey

Word Wide Web access


Y

Young learners. See Special needs

ultrakey 5.0 home guidesecure.bytesoflearning.com/.../ultrakeyhomeguide.pdf · how to use this...

Documents