System and method for teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding

A method for teaching a student keyboarding, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a computing device having a display screen and a physical keyboard, wherein said display screen has an activity space;
• b. providing an interactive activity displayed in said activity space, wherein said interactive activity displays a target symbol;
• c. providing a virtual keyboard displayed on said display screen, wherein said virtual keyboard has a plurality of virtual keys, wherein every virtual key has a depression attribute that said interactive activity can toggle between a pressed state and a released state;
• d. wherein the interactive activity prompts said student to use a one finger of a first hand to press a physical key displaying said target symbol, wherein said pressing toggles the depression attribute of a corresponding virtual key displaying said target symbol to the pressed stated;
• e. wherein the interactive activity requires said student to then hold down said physical key with said one finger for the duration of said interactive activity, and wherein if the student releases said physical key then the interactive activity halts and toggles the depression attribute of the corresponding virtual key toggles to the released state until the student re-presses the physical key to re-toggle said depression attribute to the pressed state;
• and
• f. wherein the interactive activity prompts the student to use one or more fingers of a second hand to press physical keys while said one finger of the first hand holds down said physical key.

A method for teaching a student keyboarding, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a computing device having a touch-sensitive display screen, wherein said display screen has an activity space;
• b. providing an interactive activity displayed in said activity space, wherein said interactive activity displays a target symbol;
• c. providing a virtual keyboard displayed on said touch-sensitive display screen, wherein said virtual keyboard has a plurality of virtual keys, wherein every virtual key has a depression attribute that said interactive activity can toggle between a pressed state and a released state;
• d. wherein the interactive activity prompts said student to use a one finger of a first hand to press a virtual key displaying said target symbol, wherein said pressing toggles the depression attribute of said virtual key displaying said target symbol to the pressed stated;
• e. wherein the interactive activity requires said student to then hold down said virtual key with said one finger for the duration of said interactive activity, and wherein if the student releases said virtual key then the interactive activity halts and toggles the depression attribute of said virtual key to the released state until the student re-presses said virtual key to re-toggle said depression attribute to the pressed state;
• and
• f. wherein the interactive activity prompts the student to use one or more fingers of a second hand to press virtual keys while said one finger of the first hand holds down said virtual key.

A dynamic virtual keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys and a plurality of virtual rows of keys,

• wherein every virtual key in each virtual row is additionally marked by a unique symbol,
• wherein each virtual row has a left portion and a right portion,
• wherein the left portion and right portion each have a visibility attribute that can be independently toggled between an active state in which the portion is visible on the dynamic virtual keyboard and responsive to user input from selected physical keys on the physical keyboard, and an inactive state in which the portion is visually differentiated from any active portion on the dynamic virtual keyboard,
• wherein the visibility attribute of at least one left or right portion of at least one virtual row is in the active state, and
• wherein an interactive activity prompts a user to use a one finger of a first hand to press at least one virtual key displaying a corresponding unique symbol, wherein said pressing toggles the depression attribute of said virtual key displaying said corresponding unique symbol to the pressed state.