On-Screen Keyboards

When it comes to technology in the classroom it’s obvious that we need to provide alternatives in case one type of technology doesn’t work for all students. Many kids are used to keyboards, mouses, and regular computers. However, it is possible that some students may struggle using these items. For example, younger children or physically disabled children may have a difficulty typing with their fingers on a regular keyboard. Given the situation it is necessary that the student is provided an alternative in order to complete their work. One good alternative to this would be On-Screen Keyboards. To find out more information about On-Screen Keyboards I visited this website http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Type-without-using-the-keyboard-On-Screen-Keyboard. According to this website an On-Screen Keyboard displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys, you can select keys using the mouse or another pointing device, or you can use a single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. After downloading the proper programming to get an On-Screen Keyboard, to access the On-Screen Keyboard simply follow these steps which the above website provided: Open On-Screen Keyboard by clicking the Start button, clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking On-Screen Keyboard. This website provided information on how to change how information is entered onto the keyboard, how to set the keyboard to have audible clicks, how to use the numeric keypad, and how to enable text prediction. This website would be useful to teachers or parents who may have downloaded an On-Screen Keyboard and need some information on how it works. I believe that the On-Screen Keyboard should be something that classrooms provide as an alternative for those students who require special accommodations. Not only would it help students who struggle using a keyboard, but it could also provide a learning experience to other students of how to use a different type of input device besides a regular keyboard. They may need to know how to use this in the future because who knows how long it will be until physical keyboards cease to exist. Just like computers have been reduced to laptops and laptops have been reduced to all touch screen tablet computers. It is very likely with the trends of technology that physical keyboards will dwindle just as computers have. How long do you think it will be til keyboards dwindle down or even cease to exist? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to prepare and educate ourselves and students with alternative input devices in case this situation does happen?