Providing your students access to a distraction free typing environment and premium lesson content has never been easier. Our newly released Upgrade page is now available in your teacher portal, allowing you to quickly purchase Premium Memberships for any number of students at any time.

We know that budget constraints and yearly cuts are always a concern, but with Premium Memberships, accounts are upgraded forever! A one time purchase provides your students with a lifetime of benefits. And since accounts are upgraded forever, this allows you to “reset” an account and give it to a new student at any time. Additionally, we offer a deep discount when upgrading at least 5 students. Upgrading costs $14.99 per student, however the price is reduced to only $7.99 per student when upgrading 5 or more.

Premium student accounts are always advertisement free, making it easier for students to concentrate. The lessons loads faster, providing students with more time to type during class. Additionally, 16 fun and interesting premium typing lessons will be unlocked for each Premium account.

Of course, Premium memberships are 100% optional, because TypingWeb is, and always will be, FREE!

As a busy teacher, it is important to save time whenever possible. One way to do that, while creating accounts on TypingWeb, is to use the Student Import Tool. However, we find that many teachers pass on this time saving opportunity because they are not sure how the tool works and fear they will waste more time than they’ll save. We are happy to offer this detailed explanation on how to successfully use the Student Import Tool to help you create student accounts quickly.

Creating Your Spreadsheet
To import student accounts, you must start by creating the proper file. Create a list of usernames and passwords in a spreadsheet program (like Microsoft Excel). List the data in this order: username, password, first name, last name, email (note that only the username and password are required). Column A should contain the username, column B the password, column C the first name, and so on. Be careful not to include a space at the end of the username as this will result in an error when importing the file. Once the list is complete, save the file as a Comma Delimited (.CSV) file. Do not save it as the default .XLS version. For teachers that plan on grouping their students into classes, repeat this process and create separate files for each class. Note: Do not create multiple tabs within a single file.

To verify that you saved the file in the correct format, you can open it again and expect it to look like this.

Importing Your .CSV File

You are now ready to import your roster. First create the desired number of classes on the Classes tab (if you plan to group your students). Go to the Students tab and click the ‘Create New Students’ button, then click the ‘Go to Import Tool’ button. Browse for the .CSV file you just saved. Pick the desired class name from the drop down menu and click the ‘Begin Import’ button. A list of student usernames will appear quickly with green check marks next to them. If a red X appears next to a username, it is either already taken or does not meet the standard criteria (such as no spaces, no strange symbols). Go back to your .CSV file, edit the username appropriately and re-import the file. Once the red Xs have disappeared, click the ‘Create Students’ button and the new accounts will be added to your Students tab automatically. Repeat for all files and classes.

Usernames and Passwords
TypingWeb uses a shared set of usernames between all accounts. If you plan on using a common format with first and last names or initials, we suggest prefixing them with something unique such as a school name’s acronym, for example: ucla.ftwtest123. This will lessen the chance of the usernames being unavailable. Usernames must be a minimum of four characters long with a maximum of 30 characters, and can only contain letters, numbers, underscores ( _ ) and one period ( . ). Passwords are case sensitive and can be any character length. Passwords are encrypted for security and not available in plain text anywhere on the site. Keep a record of the passwords you assign to your students while creating their accounts.

Wasn’t that easy? We hope this step by step tutorial will encourage you to take advantage of the Student Import Tool to save valuable time.

Congratulations to Ms. Bortz and her students at Lancaster High School in New York. They won the colorful keyboarding rug and are proudly displaying it in their classroom!

Ms. Bortz was kind enough to share her story on how she discovered TypingWeb and the way her school is successfully incorporating it into their keyboarding curriculum:

“I am a business education teacher and instruct two sections of “Keyboarding and Word Basics.” Last summer (2011) after spending hours “Goggling” keyboarding activities I came across a blog discussing the benefits of TypingWeb. Software that’s fun, interactive and student monitoring and data through a teacher portal for FREE… it seemed too good to be true.

I decided to pilot the website by enrolling as a student and was instantly impressed! Without a doubt TypingWeb lived up to it’s hype! Finally, I found a way to update my course by saying goodbye old keyboarding textbooks and hello to modern technology!!!! TypingWeb allows keyboarding to be taught the way it should be at the student’s own pace by practicing common expressions and REAL words!!

Upon returning for the 2011-2012 school year I introduced my 3 colleagues to TypingWeb. They loved it just as much as I did and we all immediately incorporated TypingWeb into our curriculum. During our first semester we had over 100 students registered and actively using TypingWeb.

As the half-year course concluded our department decided to use the data we had from TypingWeb to create a “Typing Tournament” modeled after March Madness. Students in each classroom were ranked based on their net speed and matched up against another teacher’s students. A “typing test” was performed each day and the highest scorers advanced. The students (and teachers) really got into the “Typing Tournament!” Students who had been eliminated were cheering on their classmates because we all wanted to “bring the title home!” After five days we had our champion who happened to be my student.

I want to thank TypingWeb for helping our school! It has created a win-win for all parties! Students enjoy and benefit from the keyboarding more and teachers value the data, self-pacing and progress monitoring!”

Contest Closed! And the winner is…

Ms. Bortz from Lancaster High School. Congratulations!!!!!!!

We want to brighten up your classroom by giving away this colorful keyboarding rug! The 4’x6’ rug displays 2 color-coded keyboards with corresponding finger placement guides to emphasize proper typing technique. This can be a great addition to any computer lab or classroom.

Entering to win this unique prize is simple. Send us an email (through the contact form) requesting to be entered into the drawing. Tell us about your school, where it’s located (city, state), how many of your students use TypingWeb, how you discovered the site, and your role in the classroom.  That’s it! Be sure to include the email address associated with your teacher portal account. The drawing will be held on Friday, October 26th at 10am (PDT). Get your entries in before then!

In order to qualify, you must have a classroom of 20 or more active TypingWeb students, teach at a public or private school located in the contiguous United States, and be willing to take a picture of the rug displayed in your classroom (preferably with some happy students around it) that we can use in a follow up post announcing the winner. For privacy, our follow up post will not include any names or personal information, and students are not required to be in the photo. Only one entry per teacher portal account will be accepted.

Teachers, in preparation for the 2012-2013 school year, we are making improvements to the typing tutor and Teacher Portal. Our goal is to provide you with the features you want and tools you need to effectively teach and manage your students. Here is a list of the most recent updates.

In the typing tutor:

Trophy Case

Students now earn trophies for every typing lesson they complete, filling their trophy case, and motivating them to spend more time typing and learning. This feature has been up for a couple weeks, and our statistics show students now spend an extra 15-20% more time typing.

New Typing Games

We have completely overhauled the Games section of the typing tutor, removing all non-typing games, and adding 6 new killer titles which even allow the student to choose between different word lists and skill levels.

Class Scoreboard

The class scoreboard allows students to view the weekly performance of their classmates and compete with one another for ranking. By competing, students are driven to type longer and faster. Note that you can choose to disable the scoreboard within your Teacher Portal account.

iPad Support

The wait is over; TypingWeb.com can now be used on the iPad! Students can complete typing lessons with a wireless keyboard for a true touch typing experience or use the convenient on-screen keyboard.

In the Teacher Portal:

Group Students into Classes

It is now possible to organize your students into classes, giving you the ability to manage and report on student progress much more efficiently.

Viewing Options in the Student Radar

In response to your feedback about the newly launched Student Radar, we have added the ability to view offline students as well, allowing you to see both who is and isn’t using TypingWeb.

Import Your Entire Student Roster

Creating student accounts just got a whole lot faster! You can now create multiple accounts at once with our simple import tool. No more having to create every account one by one. Visit the create student page to import your students.

Teachers, we have unveiled two highly requested new features. Students are now able to view their time spent typing per day from within the tutor. In addition, enhancements to the Teacher Portal now allow you to run custom date range reports (up to the last 30 days) on your students’ typing activity.

Time Spent Typing

In response to your most frequent request, we have launched a new graph in the Statistics section of the tutor titled, “Time Spent Typing (by day)”. This data was previously only available within the Teacher Portal. This new graph allows students to quickly gauge how much time was spent typing, by day, as an easy to read graph. The minutes represent time spent typing lessons over the last 30 days, excluding games, tests, and repeated exercises.

Custom Date Range Reports

We have received countless requests for the ability to view students’ recent typing activity. In response, we have completely overhauled the Teacher Portal’s reporting system, now allowing you to specify the date range, within the last 30 days. So for instance, it’s now possible to quickly see your students’ typing progress so far this week, last week, yesterday, and so forth. Also, you can choose “All Time” from the date range dropdown to view a summary of all progress to date.

We are excited to announce our latest Teacher Portal feature, the Student Radar, which provides real-time classroom monitoring at a glance.

The Student Radar enables you to track and monitor all your students’ activity on TypingWeb in real-time and is conveniently located on the Home page in your Teacher Portal account. As your students progress through lessons or play typing games, it’s easy to ensure everyone is staying on task.

The Student Radar is a cutting edge new feature and available exclusively on TypingWeb. This amazing addition is 100% free and available now to all Teacher Portal users. Please share your thoughts about the Student Radar with us in the comments below.

Entering for your chance to win a FREE premium membership on TypingWeb has never been easier. All you have to do is “Like” us on Facebook (if you haven’t already) and post to our fan page and tell us what you love most about TypingWeb. That’s it!

Everyone who “Likes” us AND posts on our wall about what they love about TypingWeb will automatically be entered to win one of 15 FREE Premium Memberships. Posts made between Monday 4/9/12 and Sunday 4/15/12 will be included in the drawing. Winners will be picked at random and announced Monday 4/16/12.

Premium Memberships never expire and they provide users with an advertisement free (and distraction free) typing experience, along with access to premium typing lessons, and priority customer service! Good luck!

The Fine Print:
Remember, to be entered in the drawing you have to “Like” us on Facebook (if you already “Like” us you can ignore this step) AND post to our fan page between 4/9/12 and 4/15/12. We will announce 15 winners Monday 4/16/12 and ask you to privately message us your username so we can upgrade your account.

Braaaaaaaaiiinnnssss! Zombies are attacking! In our latest and greatest typing game on Fun to Type, you must save your yard from the seemingly never ending horde of zombies attacking. » TommyQ: Zombie Defender!

In TommyQ: Zombie Defender, you must defend your yard against wave after wave of mindless zombie neighbors.  Using your arrow keys, you will move TommyQ to the various strategic defensive points behind the felled trees, and by typing the word above the zombies heads (and gaining special power ups) you will send the zombies from whence they came.

So what are you waiting for?  Go shoot some zombies over at the greatest typing game site ever, www.funtotype.com

Do you have what it takes to become a master of the keyboard?  A KEYBOARD NINJA? In Fun to Type’s latest typing game, you must slice and dice as many fruits as possible to prove to your Sensei you are worthy of the title Keyboard Ninja!

Ninjas are everywhere.  In the shadows, in the park, and now in our schools!  Using your keyboard, you can become the most world renowned ninja just by slicing fruit after fruit.  Featuring fruit c-c-c-combos, power-ups, and even an angry monkey, Keyboard Ninja will push you to your letter typing limits!

No more reading! Head on over and start playing the Greatest Typing Game Ever!