How many of you learned how to type on a typewriter?
By paidreader
@paidreader (5143)
United States
April 13, 2007 1:31am CST
How did you learn to type? Was it on a typewriter or a keyboard? If it was a typewriter, what type was it?
When I learned to type, it was on a manual typewriter but not one that you had to manually return the carriage on. Since then, I've used the skills I've learned to use manual typewriters and it was quite easy to transition to the keyboard for the computers.
Anyone that learned on a typewriter with a manual carriage return could really appreciate a small video clip my sister just sent me but I don't know how to get it online other than by email. If you'd like to have a good laugh, just send me a PM with your email. One of my inlaws just had a good laugh since we had just discussed manual carriage returns over Easter, lol.
So how did you learn?
15 people like this
57 responses
@Palace_Girl (416)
• Philippines
13 Apr 07
Ah, I think I saw that video clip. Is that the one where a woman types infront of the computer then suddenly push the monitor as if typing in a typewriter? It is very funny indeed!
We have this program at home "MavisBeacon" it helps enhance the typing skill. I learned how to type in a typewriter during my grade school years since my father owns a typewriter. I few years back, I found it hard to study typing using the home keys, they say this is because I learned how to type not considering the fingers' position. Thanks to this computer program that my sister borrowed from the library, I was able to learn how to type the right way.
2 people like this
@patgalca (18391)
• Orangeville, Ontario
14 Apr 07
At one of my jobs I remember a computer game that helped typing skills. The words dropped from the top of the computer and you had to type them before they hit the bottom of the screen. More than one word would drop at a time and the longer you went on the faster it would get. I remember the word 'psychiatrist' floating down the screen.
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
LOL, yes, that's the one!
I could see how learning that way would be more difficult. I've never heard of the MavisBeacon program before though. Is it a computer program, book, tapes? I think it might be interesting to checkout. :)
@harwoodkp (285)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I first learned to type off my mom's old laptop. This one had no cords or electricity. LOL. I suppose this kind of ages me. Not too much longer than that, the trs-80's came out and my typing became a lot better. LOL.Young people check your history books on this one. I am sort of glad I learned to type off my mom's. I am more conscience of typing errors. White out used to be my favorite stuff. LOL. It is now getting harder to see my screen.
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I'm assuming it looked like this then, right?
I got the pic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer but there was a range on the time frame, lol
LOL, I can so relate to the white out reference. You should get one of those roller types, it goes on the screen much smoother, fewer lumps after multiple corrections too, roflol.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47667)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Apr 07
I had one of those! Hooked it up to my TV and played Space Invaders to my heart's content.
1 person likes this
@locolady (374)
• Canada
13 Apr 07
I did,and I still own it too- it was a smith-corona-my parents bought it for me when I was 10-I'm a south-paw(lefty) and I got mine shortly after papermate came out with useless eraseable pens-what a mess I can make writing with those as the lower portion of my left hand drags across the paper-that typewriter saved many homework assignments from being tossed out.I lucked out though mine could switch from being manual(unplugged)to electric(plugged in)-and 21 years later it still works..
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
16 Apr 07
Oh, that would be pretty neat. I have a portable smith corona from my grandmother. It has one of the round rubber erasers with the little brush at the other end.
Those pens have much improved over time, but the eraser hasn't. It works better to use a regular eraser. :)
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I'm going to make myself feel really old here. When I first started taking typing classes we had the manual ones in the class with the manual returns but there were a few electric ones in the class, just not enough for everyone. These were very basic electric ones let me tell you. I think about half way through we got to switch over to them; however at home the one I used for practicing on a manual. Now by the time I took typing again (my senior year they ran out of electives and they had it under a different name so I could take it again) all they had were electrics and they were different then the ones I started out on. Amazing some times what a few years can make.
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
How very true. I still have my typing book from school (dated 1972 but taken in 1981) and though the functionality has changed tremendously, the key positions don't change so it's knowledge we get to continue using, even if our way of using it has been changed with the times. :)
@Caila611 (992)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I learned on a Manual Typewriter when I was a Senior in High School. I had also broken my arm that semester and could only type one handed. GRRR the teacher gave me a D! I went back and argued my case and she finally gave me a B! Over the years my typing has gotten faster and faster. I have to laugh watching my brother and mom and dad type. THey are so slow it's just hilarious. THey are the one finger typers. I didn't know any of those existed!
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
LOL, yes it is amusing, most of the newbies I meet are at least 2 fingered typers! Good for you in putting up a very good argument for the teacher to consider. :)
@rjdreyes (157)
• Japan
13 Apr 07
I did learned to type on a typewriter when i was a kid, about an age of 8 or 10 i really don't know. We had a VERY old typewriter which pass out thru generation, it was from my grandfather, he was a journalist and he used it in typing a news articles. We i was a kid, i always go to my grandpa's house and see he typing on the typewriter. In that time, i was amazed on the typewriter because it really helps to write on a paper in at ease. So there on, i trained myself and used typewriter until when i'm at highschool. Then the computer starts to emerged here in the philippines, and i really need to have one, because of my profession to be in college and when i was in highschool i got a lot of projects. So computer change my life, not just on typing on pages but also lots of stuffs like research and school projects. I really good thing about computer typing, you can save it in the harddrive or a disk of your work, not like on typing, if you commit mistake or misplace it, you gonna work the whole thing up. Computer makes things easy, and really kick as5.:)
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
LOL, I agree! I still have a manual portable typewriter my grandmother gave me, but I much prefer the PC when we finally got one. Our first was almost a necessity since my daughter was in high school. We had a lot of fun learning with the internet as our library instead of physically going to the library, as we had been doing. Much better hours too, lol.
Nice thing about computer projects is how little space it takes to store them, lol. Some of those projects were very complex and still very interesting to look at again, whenever we want. :)
@ranjeetkolarkar (1595)
• India
13 Apr 07
I have never used a typewriter. And to add to it, I have never learned typing. It was only by continuous use of keyboard that I was able to increase my typing speed. So even if my speed has increased, I need to look at the keyboard while I am typing.
2 people like this
@rx4life (1930)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I learned on an old manual typewriter..with manual carriage...I had an awful time because one of my index fingers was injured at age 10 and I had to have some surgery on it at age 13...so it's a little shorter than my other and when I got into high school and took typing and business classes it was difficult...I had to look at the keyboard to make sure I had my finger positioned properly...so it affected my typing..every now and again I still have to look down..as the finger has a numb spot on the pad and I can't feel where I'm placing it...sometimes the words look very funny!!! But all in all it's not so bad...Working in pharmacy I keyboard all day and love the backspace button!!! LOL
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Ouch! I'm sure that would cause a few dyslexic looking typos. :) I have to agree about the backspace button! So much better than the way we used to correct our mistakes, lol!
@abroji (3247)
• India
13 Apr 07
I learned typing on a typewriter. It was so many years back. In 1968. At that time there were no electronic keyboards. The typewriter on which I learned typing was an Olivetty machine. For the first two months I was provided with that age old Olivetty. The keys used to get stuck frequently.After two months the preleminaries were over and I got some momentum in typing. Then the manager of the typing institute allowed me to type on a rather new machine. It was a Remington Rand machine. I completed my course and done my exams in that machine. Sure both these machines were with mannual carriage return system. I'll send my e mail through PM seperately requesting for the vidio clip. You start wonderfull discussions paidreader. Thank you for that.
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Wow! I bet you have learned alot with 38 years of typing experience! I've learned on quite a few myself. They were all a little different, but it was a comfort to know they followed the same basic principals. What a relief it was to just learn their differences instead of where everything was too. :)
One job I had used an electric typewriter that would store information for you. It made it much easier and faster to print out an order with just a few appropriate keystrokes. I think they were already working towards going computerized in the mid 80's. :)
Happy to have once again caught your interest and look forward to your response after watching the video. :)
2 people like this
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
17 Apr 07
I learned to type as a young teenager; I joined the military, and someone asked me to type and I did a real bang up job of it; So, I taught myself to type, this was over 25 years ago, then when the internet and my work experience increased, my typing did too; I also took a formal typing course in college for this secretarial program I was into; Took dictation too as well.
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
17 Apr 07
Very good on the 50wpm! We do seem to get better the more we use our skills. I think my last typing test was about 50+/- which was much better than when I was in school and could barely do 30wpm, lol. I am always amazed when hearing people type 80wpm+, but I think we're doing ok at 50. ;D
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
17 Apr 07
I forgot to mention that the last typing test I took about a month ago, I found out that I could type 50 plus wpm; I am pretty proud of myself there too.
1 person likes this
@wachit14 (3595)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I learned to type on an electric typewriter and when I took business in college, I took a class called business machines. In it was a new machine called a word processor. It was much bigger than a standard electric typewriter and it had the capability of memorizing one line at a time so you could erase your mistakes. It was considered cutting edge at the time. I never typed on a manual typewriter though, but your post brought back some memories for me. Thanks.
2 people like this
@mypeace (393)
• Nigeria
13 Apr 07
I learnt on a manual typewriter, cuz i did a typing course in school. I still have the machine till today. I never learnt keyboarding, it was very easy having learnt witht the manual typewriter. currently the skill is really paying off now, am actually working with the skill and type realllllll fast while maintaining accuracy.
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
LOL, ME TOO! While my speed has improved tremendously since typing class, I wouldn't say I'm realllllly fast. I have, however, had some employers tell me to slow down before I burn up the PCs. I know they're just joking because it's usually said when I'm faced with a fast approaching deadline, roflol.
The knowledge we learned from typewriters has definately paid off now that we have keyboards. I've found it's much easier to type faster when you're familiar with the subject. I still type slower if it's unfamiliar data. :)
1 person likes this
@sapphiresage (431)
• United States
13 Apr 07
I took typing in high school. We learned on IBM Selectric II electric typewriters. They had the little ball that jumped up and hit the ribbon to make the impression. I can still hear my instructor in my head, droning on "j, j, j, space, k, k, k, space, l, l, l, space, sem, sem, sem (for semicolon)". We'd do drills like that at first, then we'd type from books with regular words and speed drills. We learned how to format business letters, etc.
I've never used a manual typewriter to actually type on - the stroke is much different than the one used for electrics and computer keyboards. My grandmother learned on a manual, and she POUNDS the computer keyboard out of habit!
2 people like this
@Windrunner (477)
• Pakistan
13 Apr 07
well i learnt typing when i was 16. i learnt on a keyboard. i used the typing tutor CD to learn. it was a very exhausting course. cause in the beginning it teached me to type only asdf for about half a month. i became so bored with it and very irritated because for a long time i couldnt get them right. when i finally started on the other letters it became very interesting. and then i was so obsessed with it that i wanted to practice the whole day. well its a very useful talent. especially in the modern age of computers you should know typing. i can use all five fingers. and the best thing about typing is that once you have learned you never forget even if you are not in practice. so i guess its a very advantageous point
@spiritwolf52 (2300)
•
13 Apr 07
I had to take typing class while I was in high school. What a boring class that was. I don't know if it is still a requirement or not. But given that every company has a computer maybe it should be. I learned on an electric typewriter but the one that I had at home was a manual one. It wasn't so bad till the keys started sticking and you really had to pound them to get it to work.
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Giggle, me too. 9th grade here. Can't say I found it boring though. We had a few cute football players that had to take the class to improve their finger's dexterity because it was supposed to help improve their playing/throwing too. What can I say, I was about 15 at the time, roflol.
Oh, I remember how the manual ones needed to have the letters untangled if you hit too many keys at once & they would stick together, lol. :)
@BarBaraPrz (47667)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Apr 07
Actually, the best typist in my grade 9 class was a boy, and he had one arm in a cast! The worst was a blonde who, no lie, only got an average of 16 in that class. No, not 16 words per minute, 16 out of 100 on her report card.
1 person likes this
@joey_matthews (8354)
•
18 Apr 07
I used to use my parents typewriter as a kid, then once I got my own things flew by.
It's probably why I'm pretty good at typing doubled handed on the keyboard but it's still nice to use it every once in awhile. (typewriter)
Kudos,
~Joey
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
18 Apr 07
Yeah! A male that's not a two fingered typer like my hubby is, lol. :)
@monkeywriter (2004)
• United States
14 Apr 07
I have used a manual type but it was more electric. Well I think I have typed yeah I typed regular too. Then electric. My dad got a computer. But I learned to type for real on a computer at school when I was in the 9th grade.
I didnt get to use the net and wasnt big till college when I was 18 I learned that in 1998. Wow almost 10yrs of the net for me :))
1 person likes this
@zodgfamily (285)
• China
17 Apr 07
I learn it from keyboard and my method is just practice as much as I can...There're always some kind of games to help me to practise...And it is interesting...
1 person likes this
@lreddell (172)
• United States
14 Apr 07
I took typing in 7th grade, on an IBM electric typewriter. The school district I was in offered it and I thought it would be a good idea to learn to type. My family moved from Texas to Kansas and the new school I enrolled in didn't offer typing until sophomore year. The new school in Kansas wouldn't recognize the typing credit I had already earned, so I had to take the whole class again. Of course I aced the class. Now that I have been typing on a computer for so many years, I find it difficult to type on a typewriter. I can still do it, but not near as fast as I used to. My mom and dad have an antique manual typewriter. I can type on it, but not well. My mom's fingers used to fly on that old typewriter, but arthritis has taken away her speed. Great post! Hugs.