The present invention is directed to systems and related methods of teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding on a QWERTY-style keyboard wherein a color-coded row-based metaphorical and visual cuing system is used in a curriculum to make foundational keyboarding skills easy-to-teach and easy-to-learn, including: unilateral hand/finger skills, Home Row hand/finger positions, relational position of symbol location, and the essential keystroke spectrum of Home Row positioning-based finger movements of the left and right hand. The invention provides a dynamic virtual keyboard with colored rows which hexfurcates the QWERTY layout into left- and right-handed row sections, independently toggling the visibility of each in a developmental order to teach keyboarding skills in incremental steps rather than all at once. The invention further provides a dynamic cursor that uses visual indicators that mirror the visual cuing system to reinforce instruction with the dynamic virtual keyboard and aid keyboarding accuracy.

The present invention is directed to systems and related methods of teaching pre-keyboarding and keyboarding on a QWERTY-style keyboard wherein a color-coded row-based metaphorical and visual cuing system is used in a curriculum to make foundational keyboarding skills easy-to-teach and easy-to-learn, including: unilateral hand/finger skills, Home Row hand/finger positions, relational position of symbol location, and the essential keystroke spectrum of Home Row positioning-based finger movements of the left and right hand. The invention provides a dynamic virtual keyboard with colored rows which hexfurcates the QWERTY layout into left- and right-handed row sections, independently toggling the visibility of each in a developmental order to teach keyboarding skills in incremental steps rather than all at once. The invention further provides a dynamic cursor that uses visual indicators that mirror the visual cuing system to reinforce instruction with the dynamic virtual keyboard and aid keyboarding accuracy.

A computing device is provided, including a keyboard including a plurality of keys. One or more keys may be equipped with a lighting mechanism configured to display an optical indication. The computing device may further include at least one secondary input device and a processor. The processor may detect a secondary input received from the at least one secondary input device, and may determine that the secondary input corresponds to an input function of an application program set to a tutorial mode of operation. The processor may determine that a pre-defined keyboard input of at least one key of the one or more keys also corresponds to the input function. The processor may convey an output to the keyboard including instructions for the at least one key to display the optical indication. The at least one key of the keyboard, upon receiving the output, may display the optical indication.

A method of training a student to type on a keyboard which has features that help the student avoid hunting and pecking. During training, a student is instructed to look at sample text and copy it by typing on a keyboard. The output of the student's keystrokes is displayed on a monitor. One feature sets a limited time period in which to type each keystroke. Another feature hides the display. The features may be used in combination.

A method of training a student to type on a keyboard which has features that help the student avoid hunting and pecking. During training, a student is instructed to look at sample text and copy it by typing on a keyboard. The output of the student's keystrokes is displayed on a monitor. One feature sets a limited time period in which to type each keystroke. Another feature hides the display. The features may be used in combination.