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Apple for the teacher reviews KAZ

Apple for the teacher reviews KAZ

‘Apple For The Teacher’ are a passionate and dedicated team, sharing a common goal; to put the love in learning. 

“We take fun seriously. We believe children need to be enthused in their education. We believe children should be given the tools to ignite their natural curiosity,” says Tony Johnson, director. 

“After meeting the KAZ team at TES Show in October 2019, we were so taken with their inclusive typing product, their nominations, the synergies between the companies and ethos, that we felt the need to include links to their fabulous products on our website. Every child deserves the best and we believe people want to connect with brands that really stand up for something, which is why we wanted to help and work with KAZ.

Like KAZ we believe in educating children with a purpose. We respect the qualities and uniqueness of children. We understand that children don’t all learn in the same way, or on the same day. We understand and recognise that children have different needs and abilities and sometimes a different approach is needed, to allow them to reach their full potential.”

About Apple For The Teacher:

Apple For The Teacher, like KAZ, proudly carry the mark associated with all BESA members. They design educational resources for schools, teachers and home educators, giving instant access, at the touch of a button, to child friendly printables and presentations. 

Striving to inspire and enthuse learning for children and their aim is to reduce the growing workload for teachers but not with more of the same… 

“We test many resources on the children they are designed for, assessing their level of engagement, taking their feedback on board, looking at the progress and how the activities enrich the learning experience of the whole child. We care.”

Focus is on quality, not quantity as the learning experience really does matter for both educators and children.

“We really do put children right at the core of their learning, because we can and because that is where they truly deserve to be!”

About Julie:

“Julie is more than a Teacher. The children she works with not only learn but they become passionate about learning. She connects with them on every level, she believes in them and they feel it. She has a great understanding of every child’s needs and does whatever it takes to allow them to blossom. Her passion and love for children…”  Joanne (Parent)

“Julie’s lessons were created with the children in mind. Working with children with SEN could be challenging, engaging them in learning was not easy, but Julie did this with ease. Lessons with Julie were a joy, not only for the children but the Teaching Assistant too. The children were only too eager to participate and were always smiling. From finding shapes in everyday objects to bringing stories to life in literacy, the children blossomed regardless of their level and ability as she carefully crafted resources to suit the needs of every learner.”  – Margaret (Teaching Assistant)

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Touch typing – probably the most overlooked basic and fundamental training tool.

Designers use KAZ to produce the Bentley Opus

Zenon Texeira, director of thisisopus.com, a well renowned, exclusive high end book publishing house commented, “I was shocked when I used your  ROI calculator. We spend thousands on staff training. The cost savings gained for just one member of staff will pay for other training!”

His company, Opus, primarily specialises in high end book publications and has an impressive array of exclusive and limited edition books. 

‘At OPUS, our mission is to produce definitive publications, featuring the finest writers, stunning images, displayed on an epic scale and presented in a beautifully-designed, luxury format…. The use of special colour processes, the highest grade paper stocks, and painstaking attention to detail in reproduction of pictures combine to ensure an unparalleled visual feast. Individually hand-bound and designed to stand the test of time, available in strictly limited edition print runs worldwide and personally signed by legends, every Opus is a collectors item, offering investment potential and pleasure for generations to come.’ 

Zenon continues, “For large format and high end publications, accurate data input is vital and with all the intricacies of language and grammar, even more so. Our product is aimed at the high end market and our clients expect the best. Each stage of product development, from design through to production is verified and signed off. Each is as important as the other and if we can input our data faster and more accurately, make our IT and technicians more efficient, then this all contributes to a superior product and a much quicker delivery time. Our books can take several months to produce, so time management is crucial for successfully meeting deadlines and delivery. 

The majority of us can all type, especially the designers but what is amazing is how quickly and easily bad habits creep in. It is now company policy to allocate a couple of hours each year in our training days, for a refresher on KAZ.

For a full view of the Opus catalogue: thisisopus.com

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4 Simple Reasons Why Students Should Learn Touch Typing

4 simple reasons why students should learn to touch type

Even with the ubiquity of smart mobile communication devices (cellphones and tablets) in the field of education, typing on a keyboard remains an essential skill for all students, whether researching or writing assignments. Slow and incorrect or improper typing can significantly set them back.

Typing should ideally be as effortless and natural as writing. One should not need to search for the right keys to press on the keyboard to type sentences. This method of typing is popularly known as ‘hunt and peck’ typing and as the name implies, typically involves looking for the correct keys on the keyboard while typing with just one or two fingers of both hands. The better and more natural typing technique is called touch typing. This method uses all five fingers of both hands to identify keys by the sense of touchrather than by looking at the keyboard.

So what are the advantages of learning to touch type for students?

Speed and accuracy: 

Touch typing helps build muscle memory, eliminating the constantneed to lookdown at the keyboard to identify which keys to press. This significantly speeds up the typing process, letting students achieve speeds upwards of 60-70 words per minute. With repetition, touch typing also improves typing accuracy, reducing mistakes and the need for continual editing. The result is that students finish their work faster and more efficiently, leading to improved productivity.

Students can produce lengthy assignments quickly and those involved in higher education and research can use this skill in class to take notes efficiently.Additionally, subject to access arrangements, they can use their skill in exams to their benefit, as sub-conscious touch typing leaves their conscious minds free to concentrate on the question in hand.

Work quality: 

The muscle memory developed for typing not only allows for increased speedsbut also automates typing skillsso that it is no longer necessary to think about the keystrokes consciously. Experienced touch typists have been seen to type at speeds in excess of120 words per minute but are often flummoxed if asked about the exact location of a particular key on the keyboard! The conscious memory takes time in catching up to well developed ‘muscle memory’.

So, what does this automation achieve? It frees up conscious thought and cognition, allowing concentration on ideas to be typed rather than just focusing on the language itself. Thoughts are represented immediately, referred to as ‘think-type’. Students conscious minds are free to plan, compose, process, proof-read and edit – improving the overall quality of work delivered.

Improved learning: 

For younger children, learning tophysically touch type, together with reading the word and hearing the word spokencandramatically improve the learning process. This is the basis of multi-sensory learning.Children hear a word, read it on screen and then type it out with the help of touch typing. This involves the use of the major senses,speeding up the learning process, improving understanding and helping childrenretain what they learn.

Helps students with learning difficulties

Touch typing can also be an invaluable tool forstudents with specific learning difficulties such as dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyslexia where they struggle to write by hand. Additionally, learning how to touch type and the repetition of touch typing vocabulary can help reinforce literacy skills. It also offers an alternate form of communication.

The above are just a few of the advantages of touch typing over the hunt-and-peck typing method, allowing students to work faster, with accuracy and to be significantly more productive.