Category: Reviews

‘Which? Magazine has been championing the cause for consumers since 1957. They are the UK’s best selling monthly magazine, trusted by more than 600,000 subscribers. Today, they have more than 1.3m members and supporters, making them the largest independent consumer body in the UK. 

Their magazines give a wealth of expert advice and information on a vast range of everyday products and services. From the latest test results to in-depth surveys and investigations, each month, Which? gives impartial advice and recommendations, the best deals and keeps you on top of consumer news. 

Completely independent

The unique thing about Which? is that they are completely independent. They have no owners, shareholders or government departments to answer to and you’ll never see an advert in their magazines or on their websites.

Their commitment to providing unbiased advice to consumers is at the heart of everything they do. This means they work entirely on behalf of you, the consumer, and nobody else – so you can rest assured that you’re getting the very best advice available.’ (Which Magazine – February 2020)

It is for this reason that we are thrilled that Which? has recommended all KAZ typing editions (Corporate, Adult, Junior and Dyslexia).

‘To get the maximum benefits from a keyboard, you need to be able to touch – type. Learning how to do this is made easier by programs such as KAZ (Keyboard A–Z), which claims to deliver benefits in just 90 minutes. KAZ has Corporate, Adult, Junior and Dyslexia editions…’ (Which Magazine – February 2020)

‘Touch-typing really does save you time… and you are never too old to learn.’

                                                                 (Which? Magazine – February 2020)

I would like to thank the Kaz team for allowing us to trial the Kaz touch- typing programme at Lyndhurst Dyslexia Centre.

In order to trial the programme, we prioritised a set of dyslexic students in Year 6 who are transitioning to Secondary school next academic year and therefore it was felt that they would particularly benefit from learning to touch-type. A couple of students had some prior experience of other touch-typing programmes. The touch-typing club took place within the Lyndhurst Dyslexia Centre and sessions were offered three times a week for 30 minutes for a month. It definitely speaks volumes about the Kaz touch-typing programme that the students keenly attended these sessions before school!

All students progressed well through the programme; building on both their speed and accuracy. A number of the students commented on how the programme progressed them swiftly and they enjoyed being able to self-monitor their own progress. In observing the students, I felt the ease of progression through the programme and the fact that students were allowed to progress through the stages without having to pass tasks at a certain speed or accuracy was very motivating. At the end of the programme the students commented on how much their touch- typing skills had improved from completing the course and they were delighted with their certificates. All students are now choosing to type their work in the Centre and are using touch-typing skills.

All of the students benefitted and were keen to personalise their settings and having the chance to choose background and font colours is proven to benefit dyslexic learners. I also observed the students continually making use of the keyboard positioned on the computer screen to ensure they were touch-typing. One of the students had a great idea this week and explained that we should take a picture of the keyboard and tape it above the computer screen like they do in the Kaz programme!

As a teacher I found setting up the Kaz programme for a group very simple and it was easy to monitor students progress. For extra chance to practise, students did have an opportunity to use the programme at home and found this beneficial.

I would highly recommend this programme for anyone working with Dyslexic students.

Thanks so much for letting us trial Kaz and we are now looking forward to introducing the programme to more of our students.

Ruth Pierce
Specialist Dyslexia Teacher and Assessor Lyndhurst Dyslexia Centre, Grove Lane Camberwell
London
SE5 8SN

KAZ – Review by Prof. Marc Eisenstadt (Chief Scientist)

I first came across KAZ about 7 years ago, when I was investigating “teach- yourself-touch-typing” packages. I grew up in the USA, where we were obliged to learn touch-typing in high school (before personal computers, but in order to get us ready for university courses which could REQUIRE their students to submit typewritten assignments!!). This background led to my continual astonishment and disappointment at the remarkably poor level of keyboard skills in the UK: in fact I had become convinced that this was actually holding back progress in the UK on numerous fronts. I was aware that all my Silicon Valley colleagues could touch type, and that NONE of my UK colleagues could do this.

Moreover, I had observed students on Open University courses, and to my amazement I found that when it came to some difficult computer programming exercises in a Social Science course we had developed (aimed at computer- phobes!), OU students with a secretarial background progressed much better than those with technical/scientific/programming backgrounds! The reason was that those in the latter group were wasting phenomenal amounts of time hunting and pecking at their keyboards.

Then I became a School Governor at a local primary school in Milton Keynes, and observed precisely the same phenomenon. Teachers were spending hours explaining ‘how to use Word’ or ‘how to use Excel’, while the poor kids searched around the keyboard for the right keys. It was apparent to me that the essence of Word and Excel would be trivial for these kids (and certainly not worth weeks of boring lessons) if they could only master the keyboard.

So, with those two user groups in mind (50-year-old Open University students and 10-year-old primary school kids) I began to scour the globe for a decent touch typing package. I have a strong background in both Cognitive Psychology and Computer Science, so consider myself a pretty tough customer to please: a winning package has to have a nice user interface, be well thought

out, be pedagogically sound, be well implemented, and deliver demonstrable results in a short space of time.
Nothing fit the bill (I evaluated about 20 packages, with different users, and with myself, including all the big famous ones), and I was about to give up and start writing my own package when my searching eventually led me to KAZ.

I got hold of a copy, and found that it matched *ALL* of my very tough criteria. The kids I was working with generally didn’t want ‘games’, ‘tricks’, or ‘cute digressions’. They just wanted to ‘learn the keys, please’, and they wanted to do it quickly. It turns out that this was equally true of the 50-year- olds.
I then deployed KAZ with some groups I was working with, and lobbied hard to get KAZ as *MANDATORY* on the school curriculum, as well as embedded in Open University courses. I argued that the productivity gain, over one’s lifetime, would be so phenomenal that this would pay off handsomely. My local school started deploying KAZ, with great results (I challenge any teacher to walk around two groups of 10-year-olds, one of which can touch type and one of which cannot, and note the difference: the former is busy building web sites and writing web-newspaper articles and blogs, while the second is hunting around the keyboard in frustration to get to the next step in some chore). The Open University now also makes KAZ available to all of its students, and the testimonials that come in are a sight to behold… for many it is simply a liberating experience: now they can focus on the real task at hand instead of all that other stuff that cause such ‘cognitive overload’.
The other key thing about KAZ is that, aside from looking nice and being very direct and simple, it is built on very sound psychological principles: it uses a great ‘mnemonic trick’ that leverages people’s superior mental ability when it comes to memorising big chunks of text (in this case grouping parts of the alphabet into memorable phrases). This works dramatically well!
So, that about sums it up: a package that is educational sound, psychologically strong, computationally excellent, works with kids and adults, and will single- handedly have a greater impact on UK productivity than almost any other teaching software I can think of!

* Prof. Marc Eisenstadt (Chief Scientist)
* Knowledge Media Institute [http://kmi.open.ac.uk/] * The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
* +44 (0)1908 65 3149

‘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)

By Rachael Pells Wednesday, 9th October 2019, 13:57 pm

As with many skills, experts agree that the younger we are taught to type, the easier is it is to pick up…

https://inews.co.uk/news/education/touch-typing-old-fashioned-skill-practise-schools-offices-reviving-education-649617

If Mike jived. If Mike jived. Rude dunce. If Mike jived who was a rude dunce. Before you ask, no I don’t hold a personal grudge against a ballroom dancer. I’m actually practising my keyboarding skills.

Believe it or not, these are the beginning phrases of a programme designed to teach children how to touch type correctly – and it’s harder than you might think.

The i newsletter cut through the noise

Sure, we can all bash away at a keyboard. But how much time do you think you waste on typos and hastily-typed errors? Computers may have been sitting in most of our homes, schools and offices for around 30 years now, but touch typing – that is, the ability to use all of your fingers across a computer keyboard to write sentences without having to look down from the screen – is something many of us still struggle with.

But as screens and phones increasingly dominate over handwriting as our main medium for communication, more and more people are clocking on to the benefits of touch typing.

In short, if we can train our fingers to type without having to think about it, we are able to work more efficiently because our thoughts are clearer

Touch typing in schools

In 2014, it was reported that schools in Finland – long established as a world-leader in progressive, quality education and the envy of all countries taking part in annual Pisa rankings – took the decision to ditch handwriting lessons in favour of getting pupils fluent in their typing skills.

And it’s not as if schools in the UK haven’t attempted to get behind the skill. In fact the programme I am using to taunt poor Mike, KAZ Type, is exactly the same one (give or take a few updates) that I sat using in my school IT lessons around 18 years ago.

More recently, prestigious Brighton College and Eton both made headlines after parents at the fee-paying schools insisted typing was brought back onto the timetable.

But while the Department for Education say touch typing is encouraged as a part of computer literacy, there is still no specific reference to it on the UK state curriculum.

Brighton College and Eton both made headlines after parents at the fee-paying schools insisted typing was brought back onto the timetable

An essential skill for the 21st century

This, according to Keene Braganza, managing director of KAZ is a mistake. “Schools tend not to teach typing skills these days. But it is now more essential than ever for students to learn, since employers expect productivity from the go,” he tells i. “We truly believe touch typing is an essential 21st-century skill. And the earlier it is learned, the better.”

…

The Silent threat in the office

Introduction – By Brian Morgan, Occupational Health & Safety Adviser

Performing the same task day in, day out could put you in danger. According to the Trades Union Congress, Repetitive Strain Injury, universally known as RSI, is a major problem in one in three work places, affecting up to 200,000 workers every year and annually costing £1 billion in sick pay. Most of us probably imagine that you need to be operating heavy machinery to become a sufferer. The reality is that slaving over a hot keyboard can be equally as dangerous.

Research shows that if you work with computers, you are more likely to get RSI at some point in your career than be involved in a car accident. Indeed, Philip Virgo, editor of the IT DPM Skills Trend Report says, “the demise of traditional keyboard skills is the main cause of RSI”.

Employers too are suffering the consequences, facing high compensation costs paid to staff and unions are funding thousands of pending RSI claims. Legal and safety experts fear that the health problems caused by an estimated four million keyboard users will grow without proper safeguards or training.

Pressures on employees can only increase, as executives are forced to take over responsibilities formerly covered at secretarial and clerical level. More and more are having to do their own typing because of economic necessity, the lack of support staff and the speed of response that is required in most businesses today.

This trend, when coupled with the constant danger of RSI, means there is a need for employers to offer keyboard skills training. This silent threat in the office is real and must be addressed.

What is Repetitive Strain Injury?

RSI is a general term for a group of musculo-skeletal disorders involving all or part of the upper limbs including the neck. RSI is not well know because it takes the form of disorders named after the part of the body affected, or the occupation with which they are associated, such as ‘tennis elbow’. The common factor is that RSI may be caused by the overloading or overuse of certain soft tissues such as muscles and tendons, i.e. by sustained work requiring the use of the same muscle groups continuously.

What causes Repetitive Strain Injury?

RSI problems can occur as a result of:

• Repetitive finger, hand or arm movements e.g. typing, squeezing, hammering or pounding as well as pushing, pulling, lifting or reaching
• Poor posture and awkward movements
• Amount of force used
• Badly designed tools and workstationWhat are the symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury?In the arms and hands:• aching
  • pain, even after rest • weakness
  • swelling
  • tenderness
  • numbness
  • pins and needlesIn the shoulders or neck:• stiffness • achingCan YOU prevent Repetitive Strain Injury?YES, this is the good news. It is easy to prevent, as this leaflet illustrates. Most cases of RSI respond to the proper treatment and ex-RSI sufferers DO exist!How can keyboard users prevent RSI?Prevention is aided by correct typing techniques, taking regular breaks from the keyboard, adjusting furniture and positioning screens at eye level.Basic requirements are:
  1. Keyboard skills training:Keyboard users should be trained to use all ten fingers – using correct posture
  2. Breaks:Display screen work must be regularly interrupted
  3. Display screen:Positioned at eye-level
  Clean, stable image, with adjustable contrast and brightness Able to tilt and swivel and free of reflective glare

4. Keyboard:

Tilt-able and separate from the screen
Space in front sufficient to provide support for user’s hands and arms. Surface of keyboard must be non-reflective
Key symbols must be clear and keys well spaced

5. Work desk/surface:

Sufficiently large enough to allow flexible arrangement of screen, keyboard, documents and related equipment

6. Work chair:

Stable and must allow freedom of movement Seat height and back must be adjustable

7. Footrests and wrist rests:

Should be available to users if required
If not used, wrists should be held up, not leaning on desk surface

How does RSI affect employers?

Employers have a duty under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 to safeguard the health of their employees.

The price of Repetitive Strain Injury

Two keyboard operators working for a telecommunications company were recently awarded over £110,000 in damages and costs. In addition, a record £79,000 compensation was awarded to a former Inland Revenue typist suffering from RSI.

Solutions

KAZ Type Limited have developed 2 tools that will help prevent RSI. The KAZ Accelerated Learning Typing Tutor and KAZ Guardian Angel RSI Protector.

KAZ Guardian Angle RSI Protector

KAZ Guardian Angel is a small, powerful program that is installed on each workstation. The program fires up at start up. It monitors the users use of the keyboard and mouse in any application and when certain typing or mouse use parameters are exceeded, it interrupts the user and provides 2 types of break. There are a variety of breaks and exercises that are presented randomly. Presentation is intentionally light hearted and unobtrusive, whilst at the same time presenting serious information and preventative measures.

KAZ Touch Type in just 90 Minutes

The KAZ Typing tutor is unlike any other typing tutor you may have come across! You no longer need to spend hours on boring typing drills, games and analysis. Using just 11 words in 5 trademarked phrases, KAZ’s unique

Accelerated Learning method teaches people to touch type in as little as 90 minutes. KAZ has re-written the rulebook on how fast and simple it can be to learn to touch type.

KAZ uses specially devised typing elements, engaging the senses of sight, sound and touch simultaneously, using both sides of the brain to radically enhance memory retention and recall. Truly a revolution in keyboard training! These are some of the benefits of choosing KAZ.

Quick and easy – suitable for all age groups and abilities
Versions for single workstation, SCORM 1.2 compliant, Intranet and Online via our cloud based server – the only typing tutor available on such a wide range of platforms
Excellent Return on Investment
90 Minutes learning means high take-up and success rate Comprehensive back office to monitor learner progress and performance FREE support when you need it
Deployment advice notes for your organisation and department managers
Information for learners
Tried, tested and proven with over 1 million users
Subject to year-long Open University Research Study and since used by over 400,000 OU adult students
Online version enables learning at work and/or at home
SEN enabled
British product with choice of UK or USA versions

Approved by TOP British companies

This revolutionary system was trialled in a selection of the UK’s top companies. Users were tested to see whether they could touch type all 26 alpha keys in 90 minutes using the five key phrases.

An incredible 99% of users said it was effective and would recommend it to others.

What KAZ users say…

“Practical and sensible. Easy to see where we were heading – results came very quickly” Alison Towney, Harrods

“Very good…the best…especially as time was not on my side at work” Jeff Lawrence, BP Exploration

“Surprisingly effective – I was sceptical at first but it really does work” Andrew Shillaber, Natwest

“Very good, avoids pointless exercises” Chris Mayle, British Aerospace

“Very effective and enjoyable, the actual phrases will stay with me, enabling me to practise at any time”
Chris Ancelet, Argos

“Having struggled with other typing tutors for years and got nowhere, I can touch type after 90 minutes. Fantastic!”
Stephen Hartley – Anglican Vicar

Conclusion by BRIAN MORGAN

Repetitive Strain Injury poses a real threat to keyboard operators and companies could find themselves paying out thousands of pounds in compensation to sufferers. They must be aware of the dangers but know that simple training methods are available that can improve efficiency, reduce sickness and eliminate the threat of those costly court actions.

Sources: The RSI Association; Brian Morgan (Morgan Finch & Partners); The Lancet volume 339 – Medicine and the law by Diana Brahams.

KAZ – Review by Maria Chivers

KAZ is a computer programme to teach children from six years of age how to touch-type.  He is a ‘big bird’, and the kids love him.  KAZ shows the children how to use the programme by clicking on parts of his body.  You can go back and forwards, by clicking on one of KAZ’s wings or click on his head and it repeats the sentence. KAZ was voted #1 Best Typing Tutor of the Year.  It is a lovely, engaging simple to use programme.

The first time you download the software, you have to spend about ten minutes going through the instructions (which are really easy to understand), and there is an interface where you can set up the programme how you like it.  For instance, if you prefer a different colour background, one click, and you just change it.  Furthermore, you can change the size of the letters, the type of font just as easy – this makes it truly accessible for students.

The programme basically has five phrases, and each sentence will take about fifteen minutes to complete. (Now the caveat on this is there is never any pressure on the child; they must do it at their own pace.  It may take 15 minutes, 30 or just ten!)  

When the child has completed the five phrases, they will have used all their fingers and covered all 26 letters of the alphabet.

After that, it is just practice increasing the speed and to get the whereabouts of the alphabet keys to ‘long-term memory’ (that’s my expression, not the Company’s).

There are also sections for punctuation, etc., but they are separate, and you can choose to complete them or not. If you have a very young child, you may decide to leave this section and return to it later.

I was trained as a touch-typist, many years ago, but I have never believed that we should make children actually learn to ‘touch type’.  I always thought they should just know their way around a keyboard. This was because my husband and one of our sons can type at 40wpm, using two fingers so I felt that If they knew where the keys were, they could just get on and ‘peck at them’.

However, I have recently been informed of some research which pointed to the fact that if you can touch-type, then it leaves room for the brain to get on with other things, i.e., ‘what you actually want to write’.  Not sure why I hadn’t thought of that before; because I can hold a conversation with someone while typing something different altogether.  So, with this latest information, I have changed my view and now recommend everyone should do the course and learn to type correctly.  Let’s face it, with this type of up-to-date software, why wouldn’t you want to learn it.  I can’t believe it is so easy!

I used KAZ many years ago at my teaching centre, but I have to say, this newer version is far better and a lot more accessible for people.  

There are different programmes available; one for children with dyslexia, junior children, and even a version for children with ADHD. Furthermore, it is not just confined to children, because there is an adult version as well, so you may want to have a go yourself!

For further information, go to KAZ.

by Maria Chivers
August 2019

Why not give your child an advantage over the holidays and get them to touch-type? I am sure you wouldn’t mind sitting with them (although you don’t have to) for ¹15 minutes a day for five days. This will give them an excellent start when they return to school.  That’s it!  Just five days!

About Maria Chivers 

Maria Chivers is the founder of the Swindon Dyslexia Centre, which opened in 1991. 

She also operates the site, Dyslexia A2Z which is dedicated to raising awareness of Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, ADHD & other (SpLD’s). 

Maria, working with a team of highly trained specialists: tutors, psychologists and other therapists; in specific learning difficulties, has featured on radio and television, including ‘The Learning Curve’. 

She has taught in the IT department at Swindon College and is an international author on Dyslexia and other learning difficulties and has written several books, including:

• Alli Can’t Write: A Storybook for Children with Handwriting Difficulties including those with: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia & ADHD
• Dyslexia and Alternative Therapies
• Practical Strategies for Living with Dyslexia
• Dyslexia and Other Learning Difficulties – The Essential Guide
• Dyslexia and Other Learning Difficulties – A Parent’s Guide (out of print)
• Dyslexia The Inner Hurt (out of print)

Her book ‘Practical Strategies for Living with Dyslexia’ has been being translated into other languages.

Bett – the largest Innovative technology education show worldwide, nominated KAZ’s typing software as a Bett awards finalist 2019, for a second time.