Typing Speed Trials for Writing III: All but over

There is less than a month to go in Writing III, and many of you have yet to achieve the typing speed threshold of 100 or more words typed in five minutes. That's 20+ wpm, average, sustained for 5 mins. May I remind you that this is a pass/fail requirement?

Those of you who have passed already need read little more of this post than this reminder that next semester the threshold will rise to 150 or more words typed in five minutes. That's 30+ wpm, average, sustained for 5 mins. That will be a pass/fail requirement for Writing IV.

For those of you who have not passed yet, there are a two basic reasons:

1. Lack of typing practice in and especially outside of class.
2. Tardiness, incompleteness or inaccuracy of typing speed trial submissions.

Re: item one - If your typing speed trials are still running in the 40-60 words typed in five minutes range, you probably are overdue in getting the inverse number of hours (60-40 hrs.) of typing practice. If we were a third of the way through the semester (week five), that might mean an average of hours of typing and typing practice per week for the next ten weeks.

However, with only about four weeks left this semester, this now means that hours and hours of typing and typing practice each week may be necessary for you to achieve the typing speed threshold for this semester. I sincerely hope that you will get as much typing practice as you need in the next couple of weeks, and surpass the typing speed threshold of 100+ words typed in five minutes soon.

Re: item two - Read your gmail, for example:

Timely, complete and accurate submission of typing speed trials on the schedule below constitute class attendance:

1st period (IIIc1) Wednesday 09:00 - 09:15; &
2nd period (IIIc2) Wednesday 10:40 - 10:55....

If you are more than a couple of minutes late [to class or starting up your computer], it is virtually impossible to submit a typing speed trial on time. So don't bother trying. Spend what little class time you have on class work, updating your proto-portfolio, writing and revising posts on your blog (book reviews, essays & quickposts), commenting on your classmates' essays and neighbors' blogs, and responding to comments from your neighbors on your blog.

If you miss a typing speed trial, do it yourself _outside of class_ in the most recent TypingSpeedTrial-wxyz document that you have. Then gmail yourself the complete document (to save a copy from a laboratory computer), and use it to compile a complete, on-time typing speed trial for submission during the first 15 minutes of the next class meeting. Your instructor will not check late submissions.

You must submit typing speed trials this semester until you can consistently type 100+ words in five minutes. 100+ word typing speeds are a pass/fail requirement of Writing III. You may need extensive practice; if so, get it outside of class. Next semester, the threshold will be 150+, so even if you have surpassed 100+ already, I suggest that you keep practicing.

(personal correspondence: June 18, 2007)

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