1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: Now do you think touch typing should be taught in schools? 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: It turns out the Education Minister, Erica Stanford considered putting 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: the touch typing in the school curriculum. Last year. She 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: asked NZQA where the pupils need to learn this in 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: order to be ready for online assessments. The idea seems 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: to have gone nowhere. Steve McCracken is the chair of 7 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,159 Speaker 1: the Secondary Principals Counsel and with US. 8 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 2: Hi, Steve, good afternoon, Heather. 9 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: Do you think it's necessary? 10 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 2: Look, there's no. 11 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 3: Doubt that a person who can touch type and type 12 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 3: as an advantage over those who who are not as 13 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 3: competent on the keyboards as others are. So look, there's 14 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 3: pros and cons both ways, right, But from my perspective, 15 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 3: I think that teaching the digital fluency is much better 16 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 3: for our young people than than just what I grow 17 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 3: up with. 18 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 2: In terms of touch typing or finger typing. 19 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: Do you go for the et finger, just the one 20 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: finger or do you go for the t rex with 21 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: the two on each hand? 22 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: It depends on the mood i'm in, Heather, To be 23 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: completely honest. 24 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: Okay, go all down, maybe get three involve Hey, how 25 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: does it take, do you think, teacher? I mean, I 26 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: can't imagine it's that hard to teach a kid how 27 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: to touched up? Must take what like one term? 28 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't know the exact details. 29 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 3: And of course each person learns at a different pace 30 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 3: and appearance that I've been speaking to in our particular school, 31 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 3: with some of even engaged in online learning through YouTube 32 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 3: and things like that, where they've put them out their 33 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 3: kids through their own kids, through the respective courses and 34 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 3: things and just sped things up. But yeah, young people 35 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 3: these days are far more digitally native, I suppose in 36 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 3: terms of that. 37 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 2: Rather than just the old keyboard warrior like I am. 38 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 2: Do you think? 39 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: Okay, So, assuming let's say a couple of these kids 40 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: go into one of the online assessments later in school 41 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: year eleven, year twelve, year thirteen, whatever, and they have 42 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: to type out an exam and one of them is 43 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: doing the t rex fingers and the other one is 44 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: doing the touch typing. Would the one doing the t 45 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: rex fingers genuinely be at a disadvantage and be unable 46 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: to complete their exam? Do you think because they can't 47 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: touch type? 48 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 3: I think they're at a disadvantage and anybody who's SAT 49 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 3: exams knows that the precious situations and you're trying to 50 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 3: get your ideas down really quickly, and having that ability 51 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 3: to type would be an advantage to compared to someone 52 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 3: who can't type. 53 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, but what does it displace if we start 54 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: teaching it as part of the curriculum. What are we 55 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: taking out of school learning to make place for this. 56 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 2: Darn good question. 57 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 3: The curriculum is pretty full already, and you know that's 58 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 3: why it could possibly be part of the digital fluency 59 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 3: and digital literacy that has been potentially coming into the 60 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 3: curriculum areas. But yeah, it's one skill in terms of 61 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 3: being able to type compared to the whole range of 62 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 3: being able to use technology and things like artificial intelligence 63 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 3: to the students advantage. 64 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 1: Good stuff. Hey, thank you very much, Steve, really appreciate 65 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: you talking us through it. Heather, Steve McCracken, Secondary Principles 66 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: Council Chair. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen 67 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: live to news talks. 68 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 3: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 69 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 3: on iHeartRadio.