Keyboarding Work Area Arrangement Keyboard placed directly in

Keyboarding

Work Area Arrangement �Keyboard placed directly in front of chair �Keyboard placed at the edge of desk or table �Monitor placed for easy viewing �Book behind or at side of the keyboard; top raised for easy reading

Keyboarding Technique �Sitting straight up in chair �Feet flat on floor �Fingers curved and upright over home keys �Wrists low, but not touching keyboard �Forearms parallel to slant of keyboard �Thumbs barely touching the spacebar �Keystrokes should be quick and sharp

Terms �SS: Single Space (leaves no blank line between typed lines) �DS: Double Space (leaves 1 blank line between typed lines) �TS: Triple Space (leaves 2 blank lines between typed lines) �QS: Quadruple Space (leaves 3 blank lines between typed lines) �Arrow keys: allows you to go anywhere in the document you have already typed without changing any of the characters typed. �CAPS LOCK: causes all letters to be capitalized without having to depress the shift key �Enter: used to return cursor to the left margin and down to the next line �Space bar: moves the cursor one space at a time. �Backspace: removes characters from the left �Delete: removes characters from the right

Terms �Shift key: used to make individual capital letters and symbols �Tab key: used to indent paragraphs or other parts of the document �Save as: allows you to name the file and decide its location (USE 1 ST TIME YOU SAVE) �Save: updates your file �Insert: shifts existing text over to make room for new text

Terms �GWAM: Gross Words A Minute �Errors: typing characters incorrectly and/or spacing incorrectly.

Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) �Result of repeated movement of particular part of the body. �Other names: �Repetitive motion injury �Musculoskeletal disorder �Cumulative trauma disorder �Example: tennis elbow �#1 occupational injury �Costing employers $40 billion a year in lost wages and health care

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome �Form of RSI �Inflammatory disease that develops gradually and affects the wrists, hands, and forearms �Blood vessels, tendons, and nerves pass through the carpal tunnel �When the vessels, tendons, and nerves are enlarged, CTS symptoms may result.

Symptoms �Numbness of hand �Tingling/burning in the hand, wrist, or elbow �Severe pain in forearm, elbow, or shoulder �Symptoms appear during sleeping hours �If not treated, you can experience severe pain in the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, or shoulder �Treatment: ranges from rest to surgery �Left untreated: may result in permanent damage or paralysis � 99% of people with CTS recover completely

Causes of RSI/CTS �Using awkward posture �Using poor techniques �Performing tasks with bent wrists �Using improper equipment �Working at a rapid pace �Not taking rests breaks �Not doing exercises that promote graceful motions and good techniques

How can I reduce the risk? �Arrange the work area in a natural comfortable position �Exercise and take breaks �Use good posture and proper techniques