We are currently reviewing UltraKey Online Family Subscripton from Bytes of Learning in our homeschool.  My kids love it!  This program really makes learning to type fun.

UltraKey Online Family Subscription

UltraKey Online

Typing Course

Easy To Use

Self Paced

Family Subscription for up to 8 people

Ages 5+ – Adult

(8+ independent, and ages 5-7 with parental involvement)

Engineered for all Mac OS X and Windows computers

UltraKey is a self paced typing program, and likely the only typing training program you’ll ever need.  All you need is a subscription, a computer with a keyboard, and internet service.  You can set personal goals and proceed to achieve them at your own pace.   It is adaptable to various ages and skill levels.

Lessons:

UltraKey Online lessons are self paced and accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There are 12 main lessons and you can use the program at your convenience and take as long as you need to master each lesson.  UltraKey Online uses voice supported instruction, and the lesson format includes audio voice, video, and graphic animation.  Lessons appeal to a wide range of learning styles and skill levels.

Dashboard:

Each student has their own dashboard.  From your dashboard, it is easy to access lessons, set goals, see progress, print awards, and generate and print reports too.

The parent / family administrator also has a dashboard and can view and access the records, goals, reports, etc of all of their students at the same time or view each student individually.

Goals and Reports:

UltraKey has a great record keeping system.  It is easy to access everything you need and helps parents review and keep up with their students progress.  Parents can adjust program settings to guide the students as they operation the program, or leave it in default mode and the student can control their own settings.  You can easily print progress reports for individual students to keep in their portfolio and also reports for the entire class of students if you are teaching more than one.

Parents and students can also create or import their own content for further practice or customized practice if desired.  The program is flexible and allows you the option to import occupation-related, religious, or topics of your choice for practice and testing.

UltraKey is individualized learning and practice.  You can choose from several different levels from beginner to very advanced.  Many different options are available for challenge levels and the amount of practice can be tweaked to your individual preferences.  It helps identify remedial problems and offers help if needed.  Other ways UltraKey encourages progress is that it praises the student as typing improves and congratulates students when goals are achieved.

Game Zone

Game Zone is a lot of extra fun for the kids if they want to use it.  It helps build typing knowledge and fluency.

There are different categories to choose from such as:

• Mixed Up Words
• Spelling’s Important
• What’s Missing
• To The Finish
• Rhymin
• Capitals Capitols

International Typing Performance Standard

With UltraKey Online, you can also generate certifiable typing performance reports based on International typing assessment standards.  Below are the key International standards set for typing performance:

• 5 keystrokes is a typing word.
• The gross speed is the number of typed words per minute.
• A typing word error is any typing word with one or more errors in it.
• The net speed score is the gross speed less a penalty of 2 typing words per typing word error, per minute.
• The best speed is the highest net typing speed.
• The accuracy score is the number of correct keystrokes, divided by the overall number of keystrokes completed.

Video

Here is a video that explains more about how UltraKey Online works.

Our Experience

I am very pleased with our Family Subscription to UltraKey Online.  Before using it with our kids, I spent some time exploring the instructional interface, and the management dashboard to familiarize myself with the program.

In the “Dashboard” section, I can set goals and choose various settings.  I can also let my older kids set their own goals and give them more freedom to create their own unique experience with the program.

All three of my older boys (ages 17, 15, 13) have used this program for 20 to 30 minutes almost every day.  They all love using it.  Two of the three boys are audio visual learners.  One of the three boys can easily learn from just about any kind of program regardless if it is audio visual or not.  This program has met the needs of all three of them.

Two of my younger kids have also used it a few times a week though they are proceeding much slower than the older kids.

The fact that the kids can play the video lessons, and listen to the instructions, and then follow the examples has been a great help to them.  They started out completing the introductory videos, setting up his dashboard preferences, and set their typing level to beginner and practice level to heavy.  At the end of practice each day they do skills checks and typing tests.  Each day they practice, they make more and more gains in this program.

The 13 year old has improved from typing 7 words per minute to 27 words per minute with 99% to 100% accuracy consistently.

He just finished the program two days ago, got his diploma, and asked me to wipe the program clean so he can start over and improve his score.

After he started over and rewached everything from the beginning, his first few lessons and skill checks he was already mastering 34 words per minute.  We will see if he maintains that and continues to improve.  He is highly motivated to master this program.

My 15 year old really loves this program too.    He has improved from typing 10 words per minute to typing 24 words per minute with 100% accuracy.

Here is an example of the progress the 15 year old made during three of the lessons and skill tests.  Each day he worked through the program, I could see that he put in his best effort.

Skills test 1: 10 words in 1 minute 96%

Skills test 2: 20 words in 2 minutes 99%

Skills test 3:  22 words in 2 minutes with 99% accuracy.

and so on.

Every day when he is finished, he prints out a report of his skills check.   It records what he typed, for how long, how many wrong keys, missed keys, additional keys, etc and generates a score of words per minute/accuracy percentage/result of passing or not.  This has been great feedback for him.

My 17 year old is an independent learner.  He has taken a typing class before, but did not have this kind of instant feedback to his efforts and see these kind of results.  He is really enjoying this program and has improved from typing 15 words per minute to currently typing 30 words per minute with 99% to 100% accuracy.

UltraKey Online Family Subscription is great for a wide range of ages in the family.  My kids are enjoying using it.  The younger kids need more time and practice than the older ones to grasp the concept, but they too are doing really well with the program.  I hope to start my youngest son as well as my husband and myself as students on it soon since we have the large family subscription with space for up to 8 people of any age from the same family.  I can’t wait to see my own typing skills improve as much as I have watched my kids skills improve.  The results from this program are very impressive!

Social Media

Be sure to check out Bytes of Learning and the UltraKey Online Family Subscription on their social media links for all the latest news, updates, and product information.

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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/BytesofLearning

Blog https://www.bytesoflearning.com/blog

Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using this product in their homes.