Unit 6. Velotype. Element 3. Typing skills.
Learning all key combinations.
This video lecture gives an introduction to the Velotype keyboard
and the principle of how it works.
Besides that it will show the use of the Velotype academy
which is the interactive software
to learn how to use the Velotype step by step.
You will briefly see how the Academy is installed
and the structure of the software.
This is the agenda.
We will first look at how to get started with the Velotype.
Followed by the theory of the Velotype
and then how to use the Velotype Academy.
In the end the summary.
Getting started with Velotype.
The Velotype is recognized by the computer
as a standard USB keyboard.
It can directly be connected to the computer using the USB cable
and it is not necessary to install any drivers.
The only thing the user has to do
is to set the operating system in the menu of the Velotype.
That is Windows, Apple or Linux.
And besides that set the correct keyboard layout
that the computer expects
for example US international.
These settings can also be changed at any time if necessary.
More information about the settings and specifications
of the Velotype keyboard can be found in the manual.
The Velotype Academy software can be downloaded
from the Velotype website: www.velotype.com.
Select the correct operating system and install the software.
After starting the software, you will need to create the user.
Secondly you select the language in which you want to type or practice.
This will depend on the languages installed on your Velotype keyboard.
And then you can get started with the course.
Either starting the course from the beginning
continuing the course where you left off
or rehearsing lessons that you already finished.
Per lesson you can see an overview of the combinations in that lesson.
You can practice the combinations in a very visual way.
You can practise composed words.
You can do a repetition of the combinations
and words of that lesson.
And you can practise sentences
comprising of the words and combinations you learned so far.
The Velotype Academy will only work when a Velotype keyboard is connected.
The theory of Velotype.
Above you can see how the hands are placed on the Velotype keyboard.
The colors correspond to the fingers used for the keys.
For example, it can be seen that the most flexible finger of the hand
the thumb, plays an important role.
And even the palm is used to press keys.
The keyboard is divided into 3 parts.
To the left of the keyboard are the keys
that create the initial consonants of a syllable.
In the middle the keys to make the vowels.
And on the right the keys to make the final consonants.
We start typing some letters.
The first image shows how keys 1 on 1 correspond to single letters.
Some letters are created by pressing 2 keys at the same time
as shown in the second image.
In the third image shows that start consonants
vowels and end consonants
can be pressed simultaneously to create whole syllables.
And the final image shows a complete Dutch sentence.
A space automatically appears after each press of keys.
By simultaneously pressing the No-Space key
with the palm of the hand
the syllables are stuck together.
See the animations on the Velotype website:
www.velotype.com in the part of functioning-keyboard.
Using the Velotype Academy.
The Velotype academy is divided into 15 lessons.
In the first lesson you will learn the keys and key combinations
for the starting position.
On the screen you will see the keyboard and how to place the hands.
The key or keys which need to be pressed appear in a dark green color.
And below, between the hands, you will see what should be the result.
When you press the key or keys
the output of the Velotype will appear in the black textbox.
And in the yellow window you will get feedback
after you press the keys.
Either you pressed them correctly or incorrectly.
After you pressed the keys, the Academy will continue to the next combination.
After you progress, help from the hands and keys will disappear
and you will need to try to type the combinations without the help.
If you are stuck with this
you can always press on the Velotype professor icon
in the righthand bottom corner to change the level of assistance.
After learning the basic key combinations
it is time to combine syllables into words.
In a Starwars like screen, the composed words will appear
which need to be typed.
With every key combination on Velotype
you automatically get a space after it.
Unless you press the ‘No-space’ key with the palm of your hand.
So in the example above you would firstly press
the keys I (middle) and N (right) to produce the word 'in'.
And release the keys.
Then you press T (left) and O (middle) together with the No-Space key.
After practicing the composed words
you will repeat the combinations and combined words as extra practice.
It is important to thoroughly practice on individual words
before taking a next step.
And as a last step you start to practice the sentences.
You can go to the next line by pressing the ZZ combination.
It is not necessary to correct your mistakes at this time.
However if you would like to
you can erase the last combination you typed with either CRRC
to be remembered by the word CoRReCtion
or SNNS.
The summary.
In this video lecture we gave an introduction
how to use the Velotype keyboard and the Velotype Academy.
It is important to know your software and hardware.
When practicing the keyboard, be patient and disciplined.
As always, it is important to learn the key combinations correctly
so you will benefit from learning it correctly in the end.
From the start, don’t look at your hands!