UltraKey

Reviewer: Barbara Hitchcock
Special Education Teacher
Regional School District #8
Hebron, Connecticut
BLunHitch@aol.com

UltraKey Software by Bytes of Learning
http://www.bytesoflearning.com/
Published: 2000
Available on CD for Mac or PC
Evaluated on: iMac with system 9.1
Single copy: 49.95, 5 lab-pack $139, with other sitel licences available.
Reviewed: October, 2001
Rating: A+

UltraKey (Version 4.0.5b) by Bytes of Learning provides the learner with a patient keyboard coach, which can be a critical factor in building independent skills, especially for students with learning difficulties. Easily accessed menu options focus on: Posture, Fingers, Lessons, and Skills that can be reviewed at any time. Options and directions can be read by the computer, an important feature making this a potentially effective program for use with students with reading difficulties. 

The "Posture" lessons provide visual models of optimal seating and positioning. One novice learner (a gifted third grade student with writing difficulties) who assisted with this review found this feature particularly  helpful. Finger reaches and positions are described and modeled in the "Fingers" option. "Lessons" provides a list of the various keyboard skills taught by the program. These lessons do not have to be completed  sequentially which allows the learner to select need areas for instruction and/or practice. A "Skills" option provides the learner with a method of assessing individual progress. One feature which teachers may find  especially important is the ability to track student progress.

Feedback was obtained while reviewing UltraKey with a variety of learners ranging in age from 8-16. While some students with cognitive delays found the lessons to be "too hard," feedback was generally positive from students of average to above the average ability. One middle school student with severe reading delays was able to operate the program independently due to the auditory feedback and directions.  Observations indicated a need for teachers to observe carefully as students are learning the format of the  lessons, as it was not always apparent to the learner that the on-screen keyboard provided visual prompting for finger location. Once students became aware of this scaffold, they appeared less likely to glance at the keyboard for assistance in remembering correct finger placement. 

A "Warm up" option was another helpful feature, as it provides a quick refresher of previously learned skills before the student selects a new lesson. This would be especially helpful both as reinforcement and for  situations where daily opportunities for practice are not always available. Most students found the program to be easy to operate, and "very helpful" at helping them improve their keyboarding skills.     

A few words of caution: some students expressed frustration during the sentence practice exercises due to the fact the program does not allow self-correction.  In addition, while documentation indicates the program will work with Windows 95/98/NT and Power Macintosh computers (Power PC with MacOS 7.5 or later) it would not operate on an older Macintosh Power PC running system 7.6.5.  An iMac with system 9.1 was utilized for this review.

For its overall ease of use with a variety of learners, its ability to provide the patient tutoring and practice needed by novice learners to improve their familiarity and facility with keyboarding skills, and the internal options allowing for teacher assessment of learner progress, UltraKey deserves an A+ Rating.

Editor's Note:

Conrad Noll, from Bytes of Learning, sent us quite a nice positive response to this review. With his permission I am adding the paragraphs below from his letter. We encourage publishers to react to our reviews and will add comments when they help to strengthen the review.

"You are correct about sentence practice in lessons not allowing self-correction. The overriding concern in all lessons is for students to develop a fluid and easy technique and not worry about speed or accuracy. Later, in the skill checks and during open typing in 'Typing Forum', the teacher or the user has the option of allowing 'editing'. Teachers may set this option for classes, or all users in the Management section of the program. Teachers and administrators can also allow the user/student to control this option, along with several others, if desired. When student control is allowed in Management, the option setting is available to the user/student under 'Edit' in the pull down menu.

Actually it is the box and our 4 color flyer that claim the program will work on System 7.5 and later. The documentation and all other information we have published correctly indicates that system 8.1 or higher is needed. We are aware that the box and flyer is misleading and will be correcting this at the next printing.

Thanks again for this excellent and very encouraging review."