Rye City School District elementary students in grades 2 through 5 will start dedicated keyboarding instruction in January using a program called TypingClub.
The district announced the program Oct. 22, saying it will give students structured time to build typing proficiency, accuracy and efficiency. Second graders will use TypingClub for 10 minutes twice per six-day cycle. Students in grades 3 through 5 will get 10-minute sessions three times per cycle.
The district framed the sessions as tightly contained. The announcement said the practice periods will let students build skills
"without unnecessarily increasing overall digital learning time or displacing valuable paper-based, hands-on and other instructional experiences."
Families will also be able to access TypingClub at home through ClassLink, the district's online portal.
The new program arrives after months of community debate over how much screen time is appropriate in Rye classrooms.
At the Board of Education's June 16 meeting, parents lined up to voice concerns. Liza Forbes, a Rye resident with two children at Milton Elementary School, told the board that parents worry about games and chatting on Google Docs during class, the Rye Record reported in July.
"Many parents are concerned about games, in addition to chatting on (Google) Docs and other activities," Forbes said at the meeting.
That feedback prompted the district to conduct an internet use audit from mid-May to mid-June. The audit, which only measured activity on the district's wireless network, found elementary students averaged 10 to 45 minutes of screen time per school day, according to the Rye Record. Secondary students averaged 60 to 90 minutes.
Director of Technology Kaitlyn Sassone said some students were "persistently trying" to access blocked sites including Snapchat, ESPN and SoundCloud, according to the Rye Record. Students mostly tried on school-issued devices, but some also used personal hotspots and virtual private networks to get around filters.
Superintendent Tricia Murray told the Rye Record the district had established updated technology best practices and was implementing refinements to promote more balanced use of digital tools. The district also published a guide called "Technology for Learning: Beliefs, Principles, and Practices" outlining its approach.
The TypingClub announcement did not specify which of the district's three elementary schools, Midland, Milton and Osborn, will participate or whether the program replaces a prior keyboarding curriculum. Sessions are set to begin in January.
