The itype Program for Australian Primary Schools
itype is an Australian-developed online touch typing program designed specifically for primary school students. Built by Educators for classroom learning environments, the itype program teaches correct keyboard technique with typing accuracy and fluency in a structured, age-appropriate sequence.
The program supports students from Prep to Year 6 and is designed to fit seamlessly into Australian classrooms, helping schools build essential digital literacy skills that support everyday learning and online NAPLAN assessments.
How the itype Program Works
itype follows a structured learning sequence that focuses on accuracy first, then speed. Students are guided step by step to develop correct typing habits that support long-term, sustainable improvements.
Step-by-step lesson progression
Students begin by learning correct finger placement and the letters on the keys in home position, before expanding to the letters on the keys above and below home position. Once all the letters are learned, punctuation is introduced, repeating the drills with punctuation marks. As the students progress through the exercises, each drill increases gradually in complexity with words to include all the letters to practice using the correct finger on the correct key, the speed in the games increase to develop automaticity for the students to embed the neural pathways with muscle memory to correctly touch type .
Accuracy before speed
The program prioritises correct technique, typing each letter accurately to prevent poor habits that limit progress later. Drills must achieve a minimum accuracy level, otherwise they are repeated, the focus is on typing the correct letter over speed. There is no benefit if speed is the priority and incorrect letters are typed.
Self-paced student learning
Students progress at their own pace, it is not a race against other students, it is an individual learning experience, allowing teachers to cater for mixed ability levels within the same itype class.
Program Features
itype includes a range of features on the homepages, designed to support both students and teachers with information about the learning journey of touch typing.
Interactive typing lessons
Clear instructions helping students understand the importance of keeping hands in home position, repeating instructions to create the neural pathways to gain automaticity.
Engaging games and activities
Games reinforce skills while keeping students engaged, motivated and focused.
Teacher dashboard
Teachers can view student progress, monitor accuracy and speed, and identify students average accuracy scores across all drills, with a result of 95% accuracy and above. Teachers can access the learning outcomes of the students as they progress through the itype program.
Progress tracking and reporting
Student data provides measurable evidence of improvement with the progression of the program. Class average data is available with speed and accuracy results along with individual student speed and accuracy results as well.
Easy Setup for Schools
itype is cloud-based and designed to be simple to implement across different school environments.
No software installation
Students log in from any internet-enabled device.
Works on common school devices
Compatible with laptops, desktops and Chromebooks, Macbooks and iPads.
Flexible classroom use
Designed for the classroom, suitable for whole-class lessons, rotations for learning activities and learning support programs.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Schools using itype see confidence build in students when using a keyboard, efficient classrooms during online learning and competency with students during Naplan online assessments. Touch typing skills go beyond the classroom learning, through to university and chosen career pathways. Gaining the ‘life skill’ of touch typing is a huge advantage in a digital world.
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Students develop efficient typing habits that continue to improve over time as they practice using all learning areas of the national curriculum.
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Confident typing allows students to focus on content rather than mechanics. Massively reducing cognitive overload for students who previously worked on finding the key instead of the inspirational thoughts to achieve the task at hand.
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Correct technique supports comfort and stamina during longer writing tasks. Students with confident typing skills gain muscles in their fingers and muscle memory in their brains, making typing a task that requires minimal thinking time. Touch typing develops automaticity, where students can focus on the actual task and completely remove all frustration for the activity when using a keyboard.
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Typing can reduce barriers for students who struggle with handwriting. Strengthening muscles in the fingers and developing automaticity in the neural pathways enables students to have freedom in communicating when using a keyboard. Giving students confidence in their learning activities when previously it was a heightened frustrating activity.
Delivers measurable Learning outcomes
Data collected through itype shows a distinct clear difference between students who use the correct home position and those who do not. Students who maintain proper technique continue to improve their typing speed as they progress through the exercises, while those without correct finger placement often reach a plateau with lower accuracy and typing speeds and accuracy results don’t seem to change much. It is very obvious!
This program delivers meaningful, measurable learning outcomes that the teacher can assess and report to parents, the alignment the school has to the keyboarding expectations of the national curriculum for students to gain automaticity by year 5.
Designed for Australian Schools
itpe is used by primary schools across Australia and aligns with the national curriculum expectations, supporting digital learning across all learning areas of the curriculum. A large gap is currently seen with keyboarding in all learning areas, itype can remove this gap.
By choosing an Australian-developed typing program, schools gain a solution that reflects local content with a real Australian for all audio requirements, not an automated voice. itype incorporates local classroom needs to prepare students for assessment requirements like Naplan. All data is stored in Australia and stays in Australia.
See the itype Program in Action
The best way to understand how itype works is through a live demonstration of the itype program. Book an online demo to explore the school profile page, the teacher and student home pages and view a sample exercise. Discuss your school’s needs and discover how easy itype can be implemented effectively for your students to get started.
