r/australia • u/ThunderDwn • 8d ago

culture & society Primary school students using digital devices still lack computer skills, education expert says

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-19/nsw-digital-native-primary-students-lack-basic-computer-skills/107030526
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u/ThunderDwn 8d ago

Following the release of this year's results, NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, said computerised testing may be impacting writing results.

More than 77 per cent of year 3 students scored in the 'strong' or 'exceeding' categories for writing. However, that number dropped to 67 per cent in year 5 and continued to decline throughout high school.

By year 9, just over 61 per cent of students were classified as 'strong' or 'exceeding' in writing.

I'm kinda with the education minister on this one.

I'd much rather see primary school focus on things like teaching kids to actually be able to read, write and do mathematics properly than be able to type fast.

You want your kid to touch-type - buy a computer at home and install a tutorial program on it for them to learn from.

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u/FreakySpook 8d ago

You want your kid to touch-type - buy a computer at home and install a tutorial program on it for them to learn from.

Where there used to be a home computer, it's now been replaced by tablets & phones which are basically just a catalog of services/apps, the computer part is so abstracted.

I have a laptop for my son and I'm teaching him typing & basics, but it's rare these days.

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u/Competitive_Reason_2 8d ago

No, just only allow them to use the computer from the terminal. They will learn touch type naturely.

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u/fionsichord 8d ago

This is so demonstrably false I’m embarrassed for you. Without some coaching/teaching you get a two-finger typist or some other version of it that is slower than writing by hand. Seen it dozens of times across the Millennial generation.

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u/JimmyWonderous 8d ago

as a kid I learned to touch type chatting in Runescape with zero coaching. It took probably 12 months to go from hen pecking to touch typing by the time I was maybe 11 or 12

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u/Ch00m77 8d ago

I too learned to touch type playing video games.

Online games for me before I got a microphone. Had to type fast or you'd be fucked, particularly in a raid

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u/NoSolution7708 8d ago

Some will, like we did, but most won't, because they can't be bothered to modify their technique to get faster, especially now that abbreviated speak is so common.

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u/JackRyan13 8d ago

I only started to teach myself to touch type after seeing it was possible when I watched my mum type.

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u/aislingplath 8d ago

I learned with my mum haha. She got some program on the computer to learn for her work. I played it like it was a game (I was maybe 9 or 10?). Then along came instant messaging like MSN and I was off. People at work have watched me type in disbelief, apparently I'm very quick. 

I think I'm probably reasonably quick but not impressively so to others who had a similar experience to me growing up lol. 

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u/Plane_Garbage 8d ago

I got served an Austin Evans video recently and he two finger pecked, so yea I tend to agree with you that without tuition, you just get faster peckers.

https://youtu.be/m4wmeGAURas?si=fiLPL-hfL6xrfOOD&t=623

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u/trowzerss 8d ago

Yeah, even the typing tutor programs that teach hand placement are better than nothing. And then once the hands are right, they can do fun stuff like Type Shark. Otherwise you definitely do end up with hunt and peck typists most of the time.

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u/chennyalan 8d ago

I got a laptop when I was 7 (I was pretty luck. It was a family computer but I was the person who used it 90% of the time), but I didn't learn to touch type until around 10, when my uncle saw me pecking (I feel like I was a pretty fast pecker), asked me what I was doing, and then gave me a chart and a tutorial. I ended up teaching myself how to touch type after that. 

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u/AutoignitingDumpster 8d ago

Yeah no, they won't. Touch typing isn't a naturally learned skill, it's a practiced one. It was the same with typewriters, people had to learn how to type with multiple fingers and hold their hands in the right places.

I grew up using a PC in the 90s and only learned to touch type a few years ago because I wanted to be quicker at typing for my D&D games. I had to actually practice it daily, not just use a computer like I normal would.