Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

[DodgerGirl]

If you ever wanted to learn the ABC's of typing you probably had a copy of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing when you wanted to brush up on your typing skills. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing was a popular bestselling typing game since it made it's debut on the PC in the 80's. And while some people think Mavis Beacon is a real person she actually is a fictional character and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing has released different editions every year even a kids version was made in the 90's and is still going strong today. I remember sampling Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing at a Learningsmith store and was amazed at how well Mavis Beacon taught typing the easy way
Did you ever have Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing on your computer?

 

[NYCgrrl]

I knew of the existence of the Mavis Bacon course but pointedly refused to pay any attention to it. I felt learning typing and/or steno was a direct path into the pink ghetto and tbh I was done with societal and professional restraints. My older sister was much more practical than me so she took the MB classes; served her well.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Yes!! I loved it. It's definitely the reason I'm a good typer!

 

[sam_gordon]

I think I tried it for my kids. They didn't really take to it.

I learned how to type in high school on a typewriter. I still remember the book was put together "long ways" so you could prop it up like a easel as you typed from it.

 

[tony67]

I learned how to type in high school on a typewriter.

Same here. Also Accounting, Home Economics, Shop, sewing, cooking, photography and basic electronic circuits.

All stuff you really need to know, that I still use many years later.
These are things they don't teach anymore in my experience, which is unfortunate.

Anyway back to the topic, I recall the software but never used it.

 

[Newsies]

Mavis Beacon was my jam in elementary and middle school (for lack of other computer games)! I thought it was so much fun and I ended up "completing" the course in my free time during computer class.

It was all fun and games until another boy in my class and I did so well at Mavis Beacon we won an 8th grade award for Outstanding Achievement in Computers. He turned to me as we held our certificates up for the photo in front of our entire class and whispered, "I feel like such a nerd"

 

[GAN]

I've never heard of it. I DO remember taking typing class in 8th grade ...I hated that class! Now, almost 50-years later I can hold my own!

 

[lanejudy]

I also learned to type on a typewriter (and I took a typewriter to college for all my papers as well!). I don't think I've ever heard of Mavis Beacon. My DD learned keyboarding with a program called Typing Club.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think I tried it for my kids. They didn't really take to it.

I learned how to type in high school on a typewriter. I still remember the book was put together "long ways" so you could prop it up like a easel as you typed from it.

Same. Typing class in high school continues to pay dividends for me. You need good keyboard skills in pretty much everything you do these days.

I took my IBM Selectric to college with me. Kids these days have no idea the stress involved with composing a research paper at the keyboard of a typewriter. I like to remind my kids often how great they have it.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Haven't heard of it. Showing my age is, I took typing in High School. I'm a good and fast typer.

 

[princesscinderella]

Yes we learned at my school with the Mavis Beacon program

 

[nursejackie]

Yes I used it about 24 years ago, and even though I've never been in secretarial work, it came in handy when writing assignments for my uni degree. I can still touch type now, it's like riding a bike Thanks Mavis

 

[loves to dive]

I think I tried it for my kids. They didn't really take to it.

I learned how to type in high school on a typewriter. I still remember the book was put together "long ways" so you could prop it up like a easel as you typed from it.

Yep, learned it on a big ole manual typewriter in high school. I did the whole secretarial thing so by 10th grade my teacher had me typing on a typewriter with no letters on the keys. I used to type so fast the keys would get stuck. Something satisfying about hearing those keys clack and reaching up and hitting the return lever. I also took shorthand and some bookkeeping classes. All served me well as I went from being a secretary, to a property manager to the Financial Manager of a tech firm.

 

[tvguy]

I've never heard of it. I DO remember taking typing class in 8th grade ...I hated that class! Now, almost 50-years later I can hold my own!

I took typing classes during summer school two summers when I was in Junior High School. Didn't hate the class, my summer school classes were almost always classes I took for fun. Yup, manual typewriters with blank keys to force you to learn where the home row was and where the letters were.
And it's not called typing class anymore, it's "keyboarding".

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Yes we did. I don’t think our sons enjoyed it all that much though but at the time it was very necessary.

 

[sam_gordon]

And it's not called typing class anymore, it's "keyboarding".

Which makes sense. Typewriters didn't have F keys, number pads, directional arrows, etc.

 

[porschegrl]

I'm another one who learned to type on an actual typewriter. I've always been a good typist, which I'm sure I can attribute to that training. But the main thing I remember from that class is getting stung by a bee.

 

[tvguy]

Which makes sense. Typewriters didn't have F keys, number pads, directional arrows, etc.

Or like I mentioned, in typing class, the keyboard was completely blank to force you to memorize where the keys were from the keyboard poster on the wall.

 

[cabanafrau]

I knew of the existence of the Mavis Bacon course but pointedly refused to pay any attention to it. I felt learning typing and/or steno was a direct path into the pink ghetto and tbh I was done with societal and professional restraints. My older sister was much more practical than me so she took the MB classes; served her well.

Learned in HS back in the days of typewriters. It was encouraged strongly for those headed to college, and boy was I glad I could handle producing my own papers, via typewriter and computer -- along with making things like computer programming classes more manageable.

 

[sam_gordon]

Or like I mentioned, in typing class, the keyboard was completely blank to force you to memorize where the keys were from the keyboard poster on the wall.

What does that have to do with changing the class name?