Should I teach my kids Dvorak or QWERTY? English or metric?

[Alex Franke]

I noticed that my 4 year old is already learning his way around the QWERTY keyboard pretty well, and that got me to thinking. Maybe we should break the mold... maybe we should get some stickers and change the layout to Dvorak... maybe that would give the kids an edge later in life if they at least get by in QWERTY. Maybe I'm just crazy...

And then I started thinking about metric versus English system. I've been in the US since about age 7, so the English system is pretty much hard wired. But maybe it's time to bite the bullet and start using both for the kids' sakes.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone tried to make the switch to Dvorak? Anyone tried to make the switch to metric while living here in the States?

[radhak]

One might be impossibly tough, the other very easy.

Choice, ie.

The biggest issue with the keyboard is switching (as in learning) from one to another. Because the child can't learn in an isolated environment - you'd need to, too. Unless you plan set them up with an exclusive Dvorak machine; and then they are gonna be disadvantaged when at school, at least till they learn to fix each machine from the control panel (can't remember if the mac can change just as easily windows, ).

I have read somewhere that to switch from one to another (does not matter which) you need 100 hours of learning. Dunno what it would be for a child to learn from scratch. Certainly less, but it might be a moot point.

Intriguing question, but am not sure it's viable. But I am listening - ready to be convinced for the future good of my own kids.

As for the metric or not, metric is easier for calculation, comparison etc. But they'd need to know imperial just to keep up with conversions for others behind-the-times, like their dad !

[LCHIEN]

qwerty keyboards are everywhere....

Electrical Engineering is done to a large part in metric. I think I am more or less comfortable dealing with either system although lengths, speeds and volumes are easier for me than forces.

[LinuxRandal]

I still seriously consider trying to switch keyboards. I slashed a muscle in my pinky some years back, and it doesn't curve right, so I am more of a nine fingers typist.

Damaged hands is the best reason to switch, DVORAK, has one handed keyboard layouts. Otherwise, QWERTY is everywhere, and you may be slowing them down. If you want to help with speed, install a typing tutor game. They can gain speed, when others are still using the biblical method (seek and yee shall find).

[Kristofor]

99.9% of the keyboards they're going to use will be setup as QWERTY... Some large percentage of those will not allow them to modify the config (kiosks, controlled computer labs at school, many corporate environments, etc.) so learning QWERTY is mandatory, Dvorak can be a hobby if they're interested...

On metric vs. standard measures everything they learn in science past 3-4th grade will probably be in metric (at least that was my experience) except when they want to have them practice unit conversion.

I personally like degrees Fahrenheit for ambient air temperatures (obviously I can convert in my head to within a degree, but in my mind this particular unit is the stickiest). On the other hand tablespoons, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons (and lets throw in fluid oz.) have no such warm spot in my heart. Dump them all for liters and I'd be a happy camper.

I don't see any reason to force the issue, they'll learn both with a preference for metric for calculations most likely. Besides if everyone went that direction we might get stuck with the oddball 5'x5' (well, metric equiv.) size for our building materials

[DaveS]

Re: dvorak vs qwerty: This has been hotly debated on the interwebs and the general consensus is that everyone has an opinion.

The real question you have to ask about your budding young geek is:
vi or emacs?

Also, you really should nail down whether they are going to use tabs or spaces...

*these* are the important issues!

[Kristofor]

The real question you have to ask about your budding young geek is:
vi or emacs?

Ed, man!

Computer Scientists love ed, not just because it comes first
alphabetically, but because it's the standard. Everyone else loves ed
because it's ED!

[BigguyZ]

I agree with what a lot of people are saying. Stick with the standards he'll use in school and on a job. DVORAK will never replace QWERTY. So, teach him the standard that will work best for him. As far as English versus Metric, I say let the schools teach him what they do. I don't remember science classes or what-not teaching me the English system heavily, but even if you do know the English system, it's not hard to learn the Metric system at all. I mean it's all based on 10....

[twistsol]

The rest of the world is metric so teach your kids both well so they can easily convert back and forth in their heads. The business world is metric mor and more. I think in english units but can use either.

As far as dvorak, I learned it 20 years ago when the apple //c had a toggle for it on the keyboard. I can't think of a bigger waste of effort in my life.

[crokett]

Teach your kids the qwerty keyboard and metric. A guy here on my team at work has a dvorak keyboard at home and here in his office. However he gets frustrated each time he has to use a lab machine or any other with a qwerty layout, which is often. Metric they will actually use.

[JR]

"The West was won by the inch, the yard, and the mile." Anybody remember that one? Americans will never go metric. Ever.

JR

[herb fellows]

About 35 years ago (don't remember who was pres at the time), there was a push from the federal government to go metric. They had it all laid out, something like a 5 year plan to make the conversion.

It was big time news, then it just died! No idea why. I think it was one of those deals where people were whistling in the dark, hoping nobody would bring it up again. For all I know, it might have been popular opinion that killed it.

[vaking]

Voice recognition will replace keyboard before Dvorak will replace Qwerty. No need to learn Dvorak at all. Qwerty will stick around for a little but there is no need for you to teach it to your kid. Either he will pick it up himself or the school will teach it. This topic is like discussing whether you should buy Beta or VHS. The answer is obvious - skip both and get a DVR.
Metric system is more logical and easier than "Standard" to use and understand. I grew up with metric and used it exclusively for the first 30 years of my life. To be exact - I dealt with more than 1 metric system. I met British system first time when I came here fully grown up. I am comfortable with either system now. I do believe that America will eventually convert to metric (UK did). Most manufacturing is done outside US and all metric. Most engineering is done in metric even in US. "Popular opinion" that killed the conversion to metric in US also resulted in the fact that many engineers in US are foreign-born. Despite this - I believe that because metric is easier you should let the youngster learn the british system first. Getting used to metric system is not hard at all - he will pick it up when he needs it. Going the other way is more time consuming.

[cwsmith]

I'm pretty much a fan of having our children be skillful with the standards of their own country or region... but be familiar with "other" methods or ways. That way, if they are ever confronted with such things, they will be a step up on solving the challenge and reaching a successful conclusion.

Teach them QWERTY as that's the standard almost everywhere. I'm inclined to think that DVORAK is pretty much an oddity and I expect it will remain that for decades. Keyboarding may still exist a century from now, but it may well be replaced over time with whatever technology presents itself as a more efficient method (verbal translation or most likely something well beyond our imagination at this time).

As far as metric is concerned, I would highly recommend that they learn to become "familier" with the units as compared to U.S. units. I remember when "going Metric" was the absolute "must" back in the early 70's. Here we are some forty years later and metric is still just a side note for most U.S. businesses, getting about as close as including the "equivalent" in parenthesis following the U.S. unit. Bottom line (IMO) is that most of us in the U.S. are simply too set in our ways to ever go metric.

(Straight ISO metric had its detractors from the very beginning and there are a few countries that will have kept there favorite unit of mearsure from being lost to ISO dominance. For example, pressure units in the UK are "kg/cm2", in France it's the "bar", and the original ISO unit was kPA, IIRC.)

So, I'd suggest they become skilled in QWERTY (using proper keyboard skills, of course) and U.S Standard units of measurement. But, they should be familiar with Metric and its relationship to U.S. units and know where to look, in order to do a conversion; and of course, they should at least know what DVORAK is and why some might think it's a better keyboard system.

CWS

[garymuto]

My engineer education convinced me that the Metric (SI) system is much easier to use. Working in automotive, it is also the standard.
I'm not the best typist so I can't commetn on keyboards.