Do NOT use this app or service if you plan to use an iPad to teach keyboarding. It does not teach proper or appropriate keyboarding technique due to its constant affliction with bugs poor app performance. This app has produced nothing but tears when trying to teach keyboarding to children.
As someone that works in IT for a school that uses this app for 100+ students please heed my warning. We've tested many different methods using several models of lighting-attached keyboards, bluetooth keyboards, and the Keyboarding Without Tears (KWT) own proprietary keyboard inside the app and have run into constant issues with KWT recognizing keystrokes.
What is worse, bringing this issue to KWT developer's attention, their Customer Care Representative's official response is that "there are too many variables to garuntee[sic]" external keyboards working with KWT, with the suggestion to switch to a "chromebook, laptop, or desktop." This approach doesn't work for us since our school uses only iPads for coursework. The representative goes on to suggest that we use "only the internal keyboard on the Safari or Chrome browser [which] should make the program function better." However, our testing shows that using the website version of KWT's service isn't any better. Even if it did, then what exactly is the point of having a KWT iOS app?
This app alleges to teach appropriate keyboarding to children, but the children using this app/service are learning anything but proper keyboarding technique since the app doesn't recognize when the correct keys are pressed either on a physical keyboard or the app's own keyboard. We've run into an issue where in order for a student to type a capital F in their KWT lesson, even though where were properly holding the "Shift" key and pressing the "F" key at the same time, the app continued to recognize the action as a typo. Once again I stress: this was using KWT's own onscreen keyboard inside the app. We found that the student needed to use BOTH the KWT onscreen keyboard to hold the "Shift" key, then press the "F" key on their physical keyboard attached via lightning cable. How is that any way to teach proper keyboarding technique?
Not to mention, KWT's proprietary keyboard doesn't even operate in the same manner as the default iOS keyboard, so even if this app were to teach our children how to type, they would need to relearn how to use the iOS keyboard. The children in our school are becoming frustrated and learning more how to work AROUND the errors riddled in this poorly implemented app and service, resulting in hunting-pecking and other behavior discouraged in a competent keyboarding class (or app).
KWT please fix your atrocious app to at least use the default, built-in iOS keyboard that every single iOS device uses instead of your pathetic excuse for an onscreen keyboard. I will do nothing but continue to steer teachers, students, parents, and other IT personnel in education away from your service.
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