Should children and people in general be taught to touch type?

What do you think? Is it necessary to teach how to touch type or should people be let to just learn it by doing?
I have seen many people doing it in the wrong way which decreases efficiency and may even harm your arms, that's what made me think about it.
Also, what ain your opinion are the best touch typing tools?

Definitely. I can touch type and it has helped me so much.

Although, they should try do it at a young age (so they can learn it faster).

People pick up bad habits by typing with two fingers or not using all their fingers.

I use every single of my fingers and type 130WPM+.

It's just muscle memory. Touch typing can become as second nature as moving the muscles in your mouth to talk.

They have handwriting lessons, so why not? The use of computers is so common in so many jobs and areas of education.

Pretty much every student will have to write up lots and lots of essays; use Google, buy stuff on eBay, use the computer in some form. When they go get a job, they may very well use it there. It will help them save time in their lives.

It's not really necessary since most will easily get by without a formal course - although basic instruction in correct hand posture, regular breaks from the display screen etc. will be far more beneficial to avoid RSI and eye strain in the longer term.

Technology changes very rapidly. A little more than 30 years ago, things like engineering drawings, building plans etc. were mostly hand drawn in pen and ink. Documents and letters were still produced on typewriters with armies of typists in typing pools who did nothing else all day. The modern computer and mouse destroyed the need for such drawing and typing skills virtually overnight.

As someone else pointed out, the user interface with computers is changing all the time: Speech recognition is evolving to the point of maturity and in the relatively near future, that too will be replaced with first, eye, and then direct thought control. The search is on for a more efficient method of recorded communication and it's only a matter of time before even keyboard skills will be made largely redundant.

Yeah but it'll be quite some time. Voice control (although not perfectly) has been implemented (Siri), but isn't reliable and I prefer typing than talking to a computer. You could argue that robots could take over all our jobs.

But, it won't be soon. Besides, learning to touch-type improves hand dexterity. You use your hands a lot. Maybe technology will improve, but you would still use your hands. Imagine a world where you don't move your hands at all - I wouldn't really like that. Hands are like your best friend.

People can't control their thoughts very well. Sometimes you "accidentally" think of wrong things. Actions are more "purposeful" - if that makes sense. I don't know how else to describe it so I used those words. For example, when you think about typing something, you could think of several other things at the same type but the act of typing is something more objective (clear).

I don't know if I'm missing something here but surely these days kids will learn how to touch type without any lessons? I can touch type pretty damn well and that's only through experience, not lessons. If I can learn through exp then the new generation certainly will be able to.

Posted from TSR Mobile