Chinese Input Method Practice – a letter to parents

I sent a letter to parents today asking for their support to help their kids to learn a Chinese input method based on structures of Chinese characters:

Dear Parents,

Please get yourself and your kids familiar with the following Chinese input method. We plan on using it as a way to help your kids to learn Chinese characters while at the same time to learn how to type Chinese in computers.

In several weeks we’ll ask your kids to start learning this Chinese input method. They are also expected to do some of the homework using this input method later on. Please ask them to practice it first and provide any feedback as much as you can.


和 码 在 线 输 入

http://www.hezi.net/he/hema/OnLine/Online_FrameSet.htm

Video about – he ma zi gen biao:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeMaOuyang#p/f

Some questions/answers:

Why not use PinYin input method?

It took way less time for kids here to learn Pin Yin. Once they get to know Pin Yin they found it really easy to “learn” Chinese. As a matter of fact, they are not actually learning Chinese, they are learning Pin Yin. If they are given a book/newspaper, chances are they don’t know what those characters are! That’s the typical case for kids in many Chinese schools. However, A successful Chinese program cannot allow kids to be illiterate. Because, unfortunately, no articles in books/newspapers are written in Pin Yin. Simply put, Pin Yin is NOT Chinese. It is so important that a Chinese program should focus ONLY on characters, not Pin Yin.

It is our intention to delay teaching Pin Yin until kids build a close, solid, relationship with characters. The same way goes to input method, we have to pick an input method based upon the structures of Chinese characters, not Pin Yin. We are NOT ONLY teaching kids to learn Chinese input method, we are at the same time take this opportunity to facilitate their learning of Chinese characters.

Why Not Wu Bi Zi Xing (WB) Input Method?

Everyone knows WB is the most widespread input method based on structures of Chinese characters. I pick He Ma for two reasons:

1) The learning curve for WB is huge. It assumes that learners already knew many Chinese characters and knew their structures. It’s not for kids, especially kids here with limited Chinese language exposure. It takes a fair amount of time to learn it, which is not practical for language learners.

2) WB cannot be used in cell/smart phones. He Ma, as the first input method, can be used both in keyboard and cell phone’s number pads because its internal codes are numeric, not English letters. Its input program can be used in PC, laptop and smart phones running operation systems like MS Mobile. We want your kids to learn an input method that is useful even after they leave our Chinese school and benefit from it. What they learned from PC can be used in cell phone to type Chinese in a numeric pad too.

3) In addition, He Ma has an online input interface so that you can type in Chinese in any operating system without installing any software, even in a cell phone. After you have used it first time online, you can type in Chinese offline afterwards!