Blog Post #13

What do elementary students think about technology use in the classroom?

A lot of times, people get so focused on what parents and teachers think of technology in the classroom. We even talk to older students about it. But what do the younger kids think? Watch these videos and then answer these questions:
What did the students seem to like most about using technology in their classes?
What did they not like?
Finally, did these videos encourage you more to using technology in your classroom? Why or why not?
(The last video is not exactly from a students point-of-view, but watch their reactions to using technology)

2nd Grade Students at T Clay Wood Elementary talk about Technology
Elementary Student Blogs: Innovative Classroom Technology
Mobile Technology- Benefits for Students with Special Needs at Eastern Howard Elementary School

What did the students seem to like most about using technology in their classes?
The students thought using different devices was fun or entertaining. Almost every kid said they loved using it, it made things fun for them. They liked that they were learning to use many different tools. They love that it's hands on and there are many different exciting ways to learn a new idea. I noticed they all liked different technologies. One liked the Kindle Fire, one liked the iPad, another liked the computer. Overall, they enjoy it much more than just books and paper work. Using iPads or Kindles or the internet opens their minds up and they can explore all new ways to learn.

What Did They Not Like?
Not a thing! I watched several videos, including these. Every kid in every video was obviously very enticed by the use of technology. No one had a negative thing to say and if you watch all the videos, you notice not a single kid is sitting there bored.

Did These Videos Encourage You? Why or why not?
Absolutely! I loved the way the kids were actually interested in what they were learning. It was awesome for a future teacher to see so many children excited about learning. I think that technology use is going to certainly benefit teachers just as much as it will students. With students ready to learn and looking forward to what they are going to use that day to do so, it's less work for the teacher to keep the students attention. They don't have to stand up there trying to make words from a textbook sound remotely interesting. They just have to point them to the webpage where they can discover things for themselves and have all sorts of hands-on experiences!