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I interviewed twelve fifth grade students in a combination of individual interviews and group interviews. All of these interviews occurred in my classroom, where technology is almost always present in some form. The twelve interviewees taught me very valuable lessons about their wants and the ways they best learn. Based on my takeaways, I believe teachers need to allow students to have their say in learning, and allow student feedback about their best learning methods.

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Of all of the students I interviewed, the biggest themes were:

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"Technology makes school more interesting, but at the same time we don't use it enough. Some days we only use the SMART board and the kids aren't engaging with it much."

"We should play games for school, like the Cafe game for budgeting."

"I learn best when we do projects or centers using computers and iPads for some of the time."

"Teachers should try more to make school like a realistic job where we learn how to do things."

"Using videos more can take less time or can be better by myself because I can rewatch it and really listen."

"Using computers in every class makes learning easier and faster, like when we type on the computers instead of writing everything."

"Using books are good because, if you'd let us, we could take them home and really dig deeper to practice or learn more, or study."

"What about learning games, like ABCya, for practice? I only get time to play games like that at home."

"Using technology in school makes it an easier process. For example, if we didn't have a printer, you would have to write every single thing. It also helps us not have to use textbooks."

"Technology is more fun because we don't get to use it very much and it's still a new way of learning.  Sometimes it's more helpful to do our work on a computer."

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For Students, By Students: What They Want!

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For Students, By Students: What They Want!

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What do you want to change about learning?

"We want to work with groups , we want to use technology everyday, we want to use creative and messy crafts, and we want to be more active."

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"I don't want to use technology all the time, but I want to use it more than we do now. I think 30 minutes per day would be good, or maybe like 10 minutes at the end of each class."

At first, this small group of students agreed that they should be able to use technology for at least 10 minutes per day. This shocked me! I feel as if, in my class, students use technology at least 3-4 days a week, sometimes more. When they do, it is for a minimum of at least 10 minutes. However, they almost never use any technology in specials or math, and very rarely use it in reading. When they are exposed to any technology in reading class, it's very brief. So if I don't incorporate technology, my students can go days and even weeks without using devices. Through the above discussion, students decided that an appropriate balance would be that each class allows technology usage and that 10 minutes per class would be a useful amount of time to learn or practice the content, while enhancing their digital skills. This takeaway is important for my implementation and for me to work with other teachers in the school.

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"At home, I use my iPad and phone to watch YouTube, play games, and Snapchat. So I use them to learn and contact friends. I also use my computer at home to do my homework like EdPuzzle and Google Classroom."

They already use their own digital tools at home and are knowledgeable about the need for digital use in the classroom. They discussed a preference for computers and the desire to become better typists, but also the desire to use iPads more because they don't know much about how to use them effectively.  We need to build on their prior knowledge about technology to enhance their 21st century skills!

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"We shouldn't be on the carpet everyday for more than a few minutes. I like to be at my desk because when you're sitting down low, you get tired really easily."

At first, I couldn't believe that my students said they prefer to sit at their desks than on the floor! Most of the time when I allow them to sit anywhere they want to work on something, they choose the floor. The like to lay out, sit against bookshelves, etc. This led me to assume that they prefer to sit on the carpet right in front of me for whole class instruction, but they expressed that they actually dislike this during any whole group lessons or explanations. Instead, all five within the small group that brought this topic up said that they want to sit at their desks where they can sit tall, focus, and listen. I'm glad they expressed that feeling so that I can adjust my methods of teaching.

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"Instead of a plain old paper with questions, we learned fractions with food in third grade and we will remember it."

They are very aware of how little of an impact paper-and-pencil learning has. Students feel that they cannot remember information if they have only seen it on paper. Simple techniques can keep students more engaged and motivated to remember the content. While discussing the fraction activities, these students shared their use of Oreos, Cheerios, and oranges throughout the year to help them remember fraction basics. Two years later, they still use that information. I feel that I've heard more negative feedback about paper-and-pencil learning this year than in all of my years of teaching combined. This part of the interview highlighted our need to listen to students about the ways they learn best!

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"It would be more interesting if we were more active. Sometimes we are just sitting down and writing. When you're just sitting the whole day and you're tired, you can't learn anything." (Interview 1)

"I would like more activities because most of the time we are sitting down listening to a teacher telling us stuff." (Interview 2)

Adults ensure that they don't sit all day by incorporating breaks and routines to move about. Teachers hardly ever sit! But after multiple students in two separate interview groups brought up the constant sitting and low levels of activeness, I was more aware that our students are almost almost sitting on the floor or at a desk. They know that they learn best when they are able to move about more.

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"I like doing crafts for learning. I like being really messy, like when we made slime to learn states of matter."

This shouldn't be surprising, but why don't we do it more? Kids love to get messy! This would be a great way to keep them engaged in what they are learning.

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"I learn best in groups with other people or with partners because it's boring when you just learn by yourself." (Interview 1)

"Less sitting down and more activities with socializing makes it more fun for everybody." (Interview 2)

This wasn't new information to me. I like collaborating with others too. What was surprising, though, was how often students feel they are forced to work alone when they know they will do better by being able to discuss a difficult math problem, an interesting book they're reading, or the video they watch over and over because it doesn't make sense. Student choice and voice allows them to expand their learning by sharing ideas and learning more from others. Sometimes, a classmate can explain something better than anyone else. Additionally, working together is a skill they must have for their future. We need to allow a natural amount of collaboration in the classroom and step back from whole group lecture style as much as possible.

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"I like learning when I read alone because I can make the people's voices in my head."

Sometimes students do enjoy learning alone if it is interesting to them. While exploring this idea, I was surprised to hear that some of the students in my group don't like reading very much because they lose interest in a lot of books they read at school. Instead, they said they love scary books and mysteries, or books that have sudden changes. By learning their interests about individual learning, I can hopefully help contribute to their reading skills as well.

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Students love using technology throughout the day in meaningful ways, but also for fun. They do not like doing worksheets. They do not like sitting on the carpet. Using one tech tool for ten minutes per day allows students access to learn many different methods of accessing information and becoming digitally literate, therefore preparing them for our current world. Technology use in the classroom does not have to be a burden; students can help by coming up with great ideas. Students love to use technology to play games and practice what they have learned in fun and memorable ways.