Technology use in elementary school classrooms

Technology has become ubiquitous in childrens everyday lives, both inside and outside of school. And yet, in the year 2013, some schools and teachers do not utilize and leverage the advantages of educational technologies to improve students learning opportunities. Survey and interview data were collected from two different 5th grade classrooms. Results indicated that most students favor technology because it sparks their interest and assists them in their learning experiences. Teachers reported that technology they used in the classroom has had a positive impact on both their instruction and student learning. These results suggest that students are well prepared to take on assignments that require them to use technological skills and to build on those skills to gain technological literacy. Therefore, for our action project, we designed an assignment involving technology that would fulfill some of the 5th grade Common Core State Standards in both writing and speaking and listening