Tap the Screen

Students have integrated technology into their lives seamlessly because a connected world is the only world they have ever known. In the twenty-first century, it is impossible for teachers and parents to know and understand “the whole child” without knowledge of the everyday technology experiences, activities, and skills in which students engage. This study is framed as an ethnographic exploration of student technology use in the qualitative tradition focusing on students in Grades 3–8. Seventeen focus groups were conducted and findings from these focus groups were grouped into eight primary categories, including “Technology Device Access and Use,” “Gaming,” “Electronic Book Readers,” “Television and Online Video,” “Imposed Limits on Technology,” “Communicating Using Technology,” and “Technology in the School Environment.” “Other Observations” offer additional patterns that emerged.