The SAMR Model And Its Use In The Classroom

The SAMR model is one that has been developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura.  The reasoning for this model is to address the change in delivery of education through the growth of technology in everyday life.  As I mentioned in my last post, there are those in education who are worried about how they will be impacted by the growth of technology in education.  Some are unsure about whether they'll be able to keep up with what is happening in technology, while others think that they'll be redundant as the profession is replaced by computers and students reading Wikipedia.  The SAMR model addresses the worries in a way that creates an environment where all educators, both new to the profession or seasoned veterans, can adapt their classroom instruction for the benefit of the students and make it authentic to their own real-world experiences.

Don't worry... The robots aren't supposed to
take over for at least another 50 years.

The SAMR model presents a change in the delivery of education.  The steps involved are:

• Substituting – Replacing a traditional practice with a new tool (e.g. using Google Docs as a word processor – same task – different tool)
• Augmenting – Using the technology to include something new that enhances the task (e.g. autosaving to the cloud)
• Modifying – Technology allows for significant redesign (e.g. students can collaborate on one document and use the comment feature to provide immediate feedback)
• Redefinition – Using technology to allow for new tasks that were previously unimaginable – (e. g., creating a piece of writing or a presentation collaboratively with students across the world including words, images and narrative and posting them to a website for a global audience)

Courtesy of OSAPAC

What educators need to know right away is that the SAMR model not only still requires teachers to teach the material at hand, but in fact teachers will be the centrepiece of the learning.  The teacher in this case is no longer a person who simply teachers, receives work and provides feedback, but also as a facilitator of a classroom (and possibly global) discussion on a topic where students are free to explore and follow their interests while still learning the new material at hand.  What's even better is the technology is already at hand and being used with some not even knowing it.

Take for example, the above SAMR model from OSAPAC details the usefulness of Google Docs in the classroom.  Why this is important is because of the usefulness and ease of use Google has created through their cloud.  Anyone is able to access their work anywhere, anytime.  Five years ago, if a student was working on a document for an assignment, they had to use Microsoft Word at school, save it to a USB and bring it home, where they hopefully have a word processor of some sort.  If it came to collaboration, it was even more difficult as only one person could work or edit the material at any given time.  Education and demonstration of work in this case is very singular and personal, which in today's interconnected world is totally against the social aspect of the modern adolescent.

What can Docs do for you?
SAMR is what it can do!

Now, using the SAMR model, let's have a look at how the same can be done with Google Docs. Students still have a word processor, similar in appearance and functionality as Microsoft Word, but one where everything they write is saved instantaneously to the cloud allowing them to access their work from anywhere they can get a wifi signal.  While the basics are still there, the use of Docs goes a step further.  Students are able to work together to achieve a goal.  They can share their work with their colleagues, their teacher, their family or whoever they so choose.  Using this, students can create a variety of products, such as a slideshow on Google Slides, a Prezi, record their audio and create an animation or anything they so chose to demonstrate and show their learning.  This builds on something that is familiar to both educator, student and parent but also spans the generation gap between all.

SAMR is something that would need to be slowly introduced to a staff who are unfamiliar with technological education.  I would suggest the approach be taken in steps similar to how they are separated above.  The easiest way to do it would be to use the Google Docs approach, where something is familiar to them while also being different enough to be new to them.  My school has gmail accounts set up for all students and staff members, so the hard part is out of the way.  The key however is all those who want to be involved must be willing to learn and sometimes leave their comfort zone to ensure the skills are gained to deliver technological education as a way to enhance learning and not simply replace old tools by claiming it's "online".

Semester 2 starts in 6 days, and I can't wait

Technology and its evolution in the classroom.

I was asked the other day by a colleague about the role technology should play in the classroom.  As one of the members of my staff who use classroom technology every day in some form, I had to think about it as my next words would have an impact on how the others in the conversation view the usefulness technology plays in education.

There are some who feel that modern technology is too distracting to what the students are expected to learn.  These people feel that students will not remain on task and the "traditional" way of learning, reading a book, copying notes and listening to a lecture, is the only way to teach.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who all they do is set the students up on a computer, tell them where to find the instructions and then merely make themselves available only when students ask for help.

For me, my position is in the middle.  Technology is there to be used as a tool to complement learning.  Nothing can replace old-fashioned teaching, but instead of using the books, the pencils and the 8mm film, students can be engaged in the ways that are familiar to them outside of school.

Resistance is futile, but people will
often fight to the bitter end

The situation with education is coming to a crossroads.  For a long period of time pretty much up to the mid 1990s, the traditional approaches to education worked.  There were no cellphones, limited access to the internet, no iPods or personal devices, and there certainly were few needs to students to use technology as it was expected you would learn only what was needed for your career choice.  All of a sudden, however, here comes the largest game-changer since the invention of the printing press, the Internet.  For the first time in history, anyone could contact anyone else instantaneously, seek knowledge at the click of a mouse, and bring their lived with them wherever they go.

I no longer have a Diskman or a Nokia, I have an iPhone.  I don't use traditional cable or satellite, I stream from the internet.  I rarely call family on the phone, I Skype or text.  So, when it comes to education, why would I follow the same approaches my teachers and my parents' teachers used? The students today have grown up in a world that even would have been foreign to me when I was their age at the turn of the millennium.

The big push that's needed in Ontario education is showing people how technology needs to be implemented for engagement purposes.  People for Education in a recent report found that 79% of all Ontario students were first introduced to computers as a part of their education as early as kindergarten.  (People for Education)A further 17% will have the same exposure before the end of Grade 3.  That means 96% of all Ontario students will have more exposure to technology in their schools than most teachers had by the time they were 20.  This creates the "anytime, anywhere" culture that exists among the younger generation. (Ontario Public School Boards' Association)

It's important therefore to find way to engage the students in their learning.  EduGains has come up with a list of way in which educators need to respond to changes in technology and culture while also ensuring students gain the proper skills necessary for 21st century learning and beyond:

• Harnessing the capacity of technology to engage learners and to optimize and amplify student learning and achievement

• Emphasizing and teaching important higher-order skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship

• Supporting educators in preparing our students for a rapidly changing, technology-driven, globalized world. (EduGains)

There are great resources available in the classroom to complement learning.  iPads or Chomrebooks are available and affordable.  Some schools have implemented a BYOT (Bring your own technology) concept.  SmartBoards are gaining popularity for their interactivity with what is on the screen.  Blended learning and access to course material online ensures students have access to instruction and resources no matter where they are.  Games for reinforcing learning and content are available free of charge often on the internet.

So, where does that leave the question I was asked on my position?  I provided the best answer I could with respect to all present.  Technology is here to stay, there is no doubt, but teachers will always be needed.  What we as teachers therefore need to do is learn to grow our abilities and adapt our approaches to education in a way to engage students for the world they live in.  Students are connected to their friends at the hip now and work together to fix problems.  The education system needs to do the same to ensure all understand that while the system and approach may look different from the one they knew only a few years ago, the end goal will always remain the same.