Let me back this thing up...SAMR is a way to integrate the use of technology into the classroom. This much I knew before. The levels are: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Sounds impressive, right? I couldn't wrap my head around it. I didn't quite understand how the levels differed from each other, that was part of my confusion, and I think I couldn't see the application of this model in the classroom. I don't know why! Because it seems so obvious to me, now that I've looked at the awesome resources Nicole shared with us for this method.
The first resource for understanding SAMR is a 2 minute video with concrete examples. That nailed it for me, because the video is about writing an essay, which is something I have done a million times in my classroom. In the Substitution level, instead of using pen and pencil, students use their chromebooks (word processing). In the Augmentation level, a google doc saved to the cloud and able to be accessed anywhere is "an increase in functionality," thus the augmented title because it's not a single document any more, sitting somewhere all by it's lonesome, the use of google allows for accessibility and revision. For the next level, Modification, technology lets students easily redesign parts of their writing, as in the example given, where students can collaborate on a doc through the use of the comments feature. And for Redefinition, students are able to collaborate with other students across the country and create new material using various features of google docs, such as the voice comments app. I also watched the John Spencer video, he begins by explaining that the first two levels are considered enhancement of the learning task, and the last two levels are the transformation of that task. He also uses the example of writing an essay, which becomes a blog post for an authentic audience, which then becomes an article for a wider audience (the whole world). In the last level, Redefinition, he gives multiple ways of how that blog post can become an edited video, or a podcast, etc. He notes that as you move up in the SAMR model, there are possibilities for multimedia creation as well as communication with the rest of the world. That's pretty transformative from what students have done in the past!
The wiki page link that Nicole supplied demonstrated the use of assignments like the study of Shakespeare, story writing, vocabulary analysis and character analysis that helped me understand this model better, as well as sharing resources to reach that Redefinition level. This poster below has a helpful list of apps for each level.
With some assignments I am at the augmentation level, when my students have created wiki pages and used haiku deck and other programs to share and present their work. Groups of students have worked on projects together that they have then changed into Keynote presentations and my classes have also used audio and video components in their assignments, so that would move us into the Modification area. But we have never reached the Redefinition point. Sometimes I think it's a lack of time, but now that I'm more aware of the Redefinition level and what it consists of, I would like my students to achieve at that level. I want that to be a priority. Because that's where transformative learning happens. Now that I have a much better idea of what that looks like, that will be our goal.
I briefly read about the Triple E Framework and the Technology Integration Matrix, they look so interesting too. Thanks Nicole, you have given me many ideas to read about this summer! These models can help us integrate technology into our classrooms, and they can also help us see how effective the use of tech is.
