SAMR

I presented on the SAMR model on the 27th to the Wayne Center Elementary staff. I hope to be able to pass this presentation on to the Rome City staff in the future. It was a great opportunity to discuss and analyze the tools that are being implemented through iPods, iPads, and PC laptops.

To summarize SAMR, it is a model by which one can measure how integrating technology may impact teaching and learning. Through the SAMR model, we can determine if we are using technology to enhance the learning experience or to transform it. If the user is at the substitution level, then the tool is a direct substitute for the old technology. If the user is at the augmentation level, the tool is still a substitute but it has a functional improvement from the original task. These two levels may provide the user with an enhancement in their learning. The big dividing line is between Augmentation and Modification because suddenly the tool is much more than an enhancement to learning; it is now transforming their learning. In modification, there is a large redesign in the original task because of the tool that is being used. Once the user reaches redefinition, the task is completely dependent upon the use of the technology because the technology provides opportunities that were previously inconceivable. 

The most difficult part of the SAMR model is figuring out where all the tools land on the model. Most of the tools that teachers use could fall under several levels of SAMR depending upon how the tool is actually being utilized. In the slideshow I have embedded in this post, the example of Google Earth/Google Maps is given and shows how the tool can move levels depending upon how it is used. 

If you are curious about SAMR, please view my slideshow and feel free to ask questions. I have left the ability to comment open to anyone with a Google Drive account.