What is SAMR?
I appreciated the simple, straightforward language of the SAMR model. In education we love an acronym, and SAMR gives a clear picture of how we use technology in the classroom. SAMR stands for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. SAMR applies to all grade levels and content areas. According to Power School,
The SAMR model was created to share a common language across disciplines as teachers strive to personalize learning and help students visualize complex concepts.
When assessing an activity using the SAMR model you can ask yourself the following questions:
SUBSTITUTE: Am I just trading out an assignment and having students do the exact same task using technology?
An example of this may be instead of filling in a graphic organizer on paper, students complete it on a Google Slide or Google Doc. Students are completing the same activity and getting no further benefit from using the technology.
AUGMENTATION: Am I substituting with technology, but it does make the activity more functional or accessible.
An example of this could be giving students access to online resources when completing a research activity. With this substitution students are gaining more access to different resources, but it is not changing the overall outcome of the activity. This does not allow for more collaboration, and it is still possible to do the activity without the technology piece.
MODIFICATION: Does the technology change the outcome of what we are achieving?
An example of this would be using a sight like Padlet where students could choose how to present their response to text, then allow other students to comment and discuss.
REDEFINITION: Does the technology enhance the activity in a way that I could not in fact do the activity without it?
An example of this is one would be to go on a virtual field trip. This could be done by students individually with personal devices, VR goggles, or projected for the whole class.
Teaching and Learning Team gave even more great examples of each step in this model.
Another element of the SAMR model I appreciate is how quickly I can assess any activity I want to do with my students. Just by asking myself a couple simple questions as I plan I can determine if what I am wanting to do is productive and/or worthwhile.
SAMR & Me
After reflecting on my use of technology, I can admit to falling into each of these categories in my teaching career. Since I began teaching, the access I have had to different types of technology is night and day. From starting at a small Catholic school where we had a computer lab with 20 ancient desktops and a class set of very used donated iPads to now being at a district with one to one student technology and an interactive monitor in every classroom, I have been tasked with very different levels of integrating technology.
When first starting to add some technology elements to my lessons, I was firmly in the substitution phase of the SAMR model. I can admit one of my activities was taking my students down to the computer lab every week and having them type their list of spelling words three times. While I think the keyboarding practice was important for my third grades, I was truly just exchanging a pencil and paper for a keyboard.
As I have mentioned previously, I like to use Peardeck with my students. Peardeck allows me to take my standard Slide Deck presentation (usually in math) and make it a more interactive experience for students. While this could just be used as a substitute for white board work, I like to share multiple student answers which allows for collaboration and discussion during the lesson.
After being introduced to tools like Padlet and Adobe Spark I have found it easier to give students choice and use platforms that allow for peer feedback and discussion utilizing the modification level of SAMR. An example of this was a project I had my fourth grade students work on last year. My students read different opinion articles then wrote a debate essay choosing a stance based on the article they read. In order to publish their article, students used Adobe Spark. After creating their presentation students shared a link on a class Google Doc.
I have hit the redefinition piece of the SAMR model in a few different ways. One of the ways that was the most enjoyable and engaging for my students and myself came when I taught third grade. At the time, my mom was also teaching third grade at another local Catholic School. Throughout the year we had our students be pen pals. Toward the end of the year we had students complete similar projects. Once the projects were complete, we Skyped and had each class present their project to the other.
Upon reflection, I find myself hovering most often in the modification level of SAMR. Being back in the classroom this year allows me more flexibility in my planning and implementation. I am looking forward to finding more ways to expand my students' learning through technology. Maybe we will take some virtual field trips while studying Ancient Rome or collaborate on a project virtually with my husband’s sixth graders. I am hoping to gain more insight on how my fellow teachers reach the redefinition level in order to get there more often myself.
Personal Image
A Post Virtual World
Our post pandemic teaching world has shed a whole new light on how we can and should implement technology. For two years I think we all fell into the substitution model quite often, just trying to make lessons as accessible and safe for students as possible. I noticed as I supported different grade levels last year, it was almost like we had to relearn how to teach without putting everything on a chromebook. We had to teach students how to read and annotate within an actual book, and students had to converse face to face. The SAMR model can help us all get back to remembering when it is productive and meaningful to add technology to our lessons.
References
Benigni, M. (2021, November 8). Make your tech integration stronger using SAMR. Teaching and Learning Team. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from http://tlt.cofc.edu/2021/11/08/make-your-tech-integration-stronger-using-samr/
SAMR Model: A Practical Guide for K-12 Technology Integration. Powerschool.com. (2021, April 13). Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://www.powerschool.com/blog/samr-model-a-practical-guide-for-k-12-classroom-technology-integration/#:~:text=The%20SAMR%20Model%20is%20a,Augmentation%2C%20Modification%2C%20and%20Redefinition.
Hey Rachael! Your post resonated a lot with me. Over my teaching career I've seen a massive shift in the digital presence from our schools to our classrooms. I think it's awesome we now have 1-1 device ratios, however I still feel like teachers (at the elementary and middle level) are on the struggle bus when it comes to utilizing technology on a production level for student learning and enhancement. Post pandemic made us realize the level of instruction we're providing, however at the schools I've taught at there's little time to teach students how to navigate and create work on a device. I'm hoping in the next couple years PD's on free digital platforms can be provided. In my experience, digital platforms are highly encourage for student learning however learning these platforms is on our own time, which can be challenging to find. Hopefully guides like SAMR will become more frequently used across districts and will show the mainstream gaps we have when it comes to digital instruction.
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on about the world shifting to substitution during the pandemic closures, Rachael. Great point. Thanks for a well written reflection on SAMR.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI loved the questions to ask yourself while thinking about technology. You and I come from similar teaching backgrounds when it comes to schools and technology, I just teach middle school and not the little ones. I skimmed over the Power School article, but I am going to check it out a little more closely after reading your post. I used the SAMR method to evaluate myself, but did not think too much about asking the questions you posted in regards to assessing my use of technology in my lessons. It's funny, we too went back to paper last year, but found that it is easier to use the technology in Schoology rather than using the printer! I would love to do VR again at my new school, my previous students loved using the VR and AR technology we had. The only problem was the WiFi couldn't handle a whole class using VR at once. Where now I have the WiFi but not the goggles or the ability to veer too far from the curriculum. This is where I will need to be creative in moving from modification to redefinition on the SAMR model.
Hi Rachael,
ReplyDeleteI thought your description of the SAMR model was very spot-on; have you/your school been introduced to the SAMR model before you started this program? You seem very well-versed in using the scale to reflect on different activities, and how you have fallen into different levels of SAMR in the past!
A couple of years ago, I got to sit in on a presentation from Matt Miller, who wrote "Ditch That Textbook" (and I believe has come out with sequels), which is a great resource for ways to incorporate technology into teaching. I remember him going through the SAMR model, and sharing this list of ideas with us:https://ditchthattextbook.com/10-ways-to-reach-samrs-redefinition-level/, which I was lucky enough to find online. Anyway, he asked the audience where they most often fell, which seemed to be either substitution or augmentation, as you'd probably imagine. One big takeaway I remember was that he said it's more about finding the level that is most congruous with our students, and what learning experience we were hoping to provide, rather than always feeling like we have to be in the realm of redefinition. I think that same idea really came across in your post as well, especially your last point about remembering when technology is productive for what we are trying to teach.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI too have been reflecting on the SAMR Model and am finding that I have had moments of Modification but I mostly live in the Substitution and Augmentation levels. You gave me a great idea about how I could use technology in a new and interesting way - virtual pen pals and Zoom presentations! Our middle school is very small and so it would be interesting for them to connect with students in either another state or country and work on a project with them. I also talked with my principal over the summer about having people perform or present to our students via Zoom because we can't have field trips this year. This would provide an opportunity for students to experience something that they wouldn't be able to without technology.
Hello Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYou and I chose the same framework. I too agree how simple this model was to understand. I found myself researching terminology for the others while this one really woke me up! I liked the Padlet resource that you mentioned. I have not heard of it before, but I definitely will be attempting to use it within my classroom. I have heard a lot about Peardeck especially when teaching math. I never seemed interested in it until now. I certainly think all subjects are difficult to keep students' attention, but using more interactive resources like Peardeck would be different. I really appreciate the source Teaching and Learning Team since it showed me a variety of different examples that could be represented on each level of the SAMR model. I researched too, but didn't come across that one! It's great to see that you've been able to experience all of the levels. I didn't think the last two levels were even possible, so it's good to know all of the opportunities that are possible with technology integration. I think Adobe Spark would work wonderfully for all the writing pieces that my fifth graders have to write this year which include narrative, opinion, and informative. I found your reflections really insightful!
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You give a great overview of what the SAMR Model is and examples for each category. Now that I have been learning more about different technology websites or applications to use, I will definitely consider some of these in my future teaching. I believe I am at the substitution level at the moment, but I have a long way to go to get to the redefinition level.