# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Technology Integration Presention St. Agnes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it

The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model provides a technique for moving through degrees of technology adoption to find more meaningful uses of technology in teaching and move away from simply using edtech for tech's sake.

We recently discussed the SAMR model during an Academic Technology Work Group meeting at The College of Westchester. We examined the video, SAMR in 120 Seconds. One thing that really struck me is how much the example helped, so I made it a point to gather and/or create some more examples.

Following are 8 examples of the SAMR process, each taking an example of a typical classroom exercise that does not use technology and walking it through each phase of SAMR. For half of these, I searched and borrowed from examples that teachers had written about online (original sources are provided - in some cases I tweaked the example a bit). I also created examples of my own. In working through this, it became apparent to me that while Substitution and Augmentation can be relatively straightforward conceptually, there is even more room for interpretation when it comes to Modification and Redefinition.

The goal of this exercise was to help me (and readers) better understand the SAMR model, and to really see how lessons and assessments can be transformed while considering the benefits of evolving them through these stages. I find it particularly interesting to see the vast difference between the original lesson and the redefined lesson - there is often a much wider range of skills required in the latter stages, and lessons can become much more engaging and collaborative when modified or redefined.

Lesson: Writing a Short Paper
Taken from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/08/samr-model-explained-through-examples.html. A modification of an idea found at https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples. Taken from: https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples and modified. Idea taken from: https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model and slightly modified. In this example, we take a simple form of assessment and evolve it into a collaborative group project.
Original Assignment: A hand written paper.

Lesson: Geography & Travel

Original Assignment: An overview of a location consisting of hand written content supplemented with compiled cut-and-pasted magazine clippings.

Lesson: Understanding Shakespeare

Original Assignment: Read a Shakespeare play in traditional printed format.

An Assessment Exercise
Original Assignment: Show understanding of fractions on a worksheet by coloring in blocks.
Original Assignment: Take a quiz, answers handwritten in a printed form.

Following are some example lessons, evolved through the SAMR model, that I have tried my hand at creating.It's easy to get caught up in worrying about how effectively an approach constitutes "modification" or "redefinition", but that's not the point of the exercise. To my way of thinking, it's more about understanding the difference between a just replacing or augmenting a "paper" lesson with a "digital" one and actually evolving it in a beneficial way and exploring new possibilities.

Lesson: Art/Painting
Creative Commons license image source.
Original Assignment: Drawing a picture using traditional brush, paint, paper. Of course, there is a a big difference between doing this by hand in the traditional manner and doing it digitally. Digitally is by no means better, it is just different and opens up some interesting possibilities.

Substitution: Use a digital drawing/painting program (like MS Paint) to draw/paint a picture.

Augmentation: Use a tool that allows the creation of your masterpiece to be layed back (like Educreations, for example).

Modification: Pull a background image to use as a canvas. You could even scan something hand drawn and use that.

Redefinition: Create Artwork Collaboratively using a Collaborative Online Whiteboard (like Twiddla or one of these other tools).

Lesson: Email Etiquette

Original lesson: Review printed copies of Email Etiquette concepts and guidelines.

Lesson: Learning Fractions

Substitution: Use an Excel Worksheet to let students color in the blocks.

Augmentation: Use Google Sheets to let students color in the blocks, where the teacher can offer feedback directly on Google Sheets.

Modification: Use Google Sheets and direct students to online examples and supplementary learning materials for areas that they might struggle with.

Redefinition: Use a Fractions App instead (here are a handful of examples for iOS devices).

Lesson: Phys Ed - Learning To Hit a Baseball Well

Original Assignment: Learning how to hit a baseball by watching and listening to a Coach or Phys Ed instructor show you and then trying it yourself.

Hopefully these example of lessons modified through the SAMR cycle help to encourage you to think about how you leverage technology to make some of your lessons more interactive, collaborative, and engaging with some of the many great technology tools available today! Here is a set of tools that may be helpful when working to evolve your lessons: 10 of the Most Engaging Uses of Instructional Technology (with Dozens of Resources and Tools).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle - Emerging Education Technologies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Examples of Applying the SAMR Model can Help Teachers Understand and Embrace it The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.

# data[].attributes.headline
Using Technology vs. Technology Integration

# data[].attributes.subject
Using Technology vs. Technology Integration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recently, I've been noticing that a lot of instructors are under the impression that they are successfully integrating technology, when in fact they are simply using technology. Although this might seem to some as just semantics, in my opinion there is a huge difference between the two - a difference that can be seen in the impact the technology usage has on student learning.

In an effort to better delineate between "using technology" and "technology integration," I created the chart below to that highlights what I believe are the key differences. Let me know what you think!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What's the Difference Between "Using Technology" and "Technology Integration"?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recently, I've been noticing that a lot of instructors are under the impression that they are successfully integrating technology, when in fact they are simply using technology. Although this might seem to some as just semantics, in my opinion there is a huge difference between the two - a difference that can be seen in the...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ISTE Standards for Administrators, 2009 (Permitted Educational Use)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the SAMR Model and what does it look like in schools?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Blue Valley Educational Technology Services

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by SLHSMrJerickson on 2014-12-10.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Blue Valley Educational Technology Services

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by SLHSMrJerickson on 2014-12-10.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This video reviews a few examples of how the SAMR model can be incorporated into different Literacy lessons. Methods are geared towards elementary classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If your answer is "No," is it because you lack enough access to technology? Is it because you don't feel ready? Or do you feel ready, but need additional support in your classroom? Depending on your answer, your path to tech integration may look different from someone else's. However varied access and readiness may be, tech integration can successfully occur in any classroom.

This article contains the following sections:

Getting Started

The first step in successful tech integration is recognizing the change that may need to happen inside of yourself and in your approach to teaching. When any teacher brings technology into the classroom, he or she will no longer be the center of attention. The level of refocused attention will, of course, depend on the amount and the type of technology (e.g., mobile device, e-reader, laptop, interactive whiteboard) being brought into the classroom. However, this does not mean that the teacher is no longer essential to the learning process. While students may be surrounded by technology at home, it is dangerous to assume that they know how to use it for learning -- this is commonly referred to as the "myth of the digital native," and you can read more about it in this Edutopia blog post: " Digital Native vs. Digital Citizen? Examining a Dangerous Stereotype." Most students still need a guide to help them use digital tools effectively for learning and collaboration.

Integrating Technology Across the Access Spectrum

As discussed in the What is Successful Technology Integration? section, how we define "technology integration" depends on the kinds of technology available and how much access one has to technology. This definition also depends on who is using the technology. For instance, in a classroom with only an interactive whiteboard and one computer, learning will still remain teacher centered and integration will revolve around teacher needs, which are not necessarily student needs. Still, there are ways to use an interactive whiteboard to make it a tool for your students. Even with one computer in the room, there are ways to integrate that one machine into your classroom and still make sure that you and your students are indeed doing things that you couldn't do before, not just doing the same things you did before in a quicker, more efficient way.

Below you will find a quick overview with suggestions of what kinds of tools and activities are best matched with various levels of technology access. All of the resources linked to are either free or offer free versions.
If your class has an interactive whiteboard and projector: If there is only one computer in your room: If you have a pod of three to five computers in the classroom or access to a library with a pod of computers:

What skills are applied to nearly all tools (e.g., saving a file, naming a file, finding a file, logging in and out of accounts)? Have your students mastered these basic skills?

How many different tools will you introduce this year? How many is too many?

How will technology help your students better understand content -- will it push them to a deeper understanding that could not have been achieved without technology?

What level of integration do you want in your classroom by the end of the school year? What specific steps must you take to achieve that goal? What is a realistic goal based on time and resources?

If you have access to a laptop cart or a computer lab:

All of the above, plus...

Enable students to work through course content at their own pace through the use of screencasts, e-books, and other digital media.

Use Poll Everywhere or Socrative to poll students.

Start live class discussions with TodaysMeet.

Explore enhanced digital note taking with Evernote.

If your students have 1:1 laptops or netbooks:

Hold an introductory session with your students when introducing a new tool.

Use the tool yourself first before putting your students in front of it.

Have a plan for collecting student work.

Communicate with other colleagues that may want to use the resources as well.

Manage time with the resources wisely. Set goals for work completion with your students.

Communicate with your administration about how and when you will be using shared technology.

All of the above, whenever you want, for however long you like (especially if students take their laptops or netbooks home).
If you have access to a handful of mobile devices:

Have students create videos using the Animoto app

Record group discussions using a voice recording app.

Have students record themselves reading aloud for fluency checks.

Assign student-created comics using the Puppet Pals app.

Offer e-books for required readings.

Upload and access course content using the Edmodo or Schoology apps.

Conduct research.

Foster skills practice using apps specific to subject area.

Collaborate using apps like Whiteboard.

If your students have 1:1 mobile devices:

All of the above, plus...

Use them as multifunction devices (e.g., e-book readers, calculators, platforms for taking notes).

Try out a tool like Nearpod to project information onto student devices.

Check out mobile apps for student polling from Poll Everywhere or Socrative.

Getting to "Seamless" Integration

To begin to move your tech integration to the point where it is "seamless," consider these questions:

For more on levels of technology access and what that means for tech integration, read this blog post: " What Does 'Technology Integration' Mean?"

You can also check out the outstanding Technology Integration Matrix produced by the Arizona K12 Center. It provides guidance on different levels of tech integration based on readiness and current practice, and offers links to sample lessons.

Have a nontechnology backup plan.

Just as we always tell our students that failure is OK, that we learn from failure, and that failure is part of the learning process, so must we, as adults, follow our own advice.

Model troubleshooting with your students.

Report the problem (and know to whom this reporting should be done).

Ask for help. Have someone who knows how to fix the problem show you how for next time.

In schools that are not 1:1, sharing resources can be a huge challenge. Here are some quick tips for sharing resources effectively:

Get more details about these six tips from this blog post: " Six Tips for Teachers: How to Maximize Shared Resources."

Creating a Professional-Development Plan

Once you have discovered what level of access you have and what possibilities this access affords you, it is time to address your own comfort level with the technology that is in your classroom. This can be achieved through self-assessment and/or the use of a fellow teacher or an instructional coach in your school or district. Once you know your comfort level, then you can begin to build a professional-development plan for yourself. This can be done alone, as part of your "grade team," or as part of your school or district's personal-growth plan. You can also begin to seek out professional-development opportunities online and outside of your district or school to begin to connect with other educators exploring the same challenges and seeking solutions. For more resources for taking professional development into your own hands, check out our DIY Professional Development page.

It doesn't matter what your comfort level is with technology in your classroom -- without a continuous professional-development plan, you will never be as effective as you can be. Many schools and districts have made the mistake of placing technology into classrooms without a comprehensive plan for training teachers. Often, this technology sits unused or underused. If you are a teacher in a situation where technology has been "thrown" at you with no professional development, be thankful for the new tool(s) that you have at your fingertips -- and then do your best to learn about how they can transform and improve your teaching and have a positive effect on student learning. You can do this either on your own or by asking for help from your colleagues, mentors, or professional learning community.

Unlike many other aspects of teaching, technology changes constantly. Just as in any industry, it is vital that educators stay current with new trends and developments in both pedagogy and new technologies. If you have a tech-integration specialist at your school, then use this person to your full advantage, as they are the front line for the tools you have or may want to bring into your classroom.
Please note, all of these kinds of tools require that students have access to Internet-enabled devices on a regular basis and that they hand in their work digitally.
Hardware and Equipment

While hardware and software vary across classrooms, schools, and districts, one thing can be guaranteed across the board: technology, no matter what kind it is, will fail.

This inevitable part of tech integration is often the number-one fear of classroom teachers everywhere. Whether you are taking the steps to integrate technology into your classroom on your own or as part of a schoolwide or district initiative, this fear must be the first hurdle to overcome.

Here are some basic tips for when technology goes awry:

Using Technology for Feedback and Assessment

One of the most exciting aspects of bringing technology into your classroom -- and into your students' hands -- is the enhanced opportunity for timely and meaningful feedback.

Quick Checks: If you want to know if your students grasp enough of a particular concept before you move on, you can use tools such as Poll Everywhere, Socrative, or Mentimeter to get a quick snapshot of the class. By creating a short quiz or open-ended response question using one of these tools and having your students use an internet-enabled device to answer, you can get quick and easy feedback that will help inform your instruction.

Personalized Feedback: Through the use of course-management tools such as Edmodo, Schoology, or Moodle, it is now possible for teachers to provide personalized feedback quickly and efficiently to their students. All three tools provide the ability for teachers to leave personalized comments and notes on student work, and they provide a messaging service for students who may want to send emails with questions or concerns about the course.

Screencasts can also provide personalized feedback on student work. A teacher can record his or her computer screen while viewing student work, pointing out areas for improvement and areas where a student has excelled. Some great tools for this are Screencast-O-Matic and Jing.

In addition, Evernote is a powerful note-taking tool that can be accessed through any Internet-enabled device through a web browser or the mobile app. It allows users to record audio notes, and it can be a great way to provide personalized feedback to students. Teachers can share these recordings, which are embedded in notes created through the app or website, with students through email. This can be a great way to keep students updated on their progress or to provide feedback on a particular assignment asynchronously. Because the feedback is recorded, students can also rewind and relisten for better comprehension or to refer back to if they like.

For more on using technology to provide feedback to students, you can read this blog post: " Using Tech Tools to Provide Timely Feedback."

The Role of Digital Citizenship

Our students are constantly immersed in technology, yet that does not mean that they know how to use it for learning. We also cannot assume that they know how to use it responsibly either. Just as we teach our children how to handle bullies on the playground, or as we admonish a student for copying someone's work and handing it in as his or her own, we must take the time to explicitly teach about cyberbullying, copyright, plagiarism, digital footprint, and proper conduct online.

Of course, what we teach and how we teach it depend on grade level. We probably wouldn't teach first graders about the nitty-gritty details of copyright law, but we might teach them what kinds of information are safe or unsafe to share online. Likewise, while we may quickly review safe and unsafe information with high school students, we are more likely to focus on digital footprint and plagiarism.

It is worth your time to spend some time early in the year setting expectations for online conduct, use of information found online, and staying safe when using digital tools. For more on teaching digital citizenship, you can visit BrainPOP, Common Sense Media, or Edutopia's Digital Citizenship Resource Roundup.

Since it's clear that tech integration is here to stay, it is not a question of whether teachers integrate technology into their classrooms, but rather how to do it best. By taking small steps, teachers can begin to reap the benefits that technology can bring to their teaching and to student learning. This process does not have to be painful, and no one will become a tech-integration whiz overnight. However, even with limited access, with careful planning, some risk taking, and an open mind, teachers can successfully use technology to enhance their teaching and bring learning to life for their students.

Continue to the next section of the guide, Workshop Activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If your answer is "No," is it because you lack enough access to technology? Is it because you don't feel ready? Or do you feel ready, but need additional support in your classroom? Depending on your answer, your path to tech integration may look different from someone else's.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ISTE Standards for Educators (Permitted Educational Use)

# data[].attributes.body
SAMR In Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The SAMR Model in Relation to an Art Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SAMR Model and the Mathematics Classroom Catherine Olson ET520.webm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by Catherine Olson on 2015-06-08.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the SAMR Model and what does it look like in schools?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dr. Ruben Puentedura developed the SAMR model as a way for teachers to evaluate how they are incorporating technology into their instructional practice. You can use SAMR to reflect on how you're integrating technology into your classroom. Is it an act of Substitution? Augmentation? Modification? Or Redefinition?

To learn more about the connections between SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy, see Dr. Puentedura's blog post, " SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy: Assembling the Puzzle."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Introduction to the SAMR Model | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr. Ruben Puentedura developed the SAMR model as a way for teachers to evaluate how they are incorporating technology into their instructional practice. You can use SAMR to reflect on how you're integrating technology into your classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Analyze how the SAMR model of technology evaluation takes a Science objective to a higher level

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A parody to help remember how the SAMR model works.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An essay objective can be transformed with SAMR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Below is an excellent video explaining the SAMR model in 120 seconds. SAMR is a framework through which you can assess and evaluate the technology you use in your class. The goal is to help you make informed decision regarding the rationale and utility of the technology you integrate in your teaching. This SAMR poster walks you through the different components of the SAMR model.

Is technology providing an added value to your teaching or is it simply replacing the old and traditional ways of doing the same thing? If it is adding value, define this value awhat can of value? The SAMR model will help you answer these and these and several other questions regarding your pedagogical EdTech practices. Bottom line, from a pedagogical perspective, technology is more effective when it leads to transformative learning experiences.

For those of you new to the SAMR concept, the video below shared by Candace M provides a great introduction to this concept. It explains in simple ways what SAMR is all about and provides concrete examples of its usage. Here is how it explains SAMR's four levels:

In a substitution level, teachers or students are only using new technology tools to replace old ones, for instance, using Google Docs to replace Microsoft Word. the task ( writing) is the same but the tools are different.

Though it is a different level, but we are still in the substitution mentality but this time with added functionalities. Again using the example of Google docs, instead of only writing a document and having to manually save it and share it with others, Google Docs provides extra services like auto saving, auto syncing, and auto sharing in the cloud.

This is the level where technology is being used more effectively not to do the same task using different tools but to redesign new parts of the task and transform students learning. An example of this is using the commenting service in Google Docs, for instance, to collaborate and share feedback on a given task task.

If you are to place this level in Blooms revised taxonomy pyramid, it would probably correspond to synthesis and evaluation as being the highest order thinking skills. "Redefinition means that students use technology to create imperceptibly new tasks. As is shown in the video below an example of redefinition is "when students connect to a classroom across the world where they would each write a narrative of the same historical event using the chat and comment section to discuss the differences, and they use the voice comments to discuss the differences they noticed and then embed this in the class website".

Watch the video to learn more about SAMR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Below is an excellent video explaining the SAMR model in 120 seconds. SAMR is a framework through which you can assess and evaluate the technology you use in your class. The goal is to help you make informed decision regarding the rationale and utility of the technology you integrate in your teaching.