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The SAMR model is an abbreviation for the different levels on how we integrate technology into the classroom. There are four different levels. Those being substitution, augmentation, modification, & redefinition.

Substitution: This involves the usage of technology replacing an original method with no functional difference. Such as typing a paper instead of writing it.

Augmentation: This involves the usage of technology replacing an original method with a functional difference. Such as collecting survey results with technology as opposed to gathering tons of individual responses (that takes much more time).

Modification: The technology is able to redesign the structure of a task & offer significant improvements to it's original design. Flipped classrooms for example would be very difficult to do without technology. It would require the purchase of & sending out of a lot of materials for the students to be able to do an offline flipped classroom. With technology all the resources can be managed in one place.

Redefinition: Here, technology is able to create entirely new tasks that were not possible before. Such as virtual tours that take place in other countries.

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
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Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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The TPACK Model is often represented as a tri venn diagram. It involves 3 main knowledge areas & their intersections. The 3 areas are Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge, & Content Knowledge (CK). Each of these knowledge areas is important to have, as we head more into the 21st century TK will only become more important. Ideally we want teachers to get to the point where they can successfully synthesize all 3 knowledge areas into their teaching.

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2023 TEACH Conference

The TEACH Conference is a free, full-day in-person event held on May 5, 2023, at Paul Brest Hall on the theme of belonging and wellness in teaching and learning. All Stanford community members are invited to attend.
Details and registration

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Skip to main content The TEACH Conference is a free, full-day in-person event held on May 5, 2023, at Paul Brest Hall on the theme of belonging and wellness in teaching and learning. All Stanford community members are invited to attend. Details and registration

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When to & not Use Technology in the classroom.

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When to & not Use Technology in the classroom.

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Generally speaking technology should be used to enhance learning, reduce tedium in very procedural tasks, or make content more accessible . If it doesn't do either then there isn't much reason to use it. You would probably be better off to using offline methods since they would reap the same benefits & be possibly less distracting.

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How to Integrate Technology in the Math Classroom

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How to Integrate Technology in the Math Classroom

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Technology can be used in the math classroom to make learning interactive & help them build their critical thinking skills. Students should experiment with the material they learn so they can discover what does & doesn't work. Technology has a lot of features that make this process easily accessible (different toggles, undo, saving work, etc.)

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You might say math and tech go hand in hand. And these days, of course, kids and tech go literally hand in hand. So it makes sense that using digital tools in the math classroom can help teachers reach students, and teach the math content they need to learn. But truly integrating technology into math instruction is not just a matter of adding random gadgets and gizmos. We need to do more-especially if we want to leverage the power of math technology to engage all students.

Why integrate technology into the math classroom

Integrating technology into instruction delivers numerous benefits in the classroom-perhaps especially in the math classroom.

Numerous studies suggest that technology can support student learning in the math classroom. This tech might take the form of graphic calculators, digital manipulatives, or learning software. In general, such tools have been shown to help students improve both their understanding of math concepts and their performance on tests.

Thoughtful tech has these effects in part because it can make math more engaging. Students are generally more excited to dive into a visually appealing and interactive program than a black-and-white math textbook.

Integrating technology into a math classroom also means:

Personalized learning: Students can work at their own pace and get tailored guidance and feedback.

Collaboration: Students can work together regardless of their physical location.

Real-world applications: Technology can simulate real-world scenarios that require mathematical reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Saving teachers time: Technology helps teachers assess learning more effectively, providing real-time feedback and helping them identify where students need support.

Preparing students for the future: After all, most jobs require the use of technology!

How to integrate technology into the math classroom

The most effective technology approaches in the math classroom are active, not passive. They also invite deep thinking and productive struggle rather than speed and rote memorization.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) includes this guidance in its Principles to Action:

"An excellent mathematics program integrates the use of mathematical tools and technology as essential resources to help students learn and make sense of mathematical ideas, reason mathematically, and communicate their mathematical thinking."

The NCTM recommends that teachers: "incorporate mathematical tools and technology as an everyday part of the mathematics classroom, recognizing that students should experience 'mathematical action technologies' and physical or virtual manipulatives to explore important mathematics."

Here are just a few approaches that enhance engagement:

1. Use interactive whiteboards or projectors: You can display math problems and solutions, diagrams, graphs, and simulations, allowing students to interact with and manipulate visual representations of math concepts.

2. Use graphing calculators and virtual manipulatives: They can help students visualize and solve complex math problems, and prepare them for more advanced mathematical concepts.

3. Use gamification techniques: Can make math more engaging and fun for students.

4. Use online collaboration tools: These tools can help students work together on math problems and projects, even when they are not in the same physical location.

5. Use select social media and other online platforms: To create math communities where students can collaborate, share resources, and ask questions.

6. Use math software and apps: These programs can help students practice math, solve problems, and visualize math concepts in 3D or interactive models.

How Desmos Math 6-A1 delivers

Desmos Math 6-A1 is just that kind of program. It provides dynamic and interactive digital math learning experiences, alongside flexible and creative print activities. Its teacher dashboard is designed to encourage classroom discussion and collaboration. It invites students to explore a variety of approaches-and invites teachers to celebrate and develop interesting thinking in their classrooms.

The dashboard also shows teachers actionable formative assessment data for each student and the entire class, and allows them to leave written feedback for students in their lessons.

And we know it works. Teachers and students in our pilot program said that students learned more with Desmos Math 6-A1 than with their prior program. (See case studies in a large midwestern school district and in Naugatuck Public Schools.)

What's more, Desmos Math 6-8 has earned perfect scores and an all-green rating from EdReports. This is a powerful affirmation not only of our program, but also of high-quality instructional materials, student-centered instruction, and thoughtful technology in the math classroom.

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The power of technology in the math classroom

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Leverage the power of math technology and high-quality instructional materials with Desmos Math 6-A1 to engage all students in the math classroom.

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These kinds of softwares are used to graph a variety of different equations, inequalities, etc. This can help remove some of the tedious aspects of having to graph more complicated equations. The graphs can be seen immediately & students can focus more so on the concepts of a graph. Such as how a graph changes depending on what values are inputted. Desmos is a common graphing tool. It's beginner friendly & there's quite a lot that can be done with it.

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Explore math with our beautiful, free online graphing calculator. Graph functions, plot points, visualize algebraic equations, add sliders, animate graphs, and more.

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In flipped classrooms students are responsible for learning the material outside of the classroom. Then in class the teacher guides students through any challenges they may have faced during their learning. More time is spent covering unknown & clearing up misconceptions, as opposed to reteaching material students may already be competent in.

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Flipped Classroom Model: Why, How, and Overview

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Multimedia projects involve different ways in presenting the same concepts. This refers to looking at things with different contexts or mediums. This can even be done with subjects like math. You can bring in different content areas or other topics of interest your students may have that are relevant with the math you're learning. Such as sports, games, etc.

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Using Video Projects to Reinforce Learning in Math

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A collaborative group project can help high school students deeply explore math concepts, explain problem-solving strategies, and demonstrate their learning.

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Google offers a lot of different websites/apps that allow you to work collaboratively with peers to gather information & present in different ways. Below are some of those different forms

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Google slides is a presentation website/app, it's beginner friendly & easy to work in teams with. While it may not have the most features compared to other presentation focused apps, you can get a lot of milage out of it if you know what you're doing.

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A very useful document website that has a ton of options. On the surface it's easy to use but the more specific features you may seek may need a guide to find. It has a lot of options, you just need to know where to look if you want to be more intricate with your document.

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This is Google's version of survey's. It helps you easily collect data & can be used in tandem with Google Sheets.

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In concept maps/mind maps students can write down their thoughts that are centered around a topic. It's great way to have what they know all in one place, it can even include group members as well if allowed. Concept maps are meant to help you build connections with the smaller topics to the main topics. Helping you get more familiar with what is being learned. I used a mind map website called Mindomo last semester. it's somewhat limited but it can get the job done. It helped me study for exams in the math classroom 7 solidify what we learned in there. I could also pull it up for future reference if I would want to.

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First Meeting, Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 10, Week 12, Week 14, Week 1, Week 3, Week 5, Week 7, Week 9, Week 11, Week 13, Week 15, Cause, Cause, Ca…

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Google Sheets is a place where you can organize different kinds of data, or create spreadsheets. It's a great way to stay organized & display information clearly.