SAMR what?

I am in my last semester of the graduate program in eLearning Design and Implementation at The University of Colorado, Denver. This is a collaborative blog post, for my eLearning trends and issues class (6750). Links to team members Kirk Lunsford, Allison Sandler, and Christina Moore's blogs are provided for more information on the SAMR model.

What is SAMR

SAMR is a four-level taxonomy based approach for assessing what, how, and why educators are incorporating computer technology into instructional practice. SAMR suggests a hierarchy behind tech tool use with Redefinition at the highest level. The vision of SAMR: Transform learning through innovation ignited by technology. SAMR can serve as an analysis and perspective-taking tool for 21st century instructional designers and educators.

Dr. Ruben Puentedura developed SAMR through his recognition that better learner outcomes were not intrinsic to a given tech tool. Dr. Puentedura postulates that tech allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable. An outgrowth, based upon the different types of practice with the technology.

SAMR aligns with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy as the highest levels of Bloom’s (evaluate and create) sharing key elements with the highest level of SAMR (redefinition)

Critics OF SAMR

Critics of SAMR say the model came out of Dr. Puentedura’s experience. Not his research. No peer reviewed articles have not been authored and published by Dr. Puentedura. In 2003 Puentedura left academia. He taught chemistry at Harvard and Bennington Colleges. He started a consulting firm called Hippasus. The SAMR Model was introduced by Puentedura in 2006 in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education and their learning technology initiative.

Whether research based, or grounded in Dr. Puentedura’s experience, neuroscience confirms our human propensity towards categorization. SAMR provides a clear structure to categorize and consider what and how educators use tech tools to increase learning outcomes. Does the technology enhance or transform how the learner learns? What level of Bloom’s taxonomy does this learning method support? SAMR supports reflective inquiry. A constructivist approach to teaching, and creative problem solving Henderson (2001).

SAMR Model Levels and Reflective Inquiry Considerations

Substitution - replaces older methods or technology with a newer technology. Example: Learner writes a paper on a piece of paper. Teacher instructs learner to write the paper on a Google Doc. The teacher has substituted paper with a tech tool. The task is the same; writing. The tool is different.

Reflective Inquiry

When incorporating technology at the Substitution level consider these questions:

What will I gain by replacing the older technology with the newer technology?

To learn more about Substitution, click out Christina Moore’s blog here.

Augmentation

At the Augmentation level, technology is exchanged and the function of the task or tool positively changes in some way. In a first-grade classroom, for instance, instead of a teacher-led, whole class read-aloud lesson students instead use hand-held devices to simultaneously read and listen to individual digital stories. In this case, hand-held devices augment the reading task Hamilton, E.R., Rosenberg, J.M. & Akcaoglu, M. TechTrends (2016). Google Docs is another example of technology augmenting the task of document creation. The technology improves functionality such as auto saving, syncing, sharing. The teacher can access the document for reviewing and easier grading.

As a learning and development consultant I work with many different kinds of organization. I often see augmentation as the first point of entry for technology. An organization takes a PowerPoint they have used in an instructor-led class and uploads it into an eLearning authoring tool such as Camtasia or Adobe Captivate. Learners can access the slide deck virtually, improving functionality. However, stopping here without other pedagogic considerations falls short of the vision of SAMR.

Reflective Inquiry

When incorporating technology at the Augmentation level consider these questions:

Have I added an improvement to the task process that could not be accomplished with the older technology at a fundamental level?
How does this feature contribute to my design?

Modification - Technology allows for significant task redesign. Example: The Google Doc can be modified, with comments, updated in real time affording a group to collaborate on the same document. This is a significant task redesign from pen and paper.

Reflective Inquiry

When incorporating technology at the Modification level consider these questions:

How is the original task being modified?
Does this modification fundamentally depend upon the new technology?
How does this modification contribute to my design?

To learn more about Modification, click out Allison Sandler's blog here.

Redefinition - Tech allows for the creation of new tasks previously inconceivable. Example: The Google Doc can be linked on a website or tweeted to learning communities all over the world to comment, discuss differences in perspective on the subject matter, or learn and/or collaborate in any way the community chooses.

Reflective Inquiry

When incorporating technology at the Redefinition level consider these questions: