To SAMR or not to SAMR

I first wrote about the SAMR model for integrating technology into instruction last April (here, here, and here). When working with teachers, I have occasionally found it useful to refer back to, asking them where they think a particular lesson or activity falls. This usually spurs some reflection about what is the appropriate use of technology in that teachers' instruction, which is exactly my goal.

Krista Moroder has written a thought-provoking blog post explaining why she does not discuss SAMR (or TPACK, another model) with her teachers. Go read it and come back. I'll wait.

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OK, welcome back. I completely agree with her take on TPACK. In my opinion, that model is too complicated to be useful to practicing teachers. I suspect it is more useful for education researchers, but for a middle-school or high-school teacher trying to figure out a lesson plan for the next day, TPACK is too much.

I also agree with her that the focus for professional development should be on good teaching rather than on any particular tool. This is where I think SAMR can be helpful with teachers. In my experience, most teachers who are working on the Substitution level can be encouraged to think about Augmentation, Modification, or Redefinition when prompted by exposure to this model. As they think about how they could modify or redefine their task, they are necessarily thinking about more engaging practices for students. A lesson that moves from S to A, M, or R, doesn't do so without becoming more individualized, more engaging, and more effective. This is where I have found it useful to explicitly use SAMR with teachers, as a way of getting them to think about how educational technology can lead them to more effective teaching practices.

While this is a useful approach for some teachers:

The approach that I think is more effective with teachers is: "you're trying to do Y- and here's how X can make you more efficient or effective (through increased access, better organization, more automation, etc.)". That way, the focus for professional development starts with good teaching practices- rather than starting with the tool.

what I've found is that focusing on better organization or more automation too often leads teachers to Substitution or at best Augmentation. The worksheets they used to xerox, pass out, and collect are now downloaded, filled in, and then emailed to the teacher. Thinking about modifying or redefining the worksheet can usually lead the teacher to add more interactive and more effective components to the lesson.

Having said all this, I really just wrote this post in order to have an excuse to re-post Moroder's wonderful infographic: