 Welcome. It's so great to be with everyone on this blustery January afternoon to share another Wednesday webinar from ESU 8. And this week we're going to spend a short amount of time discussing the SAMR model, SAMR. It's a methodology that's commonly referred to in educational technology. And just to use probably a quick-paced overview today to introduce the model if you've never heard of it, or if you have to find some ways to use it to improve your teaching with technology in your schools and classrooms. So without further ado, let's get started. The SAMR model was developed by a researcher from the East Coast named Dr. Ruben Puentadura. He's actually done a lot of research with the state of Maine, and Maine is known for being the first statewide 1-to-1 initiative with students. At the time when Maine was implementing so much technology in their schools, they wanted a way to measure its effectiveness. And one of the ways that they did so was with the SAMR model. And basically the SAMR model describes different levels. And if the technology use is fitting some of those higher levels, then the student results and the outcomes will indeed be greater. The research proved that. And from the first schools to show evidences of this effectiveness, we can then gather tips for integrating technology in our schools. So the SAMR model is not black and white and cut in stone. It's really a flexible way of thinking about our technology integration. And I'll admit right up front that I don't have all of the answers. There's no answer key provided for using the SAMR model to measure our technology effectiveness. But I do believe in many of the core principles that guide us in our thinking. And what's most important is the thinking. It's the actual conversations about what we're doing with technology and why and how it impacts students. So you can find all of Ruben's resources on his website and blog, hipassist.com. He also is very generous in sharing his work with Creative Commons Licensing. Basically saying that as long as you don't sell it, sell his slides or his images and you give him attribution and you share it likewise, it's able for you to be used in your work, in your schools, communities and beyond. So the SAMR model, this is just one graphic to represent the four stages of SAMR. We're going to start at the bottom of this one, although it doesn't always look like a ladder that's climbing up. This one just does. But basically if we start with the S, that's the substitution level. And it's when you use technology to do the same task you had done previously without functional change. So you just substitute the tool. And we've all done this when we have started with an SAR report writing task and then added in the word processor. Given technology to replace something but still doing the same task, essentially as before. If we move up a level and go to the A level, that's the augmentation stage. And here technology does act as a direct tool substitute, but there's functional improvement in the task. So instead of simply word processing, we may be using Google Docs and the ability to share with our teacher and fellow students the work that we do in that word processing space. There's some augmented benefits of using the technology here that couldn't have happened without it. And there's improvement in the task, however the task is still the same task. It's still the same assignment, an SA report or what not. Now you'll notice that these first two levels, the S and the A, are both colored in one color and they're labeled on the right-hand side as being enhancement. We'll talk about that more in a second. But now let's move on up to the third level or stage, the M, which stands for modification. If you are labeling your lesson modification, then the technology in it allows the task to actually be changed. So instead of simply writing a report or an essay, now perhaps we're asking our students to collaborate with another student or classroom and jointly author a piece of work. The technology allows for a different task or redesigned task to occur and therefore, of course, we hope that it elicits greater student learning as well. And if we make it to the pinnacle of the SAMR model, that redefinition stage, the task is no longer the same task. And if you remove the technology from the situation, the situation couldn't happen. The assignment would not be possible. The learning would not occur. So an example would definitely be creating a collaborative video with the information from the previous examples where interviews are done with people on the other coast or the other continent. And without the technology, that assignment, even though it starts with the same core knowledge or the same basic task for students, it could not happen. So these last two stages, the M and the R, they're labeled as transformation. And sometimes you'll see on models representing the SAMR model a dotted line running horizontally across the middle of the four stages. And oftentimes you'll hear it referred to as are you teaching above the line or your technology uses above the line. And that's saying that we want to shoot for those M and R or modification and redefinition levels. Because that's where we see transformative learning occur and that's where we see the greatest impact and gains as far as students go. So like I said, this is just one visual representation of it. Let's actually take a look now at a video to explain it probably better than I just did. This video is created by Rich Colossi and it's entitled the SAMR model explained by students. Okay, we all know that using technology in school can help students learn, but how could our teachers reflect on how effectively they're using technology? Well, that's what this model is for, the SAMR model. It's kind of like a Bloom's taxonomy for educators. It was created by this guy, Dr. Ruben Puentadora, who believes that using technology allows us to think differently and perform new tasks. After all, if we have today's technology, then why teach like we did 20 years ago? There's four different levels and two different sections in SAMR. Let's take a look at the first level, substitution. This is where the technology used acts as a direct substitute. Let's take the task of persuasive essay writing. I could write an essay by hand or I could type an essay using the basic features of a word processing program. The task is the same and there's no functional change. The technology is being used as a substitute. Lots of teachers start out at this level, but don't worry because substitution is not a bad thing. Even the best teachers visit this level from time to time. The next level is called augmentation. This is where the task is still the same, but the tech allows for some sort of functional improvement. So instead of writing our persuasive essay on paper, we could use a program like Google Docs. With this software, the task is still the same, but the unique features of a collaborative document provide some functional improvement. In both these levels, the technology is used to simply enhance a lesson. This technology may make tasks more efficient, but it's not likely to make a big difference in future outcomes. Most learning takes place above the line, and it starts with modification. Here the technology is used to provide a significant task redesign. So instead of simply writing an essay, a student could publish a WordPress blog using text, embedded videos, pictures, and other web links to convey their argument. The audience is no longer just the teacher either. It's the entire world. People from anywhere with an internet connection could review or comment on their writing, allowing for deeper analysis. The final level and the ultimate goal of technology integration is redefinition. Here the technology allows for the creation of new tasks that were previously inconceivable. Instead of writing that essay, students could now create and publish a digital storytelling project to argue their writing with multimedia. Plus, just like the blog, through publishing this movie to the world, it allows for other people to comment and analyze their message. So the heart of the assignment is still the same, but the technology allows them to engage in a new, more involved task that's otherwise not possible. At these levels, learning is transformed through the use of technology. When we are more engaged and involved, significant improvements in learning are more likely to take place. Different people have different ideas about SAMR. Some think that SAMR is like the ladder that you climb. You start a substitution and work your way up to redefinition. Others think each level is like a swimming pool that you swim in or visit from time to time throughout the school year, and that's okay. Because no matter the interpretation, the real power of the framework is that it promotes reflective teaching in the classroom. What you do, why you do it, and how it helps learning. By thinking about the different levels, teachers can focus on designing digital learning experiences that will help improve student outcomes. So the thing about SAMR is this. It's not the type of tech tool that defines the level. It's how the individual teacher uses it in their lesson. So whether you're substituting or redefining learning, remember the ultimate outcome for integrating technology should be simple. Maximizing student success. Want more information on SAMR? Check out these links. All right, and I do have all these links available for you at the end of the presentation as well. You want to use them with your colleagues or even with your students. So now we're going to move to some additional examples. So far we've just pretty much highlighted the SAMR model through the example of word processing or writing. There's so many online, so many available. Just knowing where to start can be a challenge in itself. And everyone is open to interpretation. What one educator thinks a lesson should be labeled as could be totally different than another. I just chose this example. It's in the form of a Prezi just to give you a sense of different subject areas and not to be used as the exact truth, I guess, in saying this is what I need to do to be at that redefinition level. Just to get a sense of how you can functionally improve lessons by adding technology at higher levels through these various examples. Let's see if it loads in this one. There we go. So of course in this Prezi they start with another graphic for the SAMR model. And they're going to start with that example of writing as well. In substitution, the word processor replaces. Then text to speech could enhance or augment. To modify it, you could turn it into a word cloud that then is shared on a blog adding that public audience. And then of course adding deep analytic thought and additional media in the example of video production. So that one's pretty much the same. Now let's switch to a math task. In the analog assignment, chart papers and markers are used to communicate the solution to a math problem. Let's substitute by using technology. Now perhaps a smart board replaces that paper and markers. And the students are able to communicate and explain their solution via that piece of technology substitution. In augmentation, the example here talks about how the smart board is there but the solutions or the work that the students do on it is saved and compiled onto a slide so that the students can compare and contrast different solutions, different ways of solving the problem. So that's definitely functional improvement over the first assignment, that ability to collaborate with each other and share. In modification, here we're taking those smart board solutions and adding them to a student portfolio perhaps or a student graphic organizer here where they have a collection of problem-solving strategies. So there's significant task redesign. No longer is the task just to solve the problem, it is now to actually collect different ways to solve problems, different problem-solving strategies and it's adding to higher level learning as far as the math goes. And finally, their example for redefinition here would be that students using their own device and appropriate apps. And notice I like this, how it's the example of the app is in parentheses. So it's not the app that determines the redefinition level, it's what they do with it and sometimes giving students the choice of which app can promote those higher level learnings as well. But in this example, the students collect, record, sort and annotate their problem their solution to their problem and their problem-solving strategies and then share it with the world in that ongoing e-portfolio. And so adding that culture of thinking and learning to the classroom definitely uses the technology for redefinition and transformative learning. Here's another example, this one's based on science. The original task was to create a concept map just demonstrating understanding of properties of matter. So we've got our solid liquids and gases and the students non-digital task first. Let's substitute by using technology in the form of concept mapping software, an app or a piece of software that allows for a digital version. You can see even the student product is exactly the same, it's just a replacement version for that piece of paper. So that's substitution. In augmentation, we're able to add, the students are able to add illustrations, graphics, video examples, links, hyperlinks out to the internet to add some improvement to the learning. It's no longer simply the graphic organizer, but it's the graphic organizer plus. It's the enhanced version of that same task. So the task is enhanced in those first two levels, the S and the A. Now let's go above the line and see in modification how the concept map here is added to a blog post in which the students write their own personal reflections and post comments to each other. So they're able to learn with their peers and go out on a different level than simply just handing it into the teacher or being done within the classroom. The task is definitely altered and here hopefully redesigned. In this example, students use Minecraft and then they model those three states of matters. They use each other as molecules. They record the Minecraft activities perhaps while they're in the Minecraft world and explaining the solids, liquids, and gases. And then that video can be part of their shared information or shared material online and adding reflection as well. So in both of these stages, the modification and redefinition levels, the task is truly transformed. It's not just making the poster of the properties a matter. It's showing a completely different task that wouldn't be possible without the technology. So those were some of the SAMR examples from this one site and like I said, there's so many more online if you're willing to search and spend some time getting additional ideas. Okay, now let's take a look at Ruben himself. In this video, he's going to talk, I'm not going to play the whole video here, I'm just going to do a piece of it where he's talking about how to move up above that line and try to elicit those higher level outcomes from our students. I'm going to actually fast forward or scrub forward here to 222 and we'll listen to him talk about this. Between augmentation and modification is whether you're essentially reproducing what you were doing before in your practice or you're significantly modifying it but keeping the heart of the map. So let me give you an example. Suppose that I'm teaching geography. If I'm using maps, digital maps to teach geography and I say to students, well, I want you to create maps of, say you're studying Egypt. I want you to create maps of Egypt that outline archaeological sites that you're interested in and that also outline areas that were important agriculture and you start to see, well, to listen to different layers so you can see correlations between the two of them, et cetera. Link the archaeological sites to resources on the sites. All of that is quite wonderful. Now, suppose that you're saying, okay, I'm using digital maps but now I'm not just going to ask the students to replicate what I would have done with traditional paper maps. Instead, I'm going to say I still want them creating maps because it's important for them to develop the understanding of geography. But I'm going to ask them to create the maps in such a way that they're interacting with each other so that they create the digital maps in shared sites and they use them as gateways to each other's knowledge. So now one student is very interested in the archaeology aspects and that student focuses on things like where were the chemicals. Another student is very interested in colors. So they focus on where were the trading points and they create clear maps. You have to be engaging in a deeper conversation where you're using the digital maps as a gateway for a social practice of exploration. In effect, you're asking your students to become geographers and use the maps to talk with each other, integrate each other's discoveries, build a practice that is mediated by the social use of the tools in an end of the environment. That would take you up to modification because when you still have some of the heart of the map, make sure the students understand these concepts by developing maps about them. You significantly modify them by changing it from something they would do individually to something they would do socially or in effect they're acting as peer managers. So you may be thinking, well how can I get to these higher levels every day in my classroom that just isn't realistic and it's not supposed to be. It's not supposed to be the way that you think of yourself and are critical of your technology usage. One way of thinking about it that has already been referenced today is the use of thinking about the SAMR model not as a ladder but as a swimming pool. There's a lot of learning that happens in the shallow end of a pool. If you don't have the ability to test the waters out with small steps and being able to touch the ground and have those safe boundaries, then you can't ever venture out into the deep end. And in any swimming pool, you don't want to spend all of your time in the shallow end or all of the time in the deep end. It's that ability to go back and forth depending on the appropriate time and purpose that we know best as teachers for our students. So that allows us that flexibility and the freedom to not feel like we have to be in the deep end all the time. So venturing out beyond that safety rope should happen but it shouldn't happen every day. I also think that it's not so necessary to know exactly which level your lesson is at but just be able to ask yourself some of the questions like we heard Dr. Puentadora mention just a second ago. Things like is this something that students are able to learn socially with others or are they just learning it in isolation? Are there ways to share the learning or the activity beyond the classroom and make it more real there? Are there ways, are there connections to other experts and other people that can add additional value to the task that we can access through technology? If you ask yourself some of these questions then it doesn't matter if it's at S, A, M or R or which level necessarily it's just that you are adding value with what you're able to do with technology. Another way to think of the SAMR metaphor and probably my favorite one is in terms of Starbucks. This is not my original idea or my original graphic but it does help in my mind remember these levels and think of them as applied to my coffee. So if we start with a cup of coffee that we brew at home that's our traditional task and we would have substitution level if we actually went to a Starbucks and ordered a straight black cup of coffee. It's the same stuff. There's no functional change in the cup of coffee other than we went to the Starbucks and paid for the label on it. Now in the augmentation level this would be what would be considered a latte. There's some flavoring that Starbucks adds it's still the same coffee per se but there is functional improvement with the steamed milk and the additional ingredients that are added. When you try to go above the line in this metaphor and you think of modification you might consider a drink like a caramel macchiato. There's a significant task redesign here and if you try to make that that drink, that coffee at home on your own it never tastes quite the same. It's actually the steamed the froth milk and the flavorings and the syrups the whipped cream all of it is something that has kind of redesigned your drink. You almost forget that you're drinking coffee. And then finally the redefinition level in the Starbucks analogy is the pumpkin spice latte. Now this is a truly unique product. This is an entirely different task than the original cup of coffee and it's perfect for our analogy here because Starbucks actually has a trademark on the pumpkin spice latte. You can't even replicate that at home necessarily because of their special recipe. So this is a new task able to only have been done with the technology and the result is something far greater. I haven't collected many more resources including some that I've shared today on a Google talk which I can definitely update and add to. So if you want to take a look at that sometime in book market there's great resources including Kathy Schrock's entire website to introduce the SAMR model some resources from Common Sense Media and messages from Dr. Puentadura on the SAMR model from Common Sense Media's site. There's a couple of iTunes U courses if you have access to an iPad or an iPhone with the free iTunes U app you can learn along with it. I will specifically encourage you to check out this SAMR-Slammer iTunes U course and inside of it there's a section called Video Vignettes which have some great short videos to watch and to then analyze or think about on your own as to which level of SAMR you believe it's hitting and it also gives you ideas just for using technology in the classroom. There's several activities on practicing with colleagues or teachers that you work with and identifying those levels and moving up the ladder and links to articles to to read even more. And the final resource is a book for iBooks on applying the SAMR model that is a great reference for professional development as well as even just your own learning in the classroom as an educator. So with that, I hope I've given you a little bit today to think about to consider when adding technology to your lessons and to reach high to that transformation stage. Thanks so much for spending some time with me. Have a great rest of the week.