As you may be aware, there are so many instructional models out there...LEARN, TPACK (which is more big-picture), ADDIE, SAMR...among many others. SAMR is a big one in Educational Technology Integration- we hear about it a lot. SAMR is an acronym for...Substitute, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition and in theory it's a great model & concept if we stop right there. When you're working with teachers to integrate technology into their instruction, it's important to scaffold them (a lot) and meet them where they are at. So taking their lesson or activity and starting out with substitution is a great way to get your Technology Coach foot in the door. My issue with coaching and SAMR is that for many coaches and teachers, this is where it ends. You could effectively rebrand SAMR as S. Open Chrome and do a search for SAMR. Really, do it. You'll see all sorts of great graphics and articles extolling the glories of SAMR...and as I said- I like it- I think it's a great idea. Here's one of the more involved graphics on SAMR. I like this one (source), I think it's one of the better ones. Here's my issue: if you look at this...really look at it, it's nearly all substitution. And it's not just this one graphic. There's more here and here and here. I'm especially drawn to this one (source), too, but whether you're at the first cup (coffee) or the last one (pumpkin spice latte)...aren't you still drinking coffee? For sure, in both cases, there is technology use happening in classrooms, which is great (it's my goal every day). But to say that you're augmenting instruction or (my stars) redefining what you're doing? Really? Because I still see the kids taking notes. When I hear redefinition, I think about what this chart says... "creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable." Wow. That's a powerful statement. You're making such a shift in instruction that students are able to do things that you (or they) couldn't have even thought of yesterday. Isn't that what we're going for? Isn't that the education you want to see? It sounds like it's what parents want. I was reading the Speak Up Survey Results tweeted by TCEA (who I love) this morning...I'm working on my data for Virginia...and I was shocked to see that 57% of parents reported that they felt their students weren't "learning the right skills in school to be successful in the future." Let's really redefine learning and education. I (obviously) think that any systemic change will require time and an investment in technology (read: money), but anyone can start small. Rather than redefining your class with notes using a slick app, maybe put the ball into your students' hands and make them create the learning opportunities. They have the tools, the facts and the space- give it a try and see what happens. Even if you fail...won't you be failing forward? Comments are closed.
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Kendra MurphyI'm a Technology Coach and IT Support for a school. I'm passionate about 1:1 classrooms technology in instruction. Archives
September 2015
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