FTT - The SAMR Model in a Remote Setting

Dr. Ruben Puentedura

                    The SAMR Model in 

Remote @LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

One of the more difficult things to accomplish in the EdTech world is to scale teaching innovations. If you've got one teacher doing some incredible things in their classroom, how do we then replicate their success and scale their innovation to the rest of the department, or school, or district? 

If there's been any good to come out of this pandemic and remote learning, we should acknowledge that the last 8 months have created the ultimate incentive to branch out and explore EdTech tools at an unprecedented rate. While perhaps not the most organic transition to this level of professional development, it's hard to argue with the results. We've all been pushed head-first into the pool of EdTech and now it might we worth revisiting the SAMR model!

What is the SAMR model?

"You don't know what you don't know." Integrating your curriculum with new pedagogical strategies is hard. Where do you start? How do I know if it'll work in my classroom? Do I have time to experiment with everything? The SAMR model allows us to superimpose the myriad ways to integrate technology into our classrooms with a very simple, scaled framework. We all know that just because it's digital, doesn't mean it's automatically better for our classroom and our students. So the SAMR model is a lens with which we can identify different instructional tech strategies as it relates to four categories:

The SAMR model essentially categorizes all tech-integrations into 4 categories. Substitution and Augmentation are considered to be enhancements to your curriculum, while Modification and Redefinition can be transformative. The goal is NOT to reconstruct every lesson and interaction into the Redefinition category. Sometimes a "simple" substitution is the correct choice. Regardless, the SAMR model gives us a lens to which we can gauge different strategies and tools as it relates to our remote curriculums. It can also be a valuable assessment tool. What are the majority of your classroom strategies like? Make sure you think about the added value of any tech-tool relative to your students' needs before you spend your precious time and energy towards it. 

Need more inspiration?

Check out some sample lesson plans/tools that fit specifical subjects and courses on Chesterfield County Public School's awesome SAMR site.

Have you found any other models like SAMR to be helpful in your unending quest for pedagogical excellence? Let us know below.