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Introduction
This guide is going to cover the basics of the SAMR model. The idea is to help you implement technology into your teaching and student learning with an emphasis on looking at student work and evaluating how technology can enhance it, or even re-define it.
SAMR is a model that was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura to help teachers de-sign learning experiences that utilize tech-nology, with the goal of students achieving the highest levels of thinking and learning.
You may have already figured out that the letters represent more than just a strange name; they stand for each level of technol-ogy integration.
Similar to Bloom’s Taxonomy, SAMR in-creases to the highest levels of learning from the S to the R.
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This guide will look at each of the four levels of SAMR and pro-vide application ideas.
• Substitution• Augmentation• Modification• Redefinition
The goal of the course is to help you become more comfort-able with integrating technology into your classroom. Look for information about designing projects in the Modification and Redefinition areas.
This is your target and goal as you apply SAMR to your in-struction.
The course will cover the basics of each phase in the model and provide you will ideas for integration. Also included are re-sources made by thought leaders on the SAMR model, includ-ing Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s site. Find these in the appendix or materials tab of the video course.
Continue reading to explore a model that can help transform your classroom.
The goal of the course is to help you become more comfortable with integrating technology into your classroom.
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Substitution1
Substitution is the beginning. If you are new to using technology, this is probably where you will start. Substitution covers the ways that technology is substituted for
something that you have done without technology in the past. For example, using a word processor instead of paper and pencil is a form of substitution.
Find out about this first step of the model and how to get started with technology integration in your own classroom
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Technology has transformed the physical writing process, making it faster, more effi-cient, and more effective. Students may type out their reports, print copies, and turn in their copies for the teacher to grade. A teacher may begin with this great example of substitution.
Take it a bit further. An English teacher may begin to transform his class by taking all the work that was handwritten, and in-stead, asking students to use a word proc-essor to write their reports.
There are many ways that technology can be substituted for everyday tasks.
As you look at the SAMR model, you will notice that substitution is at the bottom of the model. Substitution does not change how learning is done. There really isn’t a functional change. Students are writing the paper, but they are simply using a com-puter instead of a pen or pencil. They are performing the same functions: writing and handing in their work.
The SAMR model was designed to have you move to the higher two levels within the model in order to maximize student learning. However, like any process, you need to take small steps in order to be comfortable.
The SAMR model intends to make you think about the objective of using technol-ogy. You can ask yourself about purpose. If something is a substitute, that’s fine. Call it what it is and have the intention of grow-ing toward the top levels of the model.
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Augmentation2
Augmentation is the next level in the SAMR model. Augmentation is similar to substitution, but with slight changes.
Consider the same example of the English teacher in the chapter on substitution. Stu-dents are asked to write a research paper using a computer, but this time they are re-quired to cut and paste pictures into the re-
Build your knowledge of the SAMR model by reading about the next step of the process.
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port, use the spell checker, and access other tools within the word processing program.
These skills are explicitly taught, and it is expected that stu-dents will use them to supplement the learning experience. Augmentation increases functionality, while substitution does not.
This makes it clear as to why the model encourages teachers to grow their technology integration through the top two lev-els.
Again, you may want to start with substitution and quickly grow into augmentation, but do keep in mind that the goal is the top two levels.
Again, you may want to start with substitution and quickly grow into augmentation, but do keep in mind that the goal is the top two levels.
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Modification3
Modification is the next level. When you look at SAMR charts and diagrams, you may notice that they have a line between the bottom two and top two levels. The
idea is that your goal is to aim for technol-ogy integration that is above the line.
As you begin to plan for tech integration, your goal will be to integrate with either
Aim above the line by moving into modification and significantly chang-ing how a task is completed.
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modification, discussed in this chapter, or redefinition, de-scribed in the next chapter.
Modification is really about a significant change in how a task is completed.
Using the example of the English teacher, imagine he is now going to assign a report and have students collaborate using e-mail and documents.
Students will use tools to work together, research, share work, and gather feedback. Not only that, but they can also reach out to experts and incorporate their findings into their reports.
Additionally, they will use the feedback they gather to make changes to their reports. The report could be e-mailed to the teacher, and feedback could be given along the way, rather than just at the end of a project.
The class’s tasks are now approached with technology, and traditional barriers are broken down. This allows students to access experts outside the walls of the classroom.
Application and technology tool ideas for modifications will be provided in another chapter. Continue reading to learn about redefinition.
Students will use tools to work together, research, share work, and gather feedback. Not only that, but they can also reach out to experts and incorporate their findings into their reports.
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Redefinition4
Redefinition is really the pinnacle of tech integration. In this phase of the model, stu-dents use technology to create their own ways to solve problems. They may even be creating their own problems to solve.
The teacher may offer instruction on a vari-ety of tools, but students will select what tools they want to use, and accomplish tasks in new and unique ways.
Students use the pinnacle of technol-ogy integration to select their own tools, and accomplish the assigned tasks.
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They may collaborate with others using one tool, then use an-other to create products, then research and gather feedback.
Using a collaborative cloud-based document, they can share and refine their work.
They can then publish their work on a blog, website, or forum in order to receive a broader feedback audience. The choice is up to them.
The point is that the instructor has become a facilitator. Stu-dents are selecting tools and using them to come up with their own creative solutions.
Additionally, they are publishing their work to a worldwide audi-ence.
Now that you have briefly reviewed the basics of the SAMR model, it’s time to take a look at some questions to help guide you with your thinking and planning.
The instructor has become a facilitator. Students are selecting tools and using them to come up with their own creative solutions.
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SAMR Model Questions
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To begin planning for tech integration, you will find it helpful to ask questions to guide you through your plans.
Follow this link for questions that Dr. Puent-edura developed as a ladder for design: http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/09/03/SAMR_ThoughtsForDesign.pdf
Prepare for technology integration by asking yourself a series of guiding questions.
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These questions will help guide you through planning in order to reach the high-est levels of learning.
SubstitutionYou may first ask yourself:
• What will I gain by replacing older tech-nology with newer technology?
This would be the substitution phase. You might move from using a worksheet to an online form.
AugmentationNext, you could ask:
• Have I added an improvement to the task process that could not be accomplished with the older technology at a fundamen-tal level?
• How does this feature contribute to my design?
You may then show students how to cut and paste to add photos to the online form in response to a question. With this exam-ple, you can see the ladder effect. You have taken substitution and added aug-mentation on top of it.
ModificationTake it a step further:
• How is the original task being modified?• Does this modification fundamentally de-
pend upon the new technology?• How does this modification contribute to
my design?
Now you could have a discussion forum where students are cutting and pasting re-search and dialoguing back and forth. This is the next level of the ladder. Students are accomplishing tasks and growing toward higher levels of the SAMR model.
RedefinitionMove to even higher levels by asking:
• Will any portion of the original task be re-tained?
• How is the new task uniquely made possi-ble by the new technology?
• How does it contribute to my design?
Students will choose from various tools to collaborate, share, research, and gather feedback. Rubrics and project questions are part of the guiding process, and the whole idea is to create new tasks.
The point is to teach above the line, using the ladder strategy to grow.
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Writing Project Application
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This chapter will walk through the SAMR process with a writing project. Writing really applies to any subject area, so, no matter what you teach, you can think of ways to adapt and customize these ideas.
SubstitutionThe obvious place to start would be with substitution. As mentioned earlier in this guide, the English teacher gives his stu-dents a writing assignment and they are
What can implementation of the SAMR model really look like in the classroom?
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asked to type it up using a word process-ing program, print it out, and turn it in. This is substitution for paper and pencil.
AugmentationTo grow, or augment this assignment, the teacher asks the students to make new word choices using the thesaurus and spell check tools. It is still to be printed out and handed in at the end of the week.
ModificationNext, it’s time move to modification. There are plenty of ways students can modify the writing assignment by working collabora-tively.
Google DocsFirst, the teacher could consider using Google Docs. Many schools are using Google-hosted services, and Google Docs is one of the great collaborative writing tools.
Using the Google doc online service al-lows users to share with teammates and fosters collaboration within writing. Not only that, but students can also be at home or even in different classrooms while still working together.
Students can brainstorm how to best work together through color coding, labels, the comment editor feature, and more.
If students share their documents with the teacher, the teacher can provide feedback and make comments on the work as the student teams are writing. This way, they won’t have to wait until the project is turned in to receive feedback.
If you want to learn more about using Goo-gle Docs, check out the Lesson Planet video course. One of the best parts about Google Docs is that it is free.
Primary PadPrimary Pad is another service that helps students write collaboratively. It has fea-tures that enhance the collaborative experi-ence, like sticky notes and drawings.
The UK-based company offers a free ver-sion and a pro version for schools. Teach-ers need to call for pricing if they decide that Primary Pad is the solution to their technology needs.
TitanPadTitanPad is another solution that can help support collaborative writing. Essentially, this service allows users to create a Pad domain and invite others to work on it with them.
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The service allows up to 64 students use the Pad simultaneously, and even more than that can be invited to view the Pad.
The service is free and a great way to col-laborate.
RedefinitionLearning can take on a whole new life, es-pecially for the students, when redefinition is incorporated.
Teachers should be familiar with a handful of services and make sure students know how to use these services or know that they can quickly learn them. The idea is to have them redefine the writing project.
TwitterTwitter is a great tool for incorporating re-definition. Students can post clear and con-cise parts of their writing – think 140 char-acters – on Twitter. One fantastic example of this is the Titanic Real Time page on Twitter. Check out the site by following the link in the appendix or video course materi-als.
On the Titanic Real Time page, people have posted the sequence of events, min-ute by minute as a Twitter feed. As they scroll through the feed, students can see how this historical event unfolded.
Think about doing an assignment similar to Real Time Titanic as an end-of-the-year or end-of-semester project about a famous author, historical event, or important histori-cal person.
The great part about this is that students can use social media to gather feedback.
Twitter is also a great way to facilitate re-search. Students can post questions in or-der to gain information for their document. For instance, “How many ships came to rescue people from the Titanic?”
Additionally, Twitter can be a place to pub-lish a written piece of work. Research hashtags to see the best places to post their writing. The Lesson Planet course on Twitter can help you learn the basics.
These are just a few ideas for applying SAMR in your classroom. Check out the links in the materials section in order to learn more about applying the SAMR model to your lessons.
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Project Ideas7
This chapter will move quickly through some project ideas that use the top two levels of SAMR – modification and redefini-tion – because reaching those levels is the ultimate goal of following the model.
ProjectsHistorical Figure: Historical Video SummaryThink of a famous historical person, like Ju-lius Caesar. Students could use video to
Use these ideas to get started with the top two levels of the model: modi-fication and redefinition.
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create a historical summary of Caesar’s life. This would fall un-der modification.
To take it up to redefinition, have students redefine history. For example, without the contributions of Caesar, what would the world be like today? Have them use tools like Popplet to cre-ate concept maps, or Padlet to build a virtual cork board that demonstrates how the world would be different.
The idea is to have a variety of tools that students can use to present on their topics. The way in which students present is up to them.
VideoConsider a geography project next. Students take on the role of travel agents and create travel plans that include different kinds of geography. Their project will incorporate places to visit with an overview of the geography there. For modifica-tion, students could use video to give an overview of their travel recommendations using multimedia and narration.
Google Earth/TwitterTo take this project to redefinition, consider having students use Google Earth and incorporate interviews from people who live in that region through Twitter. Any sort of mashup of tools that students use would be helpful. [use testimonials to vali-date their research on the geography]
Apps to Use With the SAMR ModelFilpboardFlipboard would work with both modification and redefinition. Flipboard allows you to curate news and media for learning purposes. Additionally, you can add your favorite blogs.
The idea is to have a variety of tools that students can use to present on their topics. The way in which students present is up to them.
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Make Beliefs ComixHere is another app that is great for both modification and re-definition. It allows students to turn their ideas and projects into creative comics.
Screen ChompScreen Chomp is just one whiteboard app that allows stu-dents to share projects and ideas with everyone.
Voice ThreadVoice Thread allows for auditory conversations stored in the cloud. These conversations are accessible and can be shared with a few people or with the whole world.
Sock PuppetsWith Sock Puppets, students of all ages can create puppet shows with cool voices. The shows are a great way to share ideas and projects.
The basic idea with SAMR is to let students come up with dif-ferent ways to accomplish their learning outcomes. Older stu-dents may teach themselves the tools. With younger students, you may want to familiarize them with a few tools and then let them choose which tools they would like to use.
Refer to the resources available in the course materials for more ideas.
Older students may teach themselves the tools. With younger students, you may want to give choices of tools with which they are already familiar.
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Appendix
Chapter 5
SAMR: Thoughts for Design by Ruben R. Puentedura, Ph.D.
http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2012/09/03/SAMR_ThoughtsForDesign.pdf
Chapter 6
Primary Pad
http://primarypad.com/
TitanPad
http://titanpad.com/
https://twitter.com/
Titanic Real Time
https://twitter.com/TitanicRealTime
Chapter 7
Popplet
http://popplet.com/
Padlet
http://padlet.com/
Google Earth
http://www.google.com/earth/
https://flipboard.com/
Make Beliefs Comix
http://www.lessonplanet.com/teachers/apps-make-beliefs-comix
Screen Chomp
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/screenchomp/id442415881?mt=8
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Voice Thread
https://voicethread.com/
Sock Puppets
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sock-puppets/id394504903?mt=8
Trademarks: LessonPlanet® and related trade dress are registered trademarks of Education Planet and its affiliates in the United States and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Credits
Rich Dixon (author)• Director of Professional Learning - Lesson Planet
• MA- TESOL
• Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
• CLAD Certification
Jennifer Gibson (author)• Director of Content & Learning - Lesson Planet
• MA- Teaching and Technology
• Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
Adapted to eBook by:
Noel Woodward (editor)• M. Education
• Single Subject Teaching Credential
Karen Amling (editor)
Based on the original EdTech Professional Development video course
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