Hello again, and welcome back. In our last video we watched the pedagogue help newbie understand the concept of applying technology to learning situations, to create tasks that go beyond simple recall. And make full use of the potential of technology for learning. One way to look at this is with the SAMR model. SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. It is a model designed to examine how integrating technology changes a learning task. And hopefully improves the learning experience. Let's look at each stage in the model. Substitution is just that, replacing a traditional learning task or resource with a technology based one. Let's take the common learning task of reading a textbook, as an example. Traditional textbooks are paper-based. Students carry them around, or have two copies, one they keep at home and one they keep at school. Students learn information by reading from the textbook, possibly taking notes on the information and being asked to recall or use that information later in some type of assessment. Now, let's replace the paper-based textbook with an online textbook available on the Internet. The online textbook provides some additional benefits over the paper-based textbook. It doesn't have to be carried around. It can be accessed from anywhere. It is easier on the environment etc but the way a learner interacts with the online textbook is going to be basically the same way they interact with the paper-based textbook. They are going to read it, study it and learn the information by taking notes and being asked to recall the information later. There's no change in the overall function of the resource, the textbook, and the learning task. The next stage is Augmentation. This is similar to substitution but there are minor changes to the function of this resource or learning task. Continuing with our online textbook example, we might augment an online textbook by integrating multimedia, thus improving the function of the resource. We may integrate video resources, online translators or dictionaries, images, and even perhaps interactive diagrams and charts, none of which would have been capable with a paper-based textbook. Students now have multiple ways to learn the information, and may gain greater understanding of vocabulary and other concepts through the additional media resources. Still, we have not really changed the learning task. Students are still reading from the textbook and being asked to recall the information at a later point. While augmentation may seem like a huge improvement over substitution, there is still a sense that we are simply replacing a traditional resource with a technology-based one, albeit, much improved in function. The third stage is Modification. Here we are looking to change the learning task because of the possibilities the technology provides. Instead of just asking students to read from the online textbook, we may give students a list of media resources where they can get information. And ask them to determine which information is important and construct knowledge about the topic on their own. They are doing more than just taking notes and being asked to recall the information later. They are analyzing and connecting in ways made possible through the technology that goes beyond the online textbook. A learning task like this may typically be done in groups to facilitate collaboration and communication as well. The final stage is Redefinition. In this stage, we are using the technology to create a new learning task that would be impossible without the use of the technology. Asking students to review the various media and resources we have provided. Analyze the information and then create their own video presentation on a topic, is an example of how we can redefine the learning task of getting information about a topic. The stages of SAMR are often compared to rungs on a ladder with a line drawn between augmentation and modification. So that substitution and augmentation are on the bottom. And modification and redefinition on the top. Conveying it in this way illustrates that substitution and augmentation enhance learning, or improve it slightly. While modification and redefinition transform learning or change it fundamentally. The creator of the SAMR model, Dr. Ruben Puentedura emphasized that teachers should seek to transform learning tasks through technology, and not merely enhance them. However, as we have said several times in this course, teachers need to look at their learning objectives and consider whether substitution, augmentation, modification, or redefinition, best helps accomplish those objectives. You may determine that given the time and resources you have available, substitution is best, or you may find that you can truly transform the learning experience and accomplish much more. You are the captain of the ship, so to speak, and you are in charge of how your students get to their final destination. Before we leave you, there's one more connection I wish to make between SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy. If you remember, Bloom's Taxonomy refers to various tasks learners might be asked to do. And the cognitive skills required for each task. At the lower levels of the Taxonomy, you have tasks like remembering and understanding which are not cognitively taxing. At the higher levels, you have tasks like analyzing, evaluating and creating which are often called the higher order thinking skills, or HOTS. In discussing the SAMR model, many experts connect substitution and augmentation to the lower order thinking skills of remembering and understanding. And modification, and re-definition to the higher order thinking skills of analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Pairing Bloom's Taxonomy and SAMR together in this way, does not mean that substitution or augmentation can't be used to create learning tasks that require students to analyze, evaluate or create. Or conversely, that modification and redefinition are not seen in tasks that focus on lower order thinking skills. However, pairing the two concepts helps teachers keep in mind that as they seek to integrate HOTS into their teaching, they should be looking for ways to integrate technology that transform the learning experience rather than just enhance. Thanks for watching, see you next time. [MUSIC]
