My instructional decisions and roles in the classroom seem to completely change as my lesson changed through each SAMR level. At the Substitution level, I use technology such as Google Slides, Youtube, Google Docs, etc. as simply a tool to deliver content about elements of a narrative. I am directly teaching to the whole class. Students are merely passive listeners at this time.
This dynamic slightly changes at the Augmentation level. Being able to access the online textbook and write their personal narrative anywhere with Google Docs is using technology with functional improvement. The students aren't tied to the traditional classroom setting, but they are still acting as passive learnings.
At the Modification level, students begin to become more active in their learning. Conferencing is an important part in the writing process, but conferencing becomes difficult with Covid-19 policies in place that do not allow for close contact interaction. Therefore, we use Google Meets and Google Docs as a way to share content with each other and give instant feedback to each other no matter where the students are at. In this process, students begin to take charge of their learning. I - as the teacher - act more as a facilitator leading them along with their learning goals.
Students begin to manipulate technology and become independent learners at the Redefinition level of the SAMR model. At the end of the unit, students are tasked with creating a movie poster for their personal narrative that represents their narrative and other literary techniques that they used in Canva. Here, students become the main manipulators of technology in order to display their knowledge and content in a creative way. They are autonomous and have the ability to make their own choices in their work and are also able to collaborate and share with anyone around the world.
Overall, I think there is a place for each SAMR level in the classroom. Each level is important and holds value. That being said, incorporating more lessons and activities at the Modification and Redefinition level allows for a more effective student-centered classroom. Only a small part of my unit resides in these two levels. I believe that students will find more value in their learning when using technology as an active learners and now just the passive learners that typically occur at the lower levels of the SAMR track.
This dynamic slightly changes at the Augmentation level. Being able to access the online textbook and write their personal narrative anywhere with Google Docs is using technology with functional improvement. The students aren't tied to the traditional classroom setting, but they are still acting as passive learnings.
At the Modification level, students begin to become more active in their learning. Conferencing is an important part in the writing process, but conferencing becomes difficult with Covid-19 policies in place that do not allow for close contact interaction. Therefore, we use Google Meets and Google Docs as a way to share content with each other and give instant feedback to each other no matter where the students are at. In this process, students begin to take charge of their learning. I - as the teacher - act more as a facilitator leading them along with their learning goals.
Students begin to manipulate technology and become independent learners at the Redefinition level of the SAMR model. At the end of the unit, students are tasked with creating a movie poster for their personal narrative that represents their narrative and other literary techniques that they used in Canva. Here, students become the main manipulators of technology in order to display their knowledge and content in a creative way. They are autonomous and have the ability to make their own choices in their work and are also able to collaborate and share with anyone around the world.
Overall, I think there is a place for each SAMR level in the classroom. Each level is important and holds value. That being said, incorporating more lessons and activities at the Modification and Redefinition level allows for a more effective student-centered classroom. Only a small part of my unit resides in these two levels. I believe that students will find more value in their learning when using technology as an active learners and now just the passive learners that typically occur at the lower levels of the SAMR track.