Seven Things You Need to Know about the

Volume 1, Issue 1

SAMR Model

DANIELLE COTTON; ERIKA ROSENBUSCH; JAMIE WILLIAMS

Scenario
Mrs. Williams is in her classroom preparing lessons for her
high school students. She has
an assortment of technology
available in her classroom. There is a Promethean
board, ten desktop computers,
three laptop computers, and
two android tablets. In addition,
she has at her disposal, various
software programs meant to be
used by students as independent learning opportunities.
Use of technology in learning
environments has the potential
to be innovative but is rarely
used in innovative
ways. Efficacious use of technology involves more than mere
substitution e.g. using word processing software instead of paper and pencil to record written
responses. Instructional technology can be an essential tool
for effectively engaging 21st
Century learners.
Moving from enhancement of
learning activities to transformation requires reimagining
what we do with the tools we
have.

What is it?
The SAMR model is a multistep model that is used for integrating
technology into education. It can be used in a face-to-face, online,
or blended learning environments. The creator of this model is Dr.
Ruben Puentedura. He created the model in order to assist those in
the education profession with successfully using technology when
teaching students. SAMR is an acronym for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. According to Puentedura,
these are the steps that should be followed when putting technology into place in the classroom (Jacobs-Israel & Moorefield-Lang,
2013).

Who is doing it?

The SAMR model is being used by educators and those in charge
of using technology to enhance education. Anyone who works in
the field of education, whether they are trainers, teachers, librarians
or administrators can implement the use of the SAMR model. Students and teachers are the active participants in the process. The
SAMR model is also being used by many researchers, who are interested in ways to successfully integrate and use technology in
the classroom (Jacobs-Israel & Moorefield-Lang, 2013).

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How does it work?

Since there are several levels in the SAMR model,
the important point of differentiation is the amount of
student involvement. The first step of the SAMR
model is Substitution. In this step, one technology is
replacing another. There is not necessarily for improvement of the technology. However, it is helping
to move towards enhancing the technology, but it is
not there yet. The next step is augmentation. This
step begins to enhance the students learning experience. Here, one technology is again substituted for
another, and the purpose in enhancement.
and the purpose in enhancement. The third step of
the SAMR model is modification. This is where technology starts to transform the learning levels and
experience for both the students and teachers. The
tasks the students are to perform and end products
and being redesigned. The final step of the model
is redefinition. This is the final step of the transformation and the highest level of the SAMR. In this
final level, technology is used in the creation of new
tasks and ideas (Jacobs-Israel & Moorefield-Lang,
2013).

Why is it significant?
The SAMR model is significant because, as we
move to 1:1 technology integration, the model helps
to define the four levels of technology integration
and the associated characteristics of each. The
model provides a framework for understanding those
differences. In order to truly integrate educational
technology we need to move from merely substituting one tool for another; and, toward redefining
teaching and learning with new tools in previously
unknown ways.

What are drawbacks?

Drawbacks to SAMR include:
Lack of educators who are skilled in the use of
technology

Matching the content standards with existing

technological resources
Technical assistance for implementing and
maintaining technology
Lack of community partners for modeling
and real world connections
Policies and standards which are supportive
of 21st Century learner

Where is it going?
The SAMR model should be utilized heavily at all
levels of learning. In the classroom, teachers are
using computers for students to learn keyboarding
skills. Students are also learning to present information in a PowerPoint format and some teachers
are using iPad applications. In order to produce
students who are 21st Century learners instruction
needs to move into the Transformation stage of
the SAMR model. Corporate America expects
employees to be ready to collaborate either in person or through the use of different technologies. How we work is dramatically transforming
because technology is not just a tool for reproducing items but for the collaborative production of
new things (Roschelle et al., 2000).

Future Implications
Brick and mortar schools are antiquated. There is
now a strong understanding that learning does not
need to take place in a one size fits all classroom
with four walls. This is evident with the large number of successful online schools ranging from elementary through college. Employers are also realizing that a degree does not necessarily make a
person an expert. There needs to be a healthy
balance of instruction and real world knowledge
(Shapley et al., 2010).

Jacobs-Israel, M., & Moorefield-Lang, H. (2013). Redefining technology in libraries and schools: AASL best apps, best websites, and the SAMR Model. Teacher librarian, (2), 16-18.
Shapley, K. S., Sheehan, D., Maloney, C., & Caranikas-Walker, F. (2010). Evaluating the implementation fidelity of technology immersion and its
relationship with student achievement. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 9(4), 1 - 63. Retrieved February 2014, from http://
www.jtla.org.
Roschelle, J. M., Roy, D. P., Hoadley, C. M., & Gordin, D. N. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. The Future of Children, 76 - 101. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1602690