Teaching Above the Line

To infinity and beyond, reach for the stars, strive to be your best, practice makes perfect.

All of those phrases are centered around the same idea: be the best you can be. As a teacher, this is something I strive for. I want to be the best teacher I can be for my future students. Although perfection is not possible, if we do everything we can to strive for it, that is good enough.

There are a million different ideas, strategies, theories, models, and frameworks that we have been exposed to and attempt to implement a mish-mosh of all of them in our classroom. Another framework to add to the list for teachers to think about is the SAMR model. It stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. 

[Retrieved from: http://jennyluca.wikispaces.com/TPACK+and+SAMR]

The SAMR model is similar to TPACK, it is a model for the different ways technology is used in the classroom. Each level increases in complexity, similar to Bloom's Taxonomy. The farther up the model you get, the more intensely the technology is being used. Here are some examples to help you better understand the model:

• Redefinition: Skyping with students from other countries.
• Modification: Collaborating on google docs with peers.
• Augmentation: Google docs allows you to share docs and saves to the cloud.
• Substitution: Google docs replaces word docs but doesn't change the task.

I had never heard of this model until it was introduced to me in class. I think it is a great model for teachers to use because it challenges you to think outside the box. I have created many technologically integrated lessons; however this model challenges me to think about how the technology is being used; is it substituting a task that could be done before or is it creating a task that wasn't possible without technology? 

"Teaching Above the Line" is another phrase that relates to my opening topic: be the best you can be. In the figure above, you'll see there is a dotted line through the middle of the SAMR model; the top half is labeled transformation and the bottom half is labeled enhancement. As teachers, we want to strive to teach above the line and transform our lessons with the use of technology. It challenges us and it won't come natural at first, but I feel it is an important aspect of teaching because it uses technology in an innovating way rather than just using it to use it. 

SAMR is a good model to use when considering the use of technology with students. It is a great reminder to check and see what the purpose of technology in our lesson is. Could the lesson be done completely without the technology? Is the technology making the lesson better? Was this lesson possible without technology?

Consider this model next time you plan a technology integrated lesson. It won't be easy at first (I hate admitting I'm wrong too), but by challenging yourself to use technology to transform your lessons and "teach above the line" will create better lessons, more efficient use of technology, and help your students learn.

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