SAMR’s framework and the integration of technology moves to more student-centered and where students are more in control of the learning. Students are encouraged to be creative in sharing their learning through technology tools. For teachers, this gives them a different perspective on the learning as well, as students are showcasing the material in unique ways allowing teachers to truly see what was learned vs traditional assessment with paper pencil tests that only test students learning in concrete, narrow formats (Bouchrika, 2022).
Best (2020) recommends teachers start their planning by asking themselves five main questions that will aid in making sure their use of technology is purposeful.
When I use this technology, what am I hoping to achieve?
Will there be a difference in my students' learning?
Is my use of technology better than not using technology?
Are my students ready and able to grasp the technology?
Is there a substantial time investment for making this technology work in the classroom?
These questions will help determine if technology will enhance or perhaps detract from the lesson. Using technology ineffectively will produce more problems and lead to teachers and students both being unwilling to continue the use of technology in future lessons. However, integrating technology appropriately, even if teachers are not completely comfortable with the idea, will model a growth mindset and step out of their comfort zones to increase student learning (Best, 2020).
While many in education have created lists of apps and programs and labeled them for the different levels in SAMR, in reality, it is not the tool that creates the level, but the activity and learning outcome. While some may place the program Flip in a lower level of Substitution or Augmentation, if students are recording video lessons about their learning that will be shared with classmates and other students, providing an authentic audience and a true measure of learning, then that moves this application to the Modification or Redefinition level. Similarly, creating a website to share learning may be considered Modification or Redefinition, but if the work being shared is online worksheets completed by students or simply sharing students typed final drafts of papers, then this moves the activity to Substitution or Augmentation.
Bouchrika (2022) in his article How to Use SAMR Model in Designing Instruction (An EdTech Integration Guide) puts forth the theory that it is not the technology that is key to the learning process, instead, it is the pedagogy and lesson design that makes the lesson effective. He has questions for each level of the SAMR model to help determine if the technology is beneficial to the lesson and the students.
Substitution: “What will I gain by replacing the task with technology?”
Augmentation: “Does the technology add new features that improve the task?”
Modification: “Does the task significantly change with the use of technology?”
Redefinition: “Does the technology allow for the creation of a new task previously inconceivable?”
(Bouchrika, 2022).
The SAMR model is not only useful for planning lessons, it can also be used as a tool for reflection on the lesson after teaching (Bouchrika, 2022). This self reflection by teachers that has them critically look at what actually occurred in lessons gives them the opportunity to think about if the technology was beneficial, distracting, led to higher order thinking, and if the continued use of the technology in the way it was planned and executed was essential for learning.