Introducing SAMR

We are fortunate in Westford Public Schools to have Instructional Technology Specialists (ITS) in each building. The role of the ITS is to collaborate with teachers to design effective learning experiences that integrate technology into the content area. For many years we have described technology use in education as ranging from technology as a tool (word processing, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) to technology integrated into learning (blogging, podcasts, videos, etc.).

Supporting this underlying philosophy is the SAMR model introduced by Ruben R. Puentedura, Ph. D. As a district we are using the SAMR model as a guiding resource for integrating technology at all grade levels. As learning experiences are transformed, the SAMR model guides educators in their development of technology based activities.

How do you use technology with your students? There is no right or wrong. Sometimes technology serves its purpose when simply substituting. Practicing math facts on an iPad can be more exciting than traditional paper and pencil (SAMR - Substitution). Creating a video for classmates on an iPad using Educreations to explain how to add two numbers (SAMR- Modification) provides a very different learning experience. Both are valuable and support the mathematics curriculum.

Over the past few years many SAMR resources have been developed. Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything offers a great collection for educators. It is a great site to explore and learn more about the SAMR model and to find resources that will help you design some great content-based projects using technology for your students.

Are you ready?

Welcome to Winter PD. This weekend, is the start of my first online course offering through Westford Public Schools. This groups of teachers could be skiing, sledding, settling on the couch with the Winter Olympics, or reading by the fire. Yet, like so many great educators, they chose to enroll in a professional development course. 

Recently, Massachusetts DESE has released standards for  high quality professional development as part of the Race to the Top initiative.hoose to use that time to spend countless hours in taking courses to improve our teaching.

 A set of coherent learning experiences that is systematic, purposeful, and structured over a sustained period of time with the goal of improving teacher practice and student outcomes. It enables educators to facilitate the learning of students by acquiring and applying knowledge, skills, and abilities that address student needs and improvement goals of the district, school, and individual. HQPD conforms to best practices in research and relates to educators' assignments and professional responsibilities. 

In the course we will explore current online technology tools, discuss their impact on student learning and develop lessons and strategies to integrate them into current teaching. The goal is to research and develop technology integration project that supports the curriculum and helps students reach their learning goals to be implemented in class(es).

This course will challenge teachers to assess their skills and then push themselves to learn more. Every module will ask them to contemplate and evaluate the use of a tool for student learning. Some will be easy, obvious in the integration. Other online tools may nudge them to change the way they teach and then others will bring a whole new perspective.

In the spirit of this course, I will be challenging myself to learn more as well. We are using ObaWorld for the first time in Westford Public Schools. Your patience and feedback will be greatly appreciated as you navigate the new learning management system.

 Take risks, think out of the box, don't give up, and enjoy the ride.

 Are you ready?

Beyond the Classroom Walls

Misunderstood. A wonderful title for the winter 2013 Apple advertisement. My eyes filled with tears when I first saw this holiday commercial. Certainly, the family theme tugged at my heart. But the true joy was the ad's revelation of what our teens are capable of doing when given the time, freedom, technology and understanding. 

Empowering students to use their technology to think critically, collaborate, create, communicate will ultimately empower them to learn.

What Do Parents Think About Mobile Learning? | Edutopia suggests that many parents support the use of personal mobile devices for learning. 

Many parents agree completely or somewhat that mobile devices and apps can build creative and life skills, as well as help children learn academic content and skills.

Reading this article and the results from the study completed by The Learning First Alliance and Grunwald Associates in spring of 2013 sparked my personal goal to increase the use of student owned devices for digital learning projects at Westford Academy. Informal surveys of students in German classes indicated that 75% of students owned a mobile device capable of capturing images and video. But were they using them for academic purposes?

During the 2013-2014 school year, I am working particularly with a group of German Honors students as they expand their language use "outside the classroom walls". Students are assigned projects that require speaking German in the school halls, in their homes and in their community. Increasing the target language use outside the classroom supports the World Language curriculum goal:

Increase target language use at the beginner and college prep levels.  

Students are assigned theme based video projects of speaking German in their world using mobile devices. Video making on the devices is simple and clean. Students are encouraged to record themselves and their surroundings to build a story based on the assigned theme. 

Six iPod Touch devices were purchased for student loan providing an equitable learning experience for all project participants.  A practice session was presented during class using school ipads and iMovie. Students were assigned their first project and were off and recording.

To date, students have completed three videos. Completed projects were uploaded to a private class YouTube channel. Speaking assessments have been completed using the Westford Academy World Language Speaking Rubric. The latest project was assessed using the Westford Academy Digital Media Presentation Rubric (DRAFT). We have identified areas for video making improvement and will be targeting different elements of the video making using mobile devices thoughout the year.

Throughout the year, completed projects (with student's permission) will be posted here with feedback from teachers and students.