17 March 2015

SAMR via PLN

Last week's Thursday my niece (the highschool girl) contacted me and wanted my help to ask my colleagues (in Finland) what they think about Sweden. It turned out she had gotten a task within the range of the national tests (Sweden has them) to give a speech about this subject. I asked her if she had ever used Google Drive and she replied negative and it got me a bit worried, negative on social media as well, negative answer to all kind of collaboration that I use with my students (upper secondary vocational).

So, to save some time, she had to put up with the questions. I helped her with Google Forms, added an add-on (autoCrat, so she got noticed every time someone had answered her form) and asked my colleagues via email and also through my PLN (Personal Learning Network)


My niece was so frustrated so I could almost touch it, her teachers seem to use their 1:1 tool (laptop) as a notebook but nothing more. They even get their tasks on paper and has to hand in paper reports. Paper? 2015? 

As she herself was doing something extra I start to wonder how long her efforts would go on the SAMR model.

Not very high I'm afraid, because the teacher hasn't changed the task it's entirely possible without technology, but with using Google Drive and Twitter we get a bit higher. And if she would have made a blog report we could even get as high as level 3.

SUBSTITUTION
We replace paper and pencil with technology.

AUGUMENTATION
We use Google Forms and spread through social media (Google+ & Twitter), technology acts as a direct replacement for other tools with functional improvements. That is step 2 of the SAMR.

MODIFICATION
If she would present their results through a blog, with comments (communication with outsiders) it will arises reflection. There we probably learning at a deeper level and passing the bar to step 3 on SAMR.  


There're two questions that usually helps start think about:
  1. Where does the learning start and why?
  2. How is the task defined, would it be possible without technology?

My advices to her

  • Try to think about what you have learned, when you learned it and why.
  • These three query words she should have included in his presentation as that would be very interested for her teacher. 
  • Make a blog report of it.
A blog report? when everyone else does a PowerPoint (as the teacher wants!) Am I nuts? Probably...


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