Article review

  As you know, I am doing my master’s degree at WIUT, while studying the ILT course I, like other students, read many academic papers related to the course, such as about SAMR, TPACK, Community of Inquiry, Learning theories and so on. All of which is very beneficial for online, traditional as well as blended teaching. Now, I am going to share my insights I got from one of those articles. 

The article “What is SAMR model? Importance of SAMR model in Education System” by Mustak Ahmed provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the SAMR model, which is developed by Dr. Ruben Puendetura. It is a framework, which assist teachers to apply technology to the teaching process. The SAMR model includes four levels of technology integration, such as Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. All the levels progressively represent a wider use of technology that starts from simple replacement of traditional methods to the creation of completely new teaching and learning process with the help technology. 

The article starts with the explanations of the improving demand for online education and the causes leading to it, especially global health crisis, which forced every institutions shift to distance learning. In addition to this, the author highlights the challenges in this type of education such as the learners live in rural areas who do not have available internet connections and the students who lacks the technology for being able to attend the online lessons. Then, the author clearly explains each level of SAMR model. The first stage, Substitution means to replace traditional teaching methods with digital ones, such as instead of using paper worksheets, a teacher shares electronic variant of the material. Augmentation involves an introduction of interactive elements, as multimedia or hyperlinks for enriching the learning process. The next stage, Modification is transforming the teaching process, which technology is used for creating new ways of teaching. The last one, Redefinition resembles the creation of learning experiences such as virtual field trips, which could not exist without technology. 

I find that the SAMR model closely aligns with my own experiences in both professional and academic settings. I believe that effective teaching process involves the wide use of technology, and this model resembles my beliefs about teaching as it has structured approach to technology integration. In addition to this, I gain many ideas of how to apply technology to my classes, since the author gives several examples of the utilization of technology into the teaching process. In short, SAMR model helps me to understand how to use technology in education not just as a tool, but as a means of transformative element. However, the article challenged me to think about integrating technology even more effectively in boosting deep learning and collaboration. For instance, Redefinition level made me to think deeply about how to create unique, engaging as well as effective learning experiences for my students rather than traditional approaches. 

This article raises some questions for me; the most important one is “Is there any training for teachers to effectively navigate the SAMR model in their lessons?” 

By reading this article, I realized that I often used technology in my lessons based on Substitution level. For example, recently I used Zoom for my online lesson; I just changed traditional face-to-face lessons into online forms. However, as I explored more interactive functions of the tool, I realized that I could conduct my lessons not only just Substitution level, but also Augmentation, Modification levels with the help of breakout rooms, chat functions and pools. 

In conclusion, the article gives me lot of insights that help me design effective online lessons through integrating technology. 

You can read the article here : 

https://www.iitms.co.in/blog/what-is-samr-model-importance-of-samr-model-in-education-system.html