Leveraging Technology To Improve Student Learning

Our district is rounding the bend on our fourth year with 1:1 student and teacher technology devices. The staff and students have become quite comfortable using many new digital tools and resources to enhance student learning. We are now in an ideal place to take our learning activities and lesson design to a whole new level . Not only is this evolution timely, but also indispensable if we are to continue to prepare our students to thrive in today's fast paced, technology-rich world.

The SAMR model is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura to help educators think about how to use technology purposefully in the classroom.  Dr. Puentedora currently explores new directions in mobile computing, digital storytelling, learning analytics, and educational gaming,  His is one of several frameworks available to teachers to help them think about technology use as a way to improve and transform classroom learning outcomes. His model provides a common language for educators to use for the design of meaningful instruction with technology. This is a model that I will be sharing with my colleagues over the next few weeks as we move into the end of the school year. Understanding this model will allow staff members to make informed decisions about the tools that they will choose to use with their students in upcoming lesson designs. This framework will also encourage thoughtful decisions for purchasing and requesting additional digital tools and resources as we move forward into a new school year. Dr. Puentedura talks briefly about the impact SAMR can have on student achievement in the video below.



This brief video explains how the SAMR framework is used by educators to transform their lesson design.

I am looking forward to sharing this model with our staff over the next few weeks. Do you use the SAMR model when designing your instruction? Do you use another framework for thinking about technology? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Thank you for reading!