Technology Applications and the Cognitive Process

I had the opportunity to present to admin council last spring about educator use of technology.  I had recently come across the work of Ruben R. Puentedura, who has examined how we can stack the use of technology onto Bloom's taxonomy of learning.  I felt that particular opportunity was a good time to look at how technology can be used or infused in the classroom, while projecting Puentedura's SAMR model up on the wall.  I approach many teacher PD presentations with this model in mind. Technology can be used in the classroom, but it can also be infused in ways that allow learners to explore, create, collaborate, and blow down the walls of the classroom in ways that wouldn't otherwise be possible without technology.
This past fall, I had the opportunity to listen to a keynotes presentation at the Manitoba School Library Association's SAGE, delivered by teacher-librarian Kathy Schrock, who has woven Puentedura's SAMR framework throughout her website. Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything is a goldmine of resources on  literacy, assessment, and technology- many of the targeted areas of our school division's strategic plan.  If you are interested in both the SAMR model and the use of the iPad, Android, and Web 2.0 tools in instruction, then please have a look at her Bloomin' Apps page.  I would also recommend perusing the rest of her webpage for countless resources, rubrics, and links that you can use tomorrow.

Technology Infusion

There is such a great push to have educators infuse technology in the classroom, but without a road map it can be overwhelming. First, there is the professional development piece.  There are countless technological applications that one can choose to implement in the classroom- enough that you have a choice between a few different apps or web 2.0 tools to use for the same purpose. In order to figure out what works best for you, trying them all is almost a necessity. One can now choose the application that is most comfortable or available, given the resources at hand.

Last Wednesday, I participated in delivering a presentation about technology use and student engagement.  Prior to the presentation, I came across a great framework to consider the levels of technology use.  The SAMR model, developed by Ruben R. Puentedura is definitely worth reviewing as it provides a framework for technology use in the classroom.  Puentedura identifies four levels of technology integration/infusion.  At the base level, technology is purely being subbed in for tools that had been used previously.  Same old, same old, but now a computer is being used to do the same task.  Moving into the augmented stage, the use of technology simply improves how the task was previously completed.  The use of technology makes the task easier, better. At the level of modification, without the use of technology the lesson wouldn't happen.  The use of technology is integral to the delivery of the lesson, or the exploration of the concept by students.  The redefinition stage is where I imagine all tech savvy educators exist in an energized state of being.  The use of technology pushes down the classroom walls that hold the exploration of the world at bay.  Technology use at this level allows students to think deeply and critically, to gain access to information previously unattainable, and explore and represent ideas in a way that was previously inconceivable.  There are technological applications that will allow educators to operate at any of these levels.  The question is: what kind of an educational experience to we want to provide for our students?

Please have a look at this great matrix I found that delves a little deeper into Puentedura's SAMR model.  It is a great tool for any teacher who is looking to appropriately infuse technology within the classroom.