Taylor Kellogg

ELED 104A

Professor Davola

November 18, 2017

SAMR/ ISTE

As a future educator, learning new pedagogies and implementations within the classroom

are always intriguing. I find it fascinating to learn about what works and what does not work

within the four walls of a classroom. Technology is a highly debated subject in the field of

education. There is a huge concern about utilizing technology in the classroom because many

parents and educators believe students receive enough screen time outside of school. However,

technology is a large part of society in the present time, so it is mandatory for it to have a place

in education. My personal goals are to learn these ways that are successful in teaching students

and also to understand how to use them in the correct way. In my schooling experience thus far,

there were very few moments where my teachers provided use of technology in the class. As a

result, I am not aware of a lot of the tools listed within week ones form. I am looking forward to

educating myself on the different programs that are available and how I would be able to

implement them in my own future classroom.

ISTE is the International Society for Technology in Education. The ISTE Standards for

Teachers are types of ways educators can further their practice, engage with peers, challenge the

debate on technology in the classroom, and help students learn. There are seven different

standards that include the learner, leader, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst.

Within my classroom, I feel as though I would use the learner and designer standards most. I

would use the learner standard more than any of the others because it allows for learning on not
just the students end but also on my end. It allows for the educator to continuously better their

skills dealing with technology. The field of technology is constantly updating, and this standard

makes it easier for educators to stay up to date with the current systems. Within the learner

standard, educators set professional goals for what they want to achieve through pedagogy,

create and participate in global networks, and find new technologies to incorporate. In my

classroom, I would implement this standard by discussing what works for other teachers not only

within the United States but all around the world. I believe education is active, so teachers should

be updating their own knowledge on subjects as well as new pedagogies and learning strategies.

Technology is a great way to keep material and lessons updated and interesting. It is easier for

students to pay attention to technology because they are more exposed to it than traditional ways

of teaching in this day and age. By contacting other educators around the world, it would only

increase the pedagogies and strategies used for all different types of students. Creating programs

and activities to suit the individual needs of students relates to the designer standard. This

standard requires educators to create innovative activities and plans for students based on their

learning abilities. I think this is incredibly important because no two students in any classroom

are alike. Education is very individualized, yet it is incredibly difficult to implement

individualized structures within a typical classroom of about twenty students. In the future, I will

use the learner and designer standards to include all students and allow for personal growth and

development.

ISTE Standards for Students are ways to include students in the classroom and really

listen to their ideas about topics. There are seven standards for students, which include

empowered learner, digital citizen, knowledge constructor, innovative designer, computational

thinker, creative communicator, and global collaborator. It is important for students to know
about these because it allows for them to have an active voice in their learning environments.

The empowered learner lets students set their own goals and build networks to support their

education through the use of technology. The digital citizen allows students to educate their ideas

about online reputations and identities in a safe and ethical manner. The knowledge constructor

is a standard to help students with the validity of their research and how to build ideas from it.

The innovative designer allows students to create situations and then solve possible problems

that might arise by using digital tools. The computational thinker lets students collect data and

then test the solutions. The creative communicator is a standard to increase clear communication

when dealing with complex ideas. The global collaborator allows students to engage with diverse

backgrounds to achieve an end goal. Each one of the student standards encourages personal

growth that will benefit one inside the education setting as well as outside in the real world.

These standards help all types of students achieve their goals beyond what they believed they

could do. Technology can influence students to make a difference in their lives and others. When

I have a classroom of my own, I want my students to take these standards into consideration and

hold themselves to them because I believe each one is beneficial for educational growth.

The SAMR Model is yet another model to help teachers incorporate technology into the

field of education. The use of this process allows educators to realize if they are successfully

using technology to enhance learning for their students. There are four steps in this process,

which include substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. However, substitution

and augmentation are on a different spectrum because they do not require higher levels of

processing as they only enhance the use of simple technology. Substitution is using technology

to replace something else that is concrete. An example would be reading a book on a tablet rather

than reading a hard copy of a book. Augmentation is the use of technology because of its
efficient yet effective completion of tasks. An example would include using spreadsheets and

graphs rather than strictly data sheets. Both substitution and augmentation enhance productivity

through the use of technology. Without each, the task would be much more difficult and would

take more time. On the other hand, modification and redefinition do require higher levels of

processing by transforming the overall learning process. Modification is the process that causes

students to modify their work. An example would be uploading a Google Doc and having instant

comments or feedback from others. It allows for higher levels of thinking because it brings in

other ideas that are being our own minds. Redefinition allows students to create new tasks. An

example would be filming scenes to create visuals for a written short story that the student wrote

himself. Beyond the creation of the video, the student could upload it and get feedback from

people all around the world. Not only does this enhance learning of particular topics or subjects,

but the SAMR model also allows for cultural learning. One lesson that includes substation

already but would be enhanced by the other processes of the SAMR model would be if students

were doing math problems by using calculator applications rather than real calculators. Beyond

this, the students could implement augmentation by using some sort of spreadsheet application to

map out the math problem or even create a graph. To utilize modification, they could use an

interactive Google Sheet to check if their work is correct or if other students agree with their

work. To implement redefinition, they can create scenarios to represent the math problem and

share their work on a safe website. Learning about each of the ISTE Standards and the SAMR

model made me realize how practical and incredibly useful technology could be to students to

increase their learning abilities.