SAMR vs Bloom's Taxonomy

The job we have as up and coming teachers is the task of integrating educational technology into our practice. The choices available in the market are overwhelming. For some teachers, the idea of using instructional technology in their pedagogy may be daunting and sometimes avoided.  

Frequently, teachers use ICTs as substitutive uses that limit the potential for more ambitious transformative goals. ICTs should be approached as a transformative tool, rather than merely used for enhancement and replacement of normal learning tasks.

The SAMR and Bloom’s Taxonomy provide a framework in which teachers can use to overcome these barriers. Both frameworks work in a similar fashion which moves from lower levels to upper levels.

The transitional levels of the SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation) are associated with the three lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Remember, Understand, Apply). The transformational levels of SAMR (Modification, Redefinition) are associated with the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Analyze, Evaluate, Create).  A similar odering occurs within each grouping. 

The following diagram illustrates this association and demonstrates the similarities of each level between to the two models (Puentedura, 2014).

Source: After Puentedura (2014)

According to Puentedura (2014), the simple structures outlined above are well suited to beginning practitioner’s needs; however, the integration of SAMR and Bloom can provide far more powerful results “involving convergent/divergent branchings, oscillations between levels.”

Schrock (2015) also believes that teachers need to use both models in order to create tasks that target the higher-order cognitive skills (Bloom's), as well as design tasks that have a significant impact on student outcomes (SAMR).

To begin, it is normal to start with the lower levels by using simple substitutions of technology and minor enhancements in order to gain confidence with using technological tools in the classroom. This enables you to then progress towards the transitional steps of the models. Reaching these stages of the model enables higher order thinking for students as this is the ultimate goal of learning.

Examples of intergrating SAMR model in the classrom

SAMR is a model designed to help educators infuse technology into teaching and learning. 

Below are some pedagogical examples of how you can integrate the different levels of the SAMR model into classroom practice.

Source: Schrock (2015)

Examples of intergrating Bloom's Taxonomy in the classroom

The Bloom’s taxonomy model does indicate how technology should be implemented; however, the verbs in the model suggest active ways that technology can be utilised. Students can create, analyse, synthesise and discover new knowledge with technology.

The example below shows some of the great online tools that support higher-order thinking. 

Source: Hollis (2015)

Mia's Pedagogical Approach

For me, the idea of teaching excites me so much! Below is a map of some of my pedagogical approaches to teaching.

Engagement Activity - Mobile Phones Wiki

The mobile phone activity was designed to discuss, collaborate ideas and perspectives using an online tool called the Wiki. The de Bono’s Hats framework was the method in which the range of perspectives were collected, organised and examined.

Additionally, this activity was designed to model and provide first-hand experience in achieving higher order thinking scaffolded by the use of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats framework. A contemporary topic of mobiles phones was chosen. To promote discussion, the question asked was “What do you think about mobile phones in the classroom?”

An amalgamation of the Social Constructivist and Constructivist learning theories underpin the design of this activity. Elements of the activity which support this notion are evident from the participants learning in a collaborative community by sharing and using ideas of others. Learning takes place involving informal, networked, technology based forum. The result of participating in such a forum helped shift what the participants already know of the topic.

This activity required participants to share their perspectives into a shared online space using de Bono’s Hat as the scaffolding tool to help organise information and to promote higher order thinking.

Each of the inputs provided by the participants helped promote learning and facilitate a shift in thinking for the other participants. During the process of sharing information, learning is negotiated and the responses were analysed from the various perspectives to construct a balanced argument.

This was the second time I have used a Wiki for collaborative work. The first experience was designed differently where each comment was saved individually. It was designed without structure to help organise the information and this made it difficult to track everyone’s comments.

This experience of this mobile phone/wiki activity, however, involved providing comments into a shared space using de Bono’s hat to help organise information and promote higher order thinking. The de Bono’s framework was delightful to be engaged in, but the manner in which the de Bono’s was designed in this Wiki activity had some drawbacks.

While using the Wiki tool, I found the formatting process frustrating. I would evenly space out the text, save the work to find that the spacing was removed. To customise my text, I saved the colour and style of text by using the ‘Advanced (CCS)’ option under ‘Style Text’. When I applied this style, it applied the colour and font settings, but not the font size. This was frustrating to me as I then had to go back and manually change the font size, click on the save while holding my breath!

Throughout the whole process of updating my comments in the Wiki, I was in constant fear of accidently wiping someone else’s comments, or someone deleting mine. The risk with this type of collaboration is that you could easily delete other people’s text. Sometimes, I accidently formatted another person’s comments instead of my own. Other times I clicked on the cancel button instead on save and lost all my work! Luckily I had saved my work on a separate work document.

Precautionary steps were required in saving my work, which meant having to save the text into a separate word document, and then saving the text in the Wiki. This process is cumbersome and slow. For the students, this process may be missed or too slow causing frustration and loss of engaged.

In regards to sharing of perspectives, the comments in each of the six hats appeared to be similar. People may have similar perspectives, or they may have simply re-worded other people’s comments to save time. This is counterproductive as this model is all about analysing the various perspectives to construct a balanced argument.

At times, I felt that my perspectives were completely different from everyone else’s. I felt scared to share my views because I did not want to appear to be different or completely off track to everyone else.

No doubt that the issues I faced during this experience will be prominent with the students. Most students do not want to be seen as different and will hesitate to express this on-line for the world to see. Comments will be similar and the engagement of higher order thinking will not be utilised to effectively synthesis the information from the various perspectives. 

Technology is supposed to make life easy and faster. Using the Wiki in this fashion does not fit into this category. Overall, I would not incorporate the Wiki tool into my teaching practise. The sharing of perspectives and building knowledge through digital means is an invaluable and worthwhile experience for students, however, I would not use the Wiki tool in this fashion.

ICT’s in the classroom – My View

I am very comfortable with the idea of using digital technologies in the classroom. My views and my practices as an up and coming teacher align with Bianca Hewe’s views in the “Emerging Professional Practice: A Teacher's Perspective” YouTube video. What struck me most from watching this video was her approach in utilising digital technology to enhance and transform learning. Using technology in the classroom requires a different approach to pedagogy. It requires moving away from teacher centred approach to a more student centred style of learning. This in turn empowers the students to be more in control of their learning.

During my time in placement, I was astounded by the number of teachers afraid to use ICTs in their classroom. Some of the then did not use any form of ICTs, even at the basic level such as interactive whiteboards. Others merely used the interactive white boards (IWB) as a projector screens. However, during my recent experiences in the classroom, I have witnessed a teacher who did utilise digital technology from simple wordle activities to help with spelling to full blown project based activities.

Like Bianca, my pedagogy and use of technology support the development of the ICT capability as required by ACARA. For example, I tried to make the most of the digital technologies available to me such as using Microsoft Excel in Algebra lessons. In these lessons, I taught students how to create simple formulas from algebraic expressions, create tables from these values, and then charts to represent the table. Interesting enough, they were more engaged by doing this rather than the traditional method of manually drawing a table and chart in their exercise books. They thoroughly enjoyed personalising their charts with their favourite colours or changing the values of the table to see the effect of those values in the charts. This was so much easier and less time consuming than manually drawing up a different table of values and a new chart each time!

For each lesson during the Algebra unit, these students knew that I would use a computer. They would eagerly sit in their chair until I gave them the go ahead to move over to the computers. When I did, they literally got up and ran to the computers knocking their friends over in the process!

I am comfortable with the students using digital technologies such as google or iPhone apps to help with their research and collaboration. Digital technologies will also be used to help with their designing, refining of work and to communicate and reach an audience in and outside of the four walls of the classroom.

Introduction

New adventures into the world of blogging…

Hello,

My name is Mia Webster. I am currently in my 3^rd year at University studying to become a primary school teacher. This is my second career. In my first career, I was a successful senior manager in the Information Technology (IT) industry. 

The transition from one career to another has been very rewarding, but very challenging. The journey has challenged me to think and interact in a completely different way. Transitioning after working for 20 years in a male dominant industry into the world of Education has forced me to view the world in a very different way. What was once important is no longer. The importance of improving margins and the bottom line has dissipated and is now superseded with the most important aspects in Education, which is ensuring student success with all students. 

Not only that, but the skills and knowledge required to develop has forced me to review my thoughts and beliefs of the world in which I live. I now have gained a new perspective of life though studying the BLM program at CQ University.  

So here I am, starting all over again embarking on this spectacular journey in teaching. I have also developed a passion in the Visual Arts. I thoroughly enjoy expressing myself through art and I always push my boundaries. These art experiences have cultivated my imagination, risk-taking and enhanced my creativity. Below is a sample of one my art works. 

Throughout my working career in IT, I’ve always been creative, innovative and thought ‘outside of the box’. These qualities will be utilised to allow me to be very successful in my career as a teacher and as a change advocate in the education system.

Here I am venturing into the world of blogging for the first time. I’m a little daunted of the idea of expressing my thoughts and ideas into the internet world. Hopefully, I would be able to draw upon my IT skills during the learning journey of the Managing e-Learning course. 

Back in the day, this would have been unheard of. If you think about it, a little over 22 years ago there were computers without hard drives. No windows operating system to speak of, but DOS. Most of you younglings would not have even heard of DOS! No internet and certainly no way easy way of sharing of information. 

Who would have thought of using your phone as a camera, or the spectacular graphics in computer games, and the Apps on mobile which you can use as a business or educational tool? If you had told my 20 something year old sense of the technologies available today, I would have not believed you.

Over the course of my IT career, I had the privileged to witness the development of technology. Things I thought was impossible have become possible. At the time the progress seemed slow, but looking back over a 20 year span the progress is outstanding! 

For me change is exciting and to be embraced. If you want to be part of the incredibly fast development on this world, be open to change and don’t be afraid of it!