Technology Integration LoTI and SAMR Over the past two weeks you investigated the ISTE Standards set, learned about some of the needs for 21st century schools and began thinking about the implications of the global culture, the information age, and the knowledge economy on education. Some of these concepts may have been totally new to you and some of them may have simply provided refinements or reinforcement to what you are already doing. We are living in an age when nearly all workers need to have a “continuous improvement” view. Gone are the days when we are trained once, for life. As we look at various educational processes, we probably find that, most educational organizations are not where they need to be if our goal is to do the best job possible preparing our students and workers. Nearly everyone probably realizes that there are some changes or innovations that need to be implemented. But the question becomes, where do we start and how do we get to where we need to be? That's part of what we try to answer as we begin looking at Technology Integration/Innovation Frameworks. For teachers and administrators, you need to be thinking 1 to 3 years out in terms of what you need to more fully integrate technology into your curriculum or school. These changes take time and resources. As a school leader, part of your responsibility is to develop the culture in which you can advocate for these changes and work to modify budgets so that these innovations can become a reality. When asked about their technology integration, most teachers feel they do a good job. Many principals often rank their schools at a fairly high level. Sometimes this is because we are comparing ourselves to others around us or to where we have been in the past. But we need to consider a different benchmark. Thus, as one of your activities this week, you will use the LOTI Digital-Age Survey to evaluate your level of technology integration. After using this tool, many teachers and administrators are surprised to find out that their level is much lower than they would have predicted. But when coupled with an understanding of the LOTI levels, it provides a good springboard into discussions of what might be done to improve technology integration. Schools and training organizations can use the Loti data for their own planning if they purchase an administrator access. This would be a great planning tool for administrators and anyone who oversees training programs. The LoTI not only provides guidance for Technology Innovation, but also assesses a number of other instructional dimensions that could be valuable for teacher leaders and administrators. In Week 5 you will create a video in which you lead a group of educators to address a technology issue within your school or district. The LoTI can provide you with some good data to focus on within that discussion. There are other ways of looking at technology integration, but the LoTi tends to be one that makes a lot of sense to individuals and has clear application for their particular classroom or educational responsibilities. This tool can help us see the degree to which technology is impacting what we do in the classroom or training situation. If all we do with technology is add

1 it on to current practice and use it as a fancy tool, then we are wasting a lot of time, energy and money. Technology has the capacity to transform. It has the potential to help us do things in ways we never thought of before. With the advent of mobile devices such as tablets and iPads and with more and more schools becoming 1:1 environments, it is essential that we understand the difference between technology use and technology integration. The LoTi can help us with that task. In addition, you will be introduced to the SAMR Model. This model can be used by teacher leaders to evaluate how they are using technology within the classroom and it can be used by administrators to help evaluate the use of technology within classrooms across a school or district. The SAMR Model was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura as a way for teachers to evaluate how they are incorporating technology into their instructional practice. The model includes four levels that address how technology is being used. Those levels are:  Substitution  Augmentation  Modification  Redefinition These levels are a type of continuum with each higher level using technology to make a more substantial and significant change in the way things are done. While the order presented above provides us with the SAMR acronym, you will often see the model depicted with the highest level of change or integration, redefinition, listed first. The graphic below provides a basic description of each level:

2 As you complete your reading assignment for the week and investigate the SAMR model in more detail, consider how this model might support the evaluation processes within your school and/or classroom.

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