One of the goals of technology use in the classroom should be to move from using technology as an add-on or enhancement to using it to transform learning. Ideally, teachers should  create new learning experiences that harness the power of transformative technology, that is technology that allows students to do things that were previously impossible. The SAMR Model of Technology Integration, developed by Prof. Ruben Puentedura,  is a useful continuum that allows us to think about the purpose that technology plays in our pedagogy. The four levels (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) move from using technology to enhance learning through to using technology to transform learning. In the diagram below, an example of how technology could be used at each level is given.

Further Reading & Resources

• Ruben Puentedura’s Blog – this link is to a post listing a number of Puentedura’s resources, including a podcast about SAMR on iTunesU. Also a number of SAMR/TPACK linkages and examples.
• Transcript extract (pdf) from Puentedura’s iTunesU podcast.
• Transformation, Technology & Education –  more links to Puentedura podcasts
• Google Transition – an attempt to look at Google Apps with the SAMR model
• Apple Learning Roadshow 2011 (pdf) – presentation by ADE John Burns, categorising apps under the SAMR model.