Get Grounded: Supporting Digital Pedagogy with the SAMR Framework for Technology Integration

I'm soon to be a digital pedagogy librarian, and as I prepare for this new role one of the loudest questions in my brain is: "How will I know [insert one of many topics here]?" Today I'm focusing on a specific query: How will I know whether a technology is meeting learning objectives while also contributing to transformative engagements with knowledge?

Hold on – what's digital pedagogy?

Great question! When you skim an article about digital pedagogy or strike up a conversation with folks working in the digital humanities space, the conversation often begins with describing what what digital pedagogy is not. Digital pedagogy is not functional or skills-based training and tutorials - although digital tool skills are part of the whole package. Digital pedagogy is not technology-first. 

So, what is it? 

Image Source: Author

As I describe it – and my description has been shaped and influenced by many practitioners with far more experience and wisdom than I – digital pedagogy is where learning and teaching, digital, information, and media literacies, and technologies come together in the creation, sharing, and remixing of knowledge. It's about learning and teaching students how to assess digital tools and use them to access, create, and disseminate information, and the interactions with technology in the full lifecycle of knowledge - including barriers to it. It's concerned with understanding learning outcomes and research or project goals and then determining if and which digital solutions align with them.

TL:DR: Digital technologies are tools, and they're only good so far as they are used – so they should be introduced with the intent of transforming learning and the creation of knowledge.

So, how will I know?

If the goal when selecting and implementing a digital tool or technology in curriculum is to both meet pre-defined learning outcomes while also transforming the way students create and interact with information, there needs to be a way to determine whether both goals are met – this should be a collaborative activity between the course professor and me in my role as the digital pedagogy librarian.

The SAMR model (standing for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura and can serve as a framework for this very purpose. The graphic below defines each tier in the SAMR hierarchy.

Image Source: Link

The SAMR model is an excellent framework for assessing how the use of a specific tool or the general integration of technology into curriculum impacts the quality of learning. More than that, it can serve as a guide for deciding if and to what extent it is appropriate to integrate a new form of technology – a key discussion that lets educators decide whether the "cost" of using a new tool is met by value to the learners. In brief, it helps us avoid using technology for technology's sake.

SAMR Self-Assessment

Now that I've described my part of EdTech world and introduced the SAMR model, it's time for reflection (reflective thinking is, after all, a core piece of Digital Pedagogy). I am both a soon-to-be educator and a student, and I can use two examples from my current projects to describe where in the SAMR hierarchy I spend most of my time.

Consulting Work

I integrate several digital technologies into my work as a consultant, with Google Workspace being one of the 'backbones' of the operation.  I first started using Google Workspace because it was easily accessible and free - so I didn't have to purchase licenses to Microsoft Office programs or subscribe to Dropbox. In this capacity, I was living in Substitution, and quickly skipped right over to Modification. The use of comments and collaborative editing significantly changed the way I could work with clients. It redesigns the way I complete writing and editing tasks, enabling real-time feedback and coworking that previously went through a cumbersome process of track changes, version management, and email. 

I spend most of my time as a consultant in the Modification tier of SAMR, integrating technology that adds functionality to enable new processes and parts of the task at hand.

Scholarly Work

Dramatic reenactment of my journey to Redefinition.
Source: Reddit

I think this blog is evidence enough that much of my scholarly work is firmly in the tier of Redefinition. As I type and as you read I am learning and producing knowledge products for wide consumption that without technology integration would be unimaginable. Frankly, without technologies like Zoom and Canvas, the entirety of my MLIS education would have been fully impossible, or achieved through correspondence while completely lacking collaboration with my peers and professors. Because of technology I've coauthored a paper with a professor and PhD student, I've developed two living informatics resources as coursework that are also real products of information used in community settings, and I've built a professional digital presence where my classroom learning is extended and applied in tangible ways. Phew! 

SAMR Possibilities

Transformation is not always the goal when integrating technology into learning – sometimes it's just a matter of convenience and access – but I hope to continually drive towards Modification and Redefinition as a learner, educator, and collaborator in pedagogy. 

My role in education is directly concerned with technology integration – it's not just part of what I do. I'm curious to hear from others who come from different perspectives. Where do you place yourself in the SAMR Hierarchy? Are there ways you could be better supported by librarians, especially ones with my type of focus? Thanks for reading!