PBL - TECHNOLOGY - SAMR - STEAM
As a Technology Education Instructor, the integrated
relationship of Project Based Learning (PBL), technology and SAMR
(Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) model is one that
is blatantly obvious.
To start with, let’s break each of these major components
down, and analyze what they are composed of:
Project Based
Learning.
What is PBL? PBL is,
according to Edutopia, “a dynamic approach to teaching in which students
explore real-world problems and challenges.”
(https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
). Within PBL, students are not just
encouraged, but expected to take ownership of their learning, developing the
skills necessary to promote lifelong learning and adaptability in an
exponentially changing global society. Students
are no longer are required to just memorize and regurgitate information, but to
gather definitive information, analyze and adapt said information to meet
specified requirements, and then create a new and diverse solution to a given
problem. They have to actually think and
adapt!
Technology.
As soon as a
person mentions technology, it is automatically assumed that we are talking
about computers or electronics. That is
not the case. A definition of technology
which was once given to me by one of my mentors goes like this:
TECHNOLOGY – the use of
knowledge, tools and skills to solve practical problems and enhance human
capabilities.
I have had that
definition, as well as a self-made poster depicting the integration of
technology into the liberal arts posted in my classrooms for more than two
decades at this point in time. As was
mentioned by Michael Gorman,
“I began with technology integration
at the start of my career integrating the use of scientific recording
equipment, cameras, compasses, and archaeology tools to teach content area
skills in the outdoor environment back in the 70’s. I tell this
story because it is important to remember that tools are the foundation
for technology integration.” (What Would Dewey Think?, Gorman, 2015)
Technology is
not necessarily about using a computer, tablet or smart phone. It can be about using a hammer or saw, an
inclined plane, or a magnifying glass. I
used to do a problem-solving project with second grade students using a
bisected piece of PVC pipe, cut into short lengths, and a tennis ball. The students had to move the ball from one
side of the room to another without physically moving their feet if they had
the ball in their possession. This
developed not only some teamwork skills, but the need to comprehend how high to
start the ball off (if they started off too low, they couldn’t get to the other
side), how to control the ball while in their possession, communication skills
and an understanding of gravity and simple machines. Then they had to learn to control those items.
Take a look at the
definition of both PBL and Technology, and you will see how these two topics
fit hand in hand. And that is only a
basic, simple project for younger students.
SAMR.
The integration
of the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition)
model, to me, is simply an augmented modification of Bloom’s Taxonomy
(Vanderbilt, 2017) . The Substitution / Augmentation level of SAMR is comparable to the remember /
understand / apply levels of Bloom, while the Modification / Redefinition
levels relate to Bloom’s analyze / evaluate / create. The biggest difference is
that, according to the SAMR model, electronic technology is to be used to
develop and create new projects by the students (Puentedura, 2014).
This is where many teachers fumble the ball, so to
speak. They look upon “technology” as a
necessary evil, one to do basic research and writing with, yet not to explore
or create new and exciting projects to enhance their student’s
development. In talking with many
students throughout the school year, I have come to realize that most teachers
only pay homage to Bloom’s taxonomy, and constrain most of their instruction to
the basic levels: Remember, Understand
and Apply. Even with the integration of
technology (computers, tablets and applications), many still only use them for
the basics of reading, writing and regurgitation. Few are the teachers that do something
different like the development of storyboards, videos and other projects, yet
these are also the most popular of the teachers among the students...
As a Technology Education Instructor in the 90’s, it was
part of my task to show how I incorporated common core subjects into what I
taught on a daily basis. It was the
height of “teaching to the test”, and I had to show how students were gaining
math skills, how history and language arts fell into the program, and even the
use of scientific principles. This was
accomplished not so much with computers, but with what I referred to as “hands-on
/ minds-on” learning. Hands-on /
minds-on was (and is) just what is suggests:
students are learning through physically doing things. Projects.
Projects which incorporated core learning, but which was broken down and
presented in such a way that the students had to think for themselves, create
items based on what they had learned, and develop the skills necessary to
complete the task at hand. This, basically, is the STEAM initiative
which had exploded onto the scene within the last few years.
What is STEAM to me?
Here is how I look at it:
S
|
Science
|
Science is the study of things, whether it be agricultural,
biological, chemical or zoological. It
can relate to history, English or even health. It is the development of knowing
information, and determining what questions to ask to enhance ones knowledge.
|
T
|
Technology
|
The use of knowledge, tools and skills to solve practical problems
and enhance human capabilities. This
does not necessarily mean the use of computers, even though that is what it
represents in today’s society.
|
E
|
Engineering
|
The analyzation, evaluation and creation of newer, more advanced or
more ergonomic technological devices for the advancement of a purpose
|
A
|
Art
|
The ergonomic and fashion (imagination) incorporated into a design or
project. The personal creativity of a
person and how they wish to express themselves.
|
M
|
Math
|
The development of numerical skills to support, augment and prove the
STEA part of STEAM.
|
The incorporation of STEAM into the common core classroom is
still being fought by many teachers. For
too long, the “three R’s”, “common core”, and “teaching to the test” have been
at the forefront of the visible educational spectrum. Programs such as art, music and the “shops”
have been portrayed as unnecessary and have been cut, to the detriment of the
students. Now, common core teachers are
being encouraged to redevelop their classes to include STEAM topics and to
teach students more than just being able to answer questions on a test…
Resources:
www.bit.ly also known as BITLINKS, first randomly generates a shortlink, then allows you to customize that link. They also provide a copy / share / edit function for moving the link from one location to another. It also lists your previous links (at least up to three) that you have made.
To tie into my blog, I utilized the Tinyurl.com application. The site itself was easy to use, and didn't require a login or a bunch of personal information like other sites (Ow.ly / Hootsuite.com). The blog link generated by this site is: 
