The SAMR Model Works for me.

In this post for ETEC 533, we were asked to consider what "counts" as good use of technology in STEM education. Looking back at this response, I agree with the SAMR model as I had written it, but I think that now I would also think about the learning environment itself for the student.

When I was initially thinking of my response to the prompt, I immediately thought of the SAMR Model by Puentedura. I have learned about the SAMR model in some of my other ETEC courses. Essentially, Puentedura (2010) noted that there are different "levels" of how one might incorporate technology into the classroom, as shown below (image taken from: Puentedura, R. (2010). SAMR and TPCK: Intro to advanced practice.

In the SAMR model, one should be essentially aiming for the "redefinition stage" as much as possible- simply using tech as a substitution is of little value. One of the biggest challenges for my fellow science educators in higher education right now is transitioning face-to-face labs into a fully online experience in a meaningful way. As noted in the article that I read from Ray and Srivastava (2020) "The regular e-learning courses alone cannot provide adequate skills or knowledge regarding laboratory experiments or analysis of scientific data." I was fortunate to be invited to an eCampus Ontario event regarding virtual labs, but many of the programs that were being promoted were prohibitively expensive for my institution. In the article from Ray and Srivastava, they provide a list of resources that are available for virtual labs. I recommend checking out biointeractive.org, as these resources are free and of high quality. I will note that some of the activities are "point and click" which I do not think offers the best pedagogical value, but I do think that their case studies could be useful for many, particularly high school and higher education instructors. Thus, I think that using technology in the science classroom should try to engage students in critical thinking and authentic science case studies as much as possible. While augmented reality and virtual reality are interesting avenues, I do not think that most institutions currently have the funds to use these resources as fully as possible.

Puentedura, R. (2010). SAMR and TPCK: Intro to advanced practice.

Ray, S., & Srivastava, S. (2020). Virtualization of science education: a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of proteins and proteomics, 11, 77-80.