Developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the SAMR is a valuable tool when thinking about technology. It’s a simple, but effective way to put a lens against technology to contextualize what it is being used for: Enhancement or Transformation.
When approaching technical skills, I have long believed that it’s critical to provide a deeper context for the role that each technology plays in serving a purpose and not just introduce technology for technologies sake.
There are multiple values that technology can bring to an organization or individual and I don’t believe that every technology must be transformative – they aren’t. However, I do believe that every technology should be understood. We need to look at each tool in context of what it does for us. The SAMR Model is a good reference to contextualize what is happening with the technology.
This model can serve as a good reference for conversations related to expectations of technology.
For example, in the world of data, we have the idea of a Dashboard to present data in a visual manner. Before building a dashboard though – it seems to me that we should ask what the expectations of presenting the data on a dashboard are. Otherwise, we may just be substituting a dashboard for a report – without any additional functionality and without reading goals around transformation.
In some recent research I’m doing for an upcoming YouTube video – I’ve been looking at this model as it relates to eReaders, iPads, and reading in general. Follow me on YouTube at Learning and Technology with Frank and subscribe so that you don’t miss that video once it’s released.
Adding to this structure, I also like to look at technology from an Organizational Maturity perspective. Combining the Technology Adoption Model by Davis (1989) and my own analysis of the perceptions and history of technical use exhibited by them.
Using this approach is intended to avoid just chasing fads in technology, focusing on functions over purpose, and ensuring a better adoption because the value is clearly stated and expectations set in advance.
I’m interested in your thoughts. What do you think we should do to gain better insights into the value proposition of technology before implementation? What metrics would you suggest we monitor to ensure we are providing true value and matching expectations? What technologies are emerging that you think might benefit from applying the SAMR model? (AR, VR, IoT, Crypto, etc)
