Refection on SAMR

      I am planning on teaching 1st or 2nd grade, and through this course I have been trying to think of creative ways to apply to younger students. Some of the ideas that we have talked about would work wonderfully for secondary, but are a little too elaborate for younger children. Jeff had me look into something that I had not thought of before, but now I am definitely going to use  in my classroom. Skype! The two things that Jeff had me look into were "Skype an author" and "Mystery Skype".

    Skype an author is just as simple as it sounds, but this is a great way for kids to connect what they are learning in a classroom unit to the world outside a classroom. Say for example I start a bug unit. We can read a book about bees such as "The Honeybee Man" by Lela Nargi and Krysten Brooker.

    I could then have the kids Skype these authors so that they get the chance to ask questions and learn about what it is like to be a professional writer. I think that having these young children actually speak with and meet the author would inspire them and really get them excited about their learning. We could then find a beekeeper and Skype with them so that the kids could learn about bees from a real "bee expert". I think that this would take our lesson to the Redefinition level of SAMR because without the technology being infused into the bee lesson, the kids would not be able to meet the author and the bee keeper in their classroom. This use of technology helps the kids make connections that would be hard to arrange outside of the classroom.