SAMR in the classroom!

Learning about the SAMR model in class on Friday was presented in a way that stood out to me and was easy to understand.  Integrating technology into the classroom has never seemed more possible.  Before this course I would have probably only used technology when the COW made its way to my classroom and had the students practice sending emails or typing up reports.  Now I am thinking of creative ways that I can integrate technology into each subject I teach.  Even if I only have access to tablets and computers every now and then, I am going to do my best to get my students immersed in some of these awesome new tools and apps we've learned about.  

I really liked this image of the SAMR model for technology integration.  It was simple to understand and really highlighted for me the difference between each step, and what is considered an enhancement and transformation.  I'm beginning to think of how I can use this model in my own classroom, and move more towards the modification and redefinition side.  I really liked the idea of having my 4th grade students read books in class and instead of writing reports that get turned into me, I would love to see them write reviews online for the world to see, or even create video reports that we could link to on our classroom Twitter page.  I am also inspired by connecting to other classrooms across the country and utilizing Skype as a way to connect.  One idea that I have in my head would be while our class is learning about American Indian tribes from Washington State, we could connect with another classroom somewhere in the US and learn about the American Indian tribes that are native to their state.  We could connect and do live video reports to one another.  Instead of just reading about these native tribes, we could collaborate together.  This project could be taken even further by making contact with local American Indian tribes and learn about their culture and traditions.  A virtual field trip could also be included in a project like this.  I'm looking forward to collaborating more with my cohorts and finding exciting ideas to build up and take these ideas forward with me to my practicum classroom this fall!