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"Reconsider the Use of the SAMR Model December 4, 2017 - Leave a comment The four-stage Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model introduced by Rueben Puentedura back in mid-2000 has not only grown in popularity there are people building upon this its unsubstantiated foundation. The SAMR model was initially intended to help K-12 teachers move the up the ladder of technology use by using tech for the creation of new tasks, tech for a significant redesign, tech as a direct substitute with functional improvement, and tech as a direct substitute, with no functional change. SAMR not only looks like an innocuous model of using technology it also seems to appeal to the way many people tend to approach the use of technology. If we look closely at the fundamental presupposition of its use then we will see that there are serious issues in how the model can enhance learning. The first time I was introduced to the SAMR model was over a decade ago and I recall thinking that this model has a fundamental flaw that many people will tend to overlook. While using technology to simply make an activity or task more efficient or to explore ways to enhance or even redefine that activity or task may seem innocuous or even worthwhile the problem that we run into with this sort of thinking is that we are ignoring the validity of the original task that SAMR is being applied to. For example if you use SAMR to move your paper-based fill in the black worksheet to a digital model (substitution) and then add some branching questions in a google form (augmentation) and then add enabled voice responses (modification) and finally allow your class to create a video to answer the questions (redefinition) the problem is you are still asking your students to regurgitate content regardless how sophisticated the regurgitation becomes. I have also noticed in my time working with hundreds of teachers and faculty that there is a tendency for most people to NOT move beyond t

"Gallery Banner Beginning in 1946, two XS-1 experimental research aircraft (later redesignated X-1s) conducted pioneering tests at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) in California to obtain flight data on conditions in the transonic speed range. These early tests culminated on October 14, 1947, in the first piloted flight faster than Mach 1.0, the speed of sound. The XS-1 was the first high-speed aircraft built purely for aviation research purposes. The model was never intended for production. The XS-1 was designed largely in accordance with specifications provided by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) [now National Aeronautics and Space Administration], paid for by the Army Air Forces, and built by Bell Aircraft Inc. The XS-1 #2 (serial number 46-063) was flight tested by the NACA to provide design data for later production high-performance aircraft. The research techniques used in the X-1 program became the pattern for all subsequent X-craft projects. The NACA X-1 procedures and personnel also helped lay the foundation of America's space program in the 1960s. The X-1 project defined and solidified the post-war cooperative union between U.S. military needs, industrial capabilities, and research facilities. The flight data collected by the NACA in the X-1 tests then provided a basis for American aviation supremacy in the latter half of the 20th century. As a result of the X-1's initial supersonic flight, the National Aviation Association voted its 1948 Collier Trophy to be shared by the three main participants in the program. Honored at the White House by President Truman were Lawrence "Larry" Bell for Bell Aircraft, Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager for piloting the flights, and John Stack of NACA for the NACA contributions. "

Lumiere Technology, a start-up based in Paris, reveals the true colors of the Mona Lisa. Pascal Cotte, engineer and founder of Lumiere Technology, largely contributed to the knowledge of the Mona Lisa thanks to the multispectral digitization of the famous painting, whose report is detailed in the famous book "Mona Lisa - Inside the Painting", recently published by Abrams in USA, Gallimard & the Editions of the Louvre in France, Shirmer Mosel in Germany. The hidden knowledge of the true colors was revealed by multispectrally scanning the painting in thirteen channels - from Ultra Violet to Infra Red. Then the spectral response curve of the varnish in each pixel was isolated and subtracted from the digital file to virtually reveal the surface of the painting when it had freshly exited Leonardo da Vinci's workshop. This virtual removal of years of accumulated varnish is an illustration of Lumiere Technology's technical knowledge that will now be marketed as an exclusive digitization service to museums and private fine art collections worldwide. The true revolution that Pascal Cotte developed enables the in-depth study of fine art paintings using a numerical file to reveal the true pigments for viewing and analysis without touching or damaging the paintings. Lumiere Technology offers this service to museums worldwide as a unique, single tool to assess, analyze, authenticate, restore and reproduce their masterpieces of fine art.

"This web site offers a powerful (database management tool) that can be easily downloaded onto your computer. In many cases, the database management software goes beyond to include free database services for the entire US & Canada. Our database management system is a computer software system that was designed by a popular model with input by our customers. We provide a free database management search tool and US postal code lookup with unparalleled levels of speed, simplicity and accuracy. Our powerful nationwide database management program allows people to research information to quickly mail letters and packages throughout the USA. The database management tool is a handy database software reference program that allows you to quickly find or verify us postal codes, cities, states and area codes within the USA and Canada. Using the online free database management program is simple. For example, if you enter a us postal code number, the powerful database software will give you the matching city, state, telephone area code and time of day in that part of the country. Or, you could enter a city name, and all the cities in the USA with that name will be listed, along with the corresponding us postal codes, state abbreviations, area code and time of day. The database management software includes city, state, ZIP code, area code and time zone data for over 42,000 locations in the USA and Canada The custom designed database management software system contains over 76,000 precise records. Our web database programers provided the most comprehensive and precise data that you will find. You can perform free database lookups on our website with our database software or you can download our (database management program) for free with a verfied link exchange. The database management tool helps you find the information for all of US and Canada. You may also try out this powerful (database software system) for free. Our database developers designed a database management program whe

Lifelong learning is essential for effective educators and should be modeled for our students. With so many changes occurring in the fields of educational technology, curriculum, pedagogy, and law, it is imperative that educators receive opportunities for growth in their school and beyond. One powerful way to grow is through developing a personal learning network (PLN). PLNs enable educators to learn in accordance with their diverse interests and passions. During a conversation with teacher leaders last year about improving how meaningful professional development is offered, a model from the business world was suggested;Training and other professional growth activities would be embedded within the school day. the light bulb went on for me. I quickly realized that the current school schedule presented the perfect solution to offering meaningful professional development during the day in the form of noninstructional duties, which are otherwise often a waste of time. The plan that my administrative team and I have developed drastically reduces the amount of noninstructional duties the teachers have, such as lunch, hall, or in-school suspension duty. It also reduces the pe

"N ew Philadelphia looked like a typical west-central Illinois pioneer town to travelers cresting the hill overlooking the place in the mid-1800s. Imagine villagers filling baskets with a bounty of apples, corn, and wheat, while chickens clucked and pigs rooted in nearby pens. Picture farmers hitching mules and oxen to carts filled with vegetables, fruit, and grain to sell at markets. Listen for loud clanging from the blacksmith's shop as hammers shaped hot metal into shoes for mules and horses. As in other frontier towns, smoke from cooking fires swirled from the dwellings that dotted small plots of land. But New Philadelphia was not a typical pioneer town. It was the first town platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War. A formerly enslaved man called "Free Frank" McWorter founded New Philadelphia in 1836 as a money-making venture to buy his family out of slavery. Census records and other historical documents tell us that New Philadelphia was a place where black and white villagers lived side by side, but we know that the town's dead lie buried in cemeteries separated by color. By 1885, many villagers had moved away in search of jobs and better economic opportunities. Plows buried any material remains left behind, and grazing livestock and crops covered most of the site. By the 1940s, nothing of the town remained above ground. However, the town's descendants and neighboring communities did not forget New Philadelphia. Descendents continued to live in the area until the 1950s. Grace Matteson wrote "Free Frank" McWorter and the "Ghost Town" of New Philadelphia, Pike County, Illinois. Later, Lorraine Burdick remembered the town in New Philadelphia: Where I Lived. McWorter family descendants were members of the Negro History Movement led by Carter G. Woodson, and through their activities the story of Free Frank was kept alive. Helen McWorter Simpson, great granddaughter of Free Frank McWorter, wrote Makers of History. Juliet E. K. Wa

"The National Woman's Party, representing the militant wing of the suffrage movement, utilized open public demonstrations to gain popular attention for the right of women to vote in the United States. Their picketing, pageants, parades, and demonstrations-as well as their subsequent arrests, imprisonment, and hunger strikes-were successful in spurring public discussion and winning publicity for the suffrage cause. Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party presents both images that depict this broad range of tactics as well as individual portraits of organization leaders and members. The photographs span from about 1875 to 1938 but largely date between 1913 and 1922. They document the National Woman's Party's push for ratification of the 19th Amendment as well as its later campaign for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. This online presentation is a selection of 448 photographs from the approximately 2,650 photographs in the Records of the National Woman's Party collection, housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. "

"A book club, also referred to as a reading group, is a collection of readers who participate in the regular discussion of books. Traditionally, a book club consists of several members who meet in person each month to talk about a specific work. A Book Club is also... In addition to discussion-oriented book clubs described here, a book club can also be a place to purchase books. These discount book clubs offer great deals for readers who wish to purchase several books each year. Many of these are available online, where readers can use the book club's website to choose their books. However, the advent of web forums and email has made it possible for book clubs to exist online. While both traditional and online book clubs offer readers the opportunity to participate in spirited discussions, each type has its own set of advantages. Traditional book clubs offer the benefit of having all members in the same room, which makes for a much more personal and intimate experience. Since most traditional book clubs are somewhat small in size, each member typically has more control over what books are selected to read (often members will vote on a list of suggested titles that have been submitted or take turns selecting). At the same time, it is often difficult to organize and maintain a book club that meets regularly. In addition to the challenge of recruiting quality members for a book club, a regular meeting time and place may be difficult to establish, especially if members have busy schedules. Also, the small size of the traditional book club typically limits the diversity of views and perspectives that enter into the discussion. Online book clubs offer several advantages over the traditional reading group model. Due to the vastness of the web and the variety of book clubs available, readers who turn to the Internet to find a book club enjoy a much wider selection of clubs, including many dedicated to a specialized interest or genre. In addition, online book clubs

"Here's a handy tutorial for using Microsoft's free Photo Story 3 to create "Book Trailers" - and other projects using photos to tell a story, with. Photos are a great tool for teaching in the classroom, but with moving pictures, narration and music, they are even better! Photo Story 3 is a free download from Microsoft that lets you easily create narrated "mini-movies" using photographs. It also has a built in music generator that allows you to put your story to music, copyright free! Think of Ken Burns's many wonderful documentaries. This program will allow anyone with a computer running Windows XP to do something similar. 1 The program gives students the ability to make their own 'Book Trailers' to help other students get interested in books they have read. Students can scan, draw or take pictures related to the book, import the pictures into Photo Story 3, arrange the pictures, add narration to the pictures, and choose the type of music used when the trailer plays. Photo Story 3 then generates a stand-alone movie based on all of the above. One of the ways I have used Photo Story 3 is with my "Integrating Technology into the Classroom" course at Dakota State University is by inviting a local fifth-grade class to visit our lab, then helping students build their own book trailer. Over the course of the hour, we help students scan or take digital pictures, import their pictures to Photo Story 3, add narration, motion and music. They take their movies back to show on morning announcements, to their friends, and to their parents. For example, one student, Brian, made a Photo Story of Sammy the Seal. It shows enough information to get other students interested in the book, but not so much that the ending is given away. Another example is "Zack's Alligator goes to School", a story of the (mis)adventures of a pet alligator named Bridgett. Making a Book Trailer is fairly simple. Just follow these steps: Quick Start Guide"

"Nestled between two of the three mountains that make up the Peaks of Otter is the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant, located at Milepost 86 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Bedford, Virginia, and open year round. The Lodge, completed in 1964, is the flagship of a chain of visitor concessions strung along the Virginia portion of the Parkway. All are owned and operated by the Virginia Peaks of Otter Company under a special contract with the National Park Service. Take in the breath-taking scenery of the mountains, its wildlife (deer are a famous staple of the area, along with an occasional bear) and the vibrant and ever-changing colors of the foliage. Groups are always welcome. Although we love our pets too, we regrettably do not allow them in the rooms or facilities (assistance animals for the disabled are permitted). "

" Biographies Down arrowAdd a linkUp arrowTop of page Investigating Biographies (word doc) Biography Hash http://www.connected-learning.org/Products/sdelucle2.doc Investigating Biographies (word doc) Biography Hash / Bio Stew This learning experience is part of a learning unit titled, Investigating Biographies. Through book talks by the library teacher, students will learn and discuss what makes a person famous. The students will find and become familiar with the biography section of the library. A culminating activity called "Bio Stew" will help the students internalize the organization of different biographies. The teacher will be wearing a white chefs hat, an apron, and holding a wooden spoon as the students enter the library. There will be many questions asked by the students as they enter the library. Down arrowUp arrow grey line The Bio-Cube http://readwritethink.org/materials/bio_cube/ The Bio-Cube Down arrowUp arrow grey line Bio-Cube http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/student_material.asp?id=57 Bio-Cube Summarizing information is an important postreading and prewriting activity that helps students synthesize what they have learned. This tool allows students to develop an outline of a person whose biography or autobiography they have just read; it can also be used before students write their own autobiography. Specific prompts ask students to describe a person's significance, background, and personality. The finished printout can be folded into a fun cube shape that can be used for future reference. Down arrowUp arrow grey line Biographical Dictionary http://www.s9.com/ Biographical Dictionary This dictionary covers more than 33,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day. Everyone can edit the biographies here, or even make their own. This leads to a constantly changing, and up to date resource. The dictionary can be searched by birth years, death years, positions held, professions, literary and ar

"Tessellations here mean designs featuring animals, birds, etc, which can fill the page, without gaps or over-lapping, to form a pattern that completely fills a space. It's the simplest kind of jigsaw puzzle: all the pieces look alike! You can see example tessellations in the top right corner of this website. The example changes each time you move to a new page. On these pages, you will find information about all aspects of tessellations, from their history and development to complete galleries of examples by school students, guest artists, the webmasters Seth and David, and of course M. C. Escher, the pioneer of the art. Also included are extensive workshops showing how to design and produce your own. All are accessible from the orange navigation bar or from the site index -see below. This site is a dedicated graphics site and not focused on the math. As M. C. Escher said, "Mathematicians go to the garden gate but they never venture through to appreciate the delights within." To use another metaphor, you're missing the fun if you use a microscope to enjoy a merry-go-round. If, as a result of your visit, you venture through that garden gate, please send us your designs for inclusion in the guest gallery. Link to us! To put a button that links to us on your website, if you're comfortable with HTML then just copy the text below, change the text to suit your feelings, and add it to your website."

"The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. The release of the Douglass Papers, from the Library of Congress's Manuscript Division, contains approximately 7,400 items (38,000 images) relating to Douglass' life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, and public servant. The papers span the years 1841 to 1964, with the bulk of the material from 1862 to 1895. The collection consists of correspondence, speeches and articles by Douglass and his contemporaries, a draft of his autobiography, financial and legal papers, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous items. These papers reveal Douglass' interest in diverse subjects such as politics, emancipation, racial prejudice, women's suffrage, and prison reform. Included is correspondence with many prominent civil rights reformers of his day, including Susan B. Anthony, William Lloyd Garrison, Gerrit Smith, Horace Greeley, and Russell Lant, and political leaders such as Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. Scrapbooks document Douglass' role as minister to Haiti and the controversy surrounding his interracial second marriage. The online release of the Frederick Douglass Papers is made possible through the generous support of the Citigroup Foundation. "

Shakespeare's Life and Times introduces you to the world Shakespeare lived and worked in. This section of the Internet Shakespeare Editions is like a shelf of books, each of which is listed in the navigational bar beneath the page header. Each book, in turn, is divided into chapters dealing with related topics. *There is a detailed biography of his life (and we actually know quite a lot about him). *There is a book about the stage Shakespeare wrote for. *And one that explores the society of the time, showing how it differs from our own. *Further books discuss the history and politics of Elizabethan England, *And look at the way people of the time thought and argued about religion and the physical makeup of the universe. *You can learn about the kinds of plays and literature Shakespeare read, *See samples of paintings of the time, and listen to Renaissance music. *There is a book that shows how different parts of this rich library of resources help you understand the plays, *And there is an extensive reference volume that gives chronologies, maps, and bibliographies for further reading.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to introduce a group of high school teachers to the free Socrative student response system. The response from the teachers was overwhelmingly positive to the point that one math teacher stayed with me for an extra twenty minutes just to brainstorm more ways to use Socrative in her classroom. Socrative is a free service that allows teachers to post questions to students during a class and gather feedback through responses submitted from cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Socrative gives teachers a virtual room in which they gather responses from students. Students sign into a teacher's virtual room by simply visiting the Socrative website and entering the room number distributed by the teacher. There are a variety of ways in which teachers can pose questions to students and gather their responses. The simplest way to pose a question is to simply ask verbally or post it on a whiteboard and then telling students to submit their answers. Teachers can also create quizzes ahead of time, store those quizzes in their Socrative accounts, and then make the quiz go "live" in the virtual room when they want students to take the quiz. Teachers can activate an instant feedback option so that students know when they have answered a question correctly or not. A fun way to use Socrative is to host a team "space race." A space race is a competitive format for quizzes. Space race can be played as a team or individual activity. Each correct answer moves a rocket ship across the screen. The first person or team to get their rocket across the screen wins. I've included below, a video of space race being used in a classroom.

"All Virginia Studies Standards The following are resources for all Virginia Studies Standards. LITERATURE RESOURCES Literature Resources for all Standards of Learning TEACHER BACKGROUND RESOURCES WEB SITES * http://www.myvirginia.org/ The official Commonwealth of Virginia home page is your gateway to Virginia . . . from the mountains of southwest to the waterways of Hampton Roads, state government to Virginia facts and figures. Use the buttons to explore Virginia. This site contains many informational resources. * http://www.Virginia.org The Virginia Travel Corporation Web site contains an extensive list of places in Virginia. You can search for a site alphabetically, by time period, by location, and by other categories (such as historic buildings). In addition, you may search for historic sites by city. Contact information, hours of operation, and other details are provided for these historic sites. Click your way around Virginia. * http://www.vahistorical.org/ The Virginia Historical Society founded in 1831 has provided visitors the opportunity to view, research, and learn about the ordinary and everyday artifacts of Virginia. These artifacts provide visitors with a comprehensive history of the Commonwealth. Online resources are also available. * http://www.virginiaplaces.org This comprehensive Web site contains a wealth of information about Virginia geography, places, and people. Teachers will find this to be a helpful resource about many topics, from the rocks and ridges of Virginia to "Virginia and the Internet." The Web site was created to support the Geography of Virginia class taught each fall at George Mason University. * http://marg.mhost.com/vahistory.html This site, developed by Tabb Elementary School in York County, has links to Web sites divided according to Colonial period, Civil War years, and miscellaneous. * http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects This Web s

"Education Links - Elementary and Secondary Education Adult Education Alternative Education Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Financial Aid Fun Stuff Organization and Associations Post Secondary Special Needs Student Resources Study Abroad Resources Government Resources Department of Education - This award-winning site is designed to help pursue the President's initiatives, including No Child Left Behind, and advance our mission as a Department-to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans. Education News Parents Can Use - To help parents understand the No Child Left Behind Act and all the important changes it will bring, the U.S. Department of Education launched a new monthly television series entitled Education News Parents Can Use. What is different about Education News is its focus on information and resources of value to parents and families. The program features brief segments, including one-on-one interviews, "how-to" demonstrations, more video and graphics, and brief conversations with parents, educators, community, business and religious leaders, and education experts. Estuaries.gov - The primary function of this Web site is to educate the public on the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. FCIC's Educator Page - Here are four activities to help you teach young citizens how to be proactive consumers and learn about the government. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) - Part of the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, this is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. NOAA Education Website - This site has been designed to help students, teachers, librarians and the general public access the many educational activities, publications, and booklets that have been produced. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) - OESE promotes academic excellence, enhances educational opportunities a

"For hundreds of different types of jobs-such as teacher, lawyer, and nurse-the Occupational Outlook Handbook tells you: * the training and education needed * earnings * expected job prospects * what workers do on the job * working conditions In addition, the Handbook gives you job search tips, links to information about the job market in each State, and more. You can also view frequently asked questions about the Handbook. Ways to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook site: 1. To find out about a specific occupation or topic, use the Search box that is on every page-enter your search term in the box. 2. To find out about many occupations, browse through listings using the Occupations links that are on the left side of each page. 3. For a listing of all occupations in alphabetical order, go to the A-Z Index and select a letter. About the Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years."

"In 1481 the monks of San Donato a Scopeto near Florence commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint an altar-piece celebrating the Adoration of the Magi. In one of the preparatory drawings, Leonardo drew with meticulous accuracy a refined perspective grid in order to place the architectural structures, the human figures, and the animals in a realistically proportioned way.This precious study, kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, is shown for the first time ever in the United States on Finmeccanica's initiative and because of the collaboration between the Uffizi Gallery and the Library of Congress."

"The Lightning Thief The gods of Olympus are alive in the 21st Century. They still fall in love with mortals and have children who might become great heroes, but most of these children meet horrible fates at the hands of monsters by the age of twelve. Only a few learn the truth of their identity and make it to Half Blood Hill, a Long Island summer camp dedicated to training young demigods. Such is the revelation that launches young Percy Jackson on a quest to help his real father, Poseidon, avert a war among the gods. With the help of Grover the satyr and Annabeth the daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction - Zeus' master bolt. Along the way, they face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop them. Most of all, Percy must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend."