When asked to give an example of a technology integration model I was drawn immediately to the SAMR model because of previous experience. There are additional resources on this site that were created during other classes.
A technology integration model allows educators and administrators to examine the current and potential uses of new and existing technology in the classroom.
When deploying new technology the SAMR model can be used to envision placement and potential use for educators. Many classroom technologies are marketed using price and features with very little effort spent on steps to integration. Before making purchasing decisions the SAMR model can be used by educators and IT professionals to determine potential uses and to plan professional development.
The SAMR model can also be useful to examine existing technology. If technology is being used in the classroom we can compare its current use against the SAMR model to determine if there is additional value to be had from the technology.
The largest technology implementation I have been a part of happened in Spring of 2020. When faculty was required to transition from the classroom to a remote solution I fell into the trap of selling the technology on features. This process resulted in frustration and confusion without any improvements to outcomes. After a few frustrating interactions I instead began focusing on simple implementation and overcoming the immediate challenge. We rolled out Microsoft Teams during the first weeks of work-from-home and I found that most faculty wanted a classroom like experience, so instead of talking about features I began explaining how to set up a call and send an invite. We were using the new technology to substitute for students and teachers in a classroom, everything else was expected to remain the same. After a few weeks, during regular follow-ups I found that some faculty members were using basic features in Teams to expand on their normal lecture. This natural evolution meant that these faculty members were augmenting their instruction with the new technology solution.
One department began experimenting with the next set of features which allowed them to create teams for each of their classes and share files and permissions with those classes. The use of Teams in this department fundamentally changed the way that their class was experienced for the students. The use of Teams by these faculty members meant that students had a modified experience in their class after the full implementation of the new technology. This particular technology didn't lead to a redefining change in the classroom, though others have.