Case study 2.3: SAMR and TPCK models

In a private school in Argentina, an English teacher realized that something needed to be changed in education, that there were a lot of useful tools that could be used to teach and learn; and students were not being offered those tools. She spotted the problem: the use of the course book. Teachers were pressed to finish it, so they had very little time for other interesting projects during the year.  So the English department decided to stop using coursebooks; instead they created a new curriculum in which the teachers would design their own projects, taking into account the needs and interests of their students. 

One of the things that changed was the assessment. And here we have the introduction of technology. Students had a wiki which was a project repository and it kept a record of the projects done in class. It also included links to tutorials for web 2.0 tools.

One of the project this teacher carried out was digital storytelling. Students, for example, take photos and then, using Windows Movie Maker, they create a video, and the soundtrack of that video is a record of their voices telling a story using the photos they took.

This case is an excellent example of the SAMR model (which I mentioned in a previous post). We can find an example of substitution: instead of having the usual folder, students have a wiki in which they store all the projects. But then they also have links to tutorials, so we can also think about the level of argumentation.

We can also think of the redefinition level. Students, instead of reading their stories, create a video with their voices and photos they took, and maybe they can upload the video to the internet and send the link by mail to their classmates, teachers and parents. Obviously this wasn't possible in the past, without technology.

This can be analysed according to the TPCK model.
Technology: Windows Movie Maker, digital cameras, recorder.
Pedagogy: Students were asked to make a story.
Content: Integrating knowledge.

As a final reflection, I think this case is very useful to us teachers. The teacher really knew how to apply technology in a way that students would be more interested in the subject.  I think students really enjoyed the change; sometimes coursebooks don't reflect the student's interests, so I think than making projects is more interesting for them since the have more voice in the decision making of the projects. They were surely more motivated.