Using Maker Movement to climb the SAMR ladder

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When a teacher decides if they will use technology in a lesson they have one big question to ask themselves. Am I using technology to enhance my teaching? This question should guide the use of technology for every lesson. Creating lessons that focus on moving up the SAMR ladder will ensure that technology goes beyond a simple substitution of tools. In the book, Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering, the maker movement is introduced as a way for teachers to effectively incorporate technology into their classrooms. There are many affordable ways for teachers to access free versions of tools made possible through the maker movement. Fueled by the idea of learning by doing, the maker movement is taking hold worldwide as a way for people to access affordable technology tools. These tools can ultimately aid teachers in moving their lessons from the substitution and augmentation rungs of the SAMR ladder to the modification and redefinition rungs.

In the article, Lessons from the Maker Movement for K-12 Educators, the difference between learning and delivering content is explained(Martinez, 2013). It is important to differentiate between the two. So often, when we are adapting our lessons to include technology we tend to substitute traditional teaching strategies in favor of digital versions. This does not mean that the lesson has been improved. Instead, teachers should use tools, such as ones available through the maker movement, to move their lessons up the SAMR ladder into transformation. Giving student’s choice is how we will personalize learning, not by using an algorithm to deliver content (Martinez, 2013). As we move towards more and more standardization, we can look to technology to give us differentiation instead of more prepackaged all encompassing programs.

Martinez, S. (2013, September 12). Lessons from the Maker Movement for K-12 Educators. In Invent to Learn . Retrieved October 29, 2015.