Measuring, evaluating effective media use

Romrell, D., Kidder, L. C., & Wood, E. (2014). The SAMR Model as a Framework for Evaluating mLearning. Journal Of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 18(2),

Measuring, evaluating effective media use

So as Educators we all seem to be in the same boat. Use technology in your classrooms. Be creative when using technology in your classrooms. Use technology, use technology, use technology. So this can be a little overwhelming for some teachers especially those who have been in the profession for a while, let's be honest or a little older like myself. I've been teaching math and reading the kids for 25 years now and now I'm told I need to use technology.   I really feel that some of the stuff that I teach can still be done the way I used to do it without having to use technology. I'll be honest it's taken a while to get to this point of being able to navigate on a Chromebook, using Google, learning how to grade on my Chromebook, learning how to take attendance on my Chromebook, basically all the communication I have with teachers for the most part anymore is through email which is on my Chromebook, so it's been overwhelming. I’m finally to the point where I feel confident about what I'm using.  Now I'm trying to integrate more technology into the classroom using apps, using websites, trying to be more creative with my kids. I have to be honest reading about how to measure and evaluate effective media use was a little overwhelming for me. Looking at the SAMR model as a framework for evaluating Mlearning, which is now a new term that I now have learned from doing this assignment which stands for mobile learning was a bit overwhelming. I can barely keep up with what I need to do on a day-to-day basis in my classroom let alone try to read and understand this model as a framework for evaluating mobile learning.
But basically the SAMR model is broken down into four areas in which you evaluate your use of technology. The four different categories are substitution which means that you're substituting technology for something that you can do without actually using the technology. It seems to be the lowest form of evaluation. the next category was augmentation, this provides a substitute for other learning activities but with functional improvements. This seem to be the next best way to use technology in your classroom. The third one which is seem to me to be the next best way is modification it's when technology allows the learning activity to be redesigned. And finally redefinition which seem to me to be the highest form to evaluate learning with the use of technology in this model. So I guess what I gained from this information Is that if I'm doing something with technology I need to see what it is I'm trying to accomplish if it's just a substitution thanI really don't think you need to use the technology. again if it's substituting for other learning activities but it's not really an improvement on what you were doing without the technology then you really don't need to do it. The next two topics of modification and redefinition are the ones that I think from my reading that are the ones that you really want to shoot for when using technology in the classroom and being able to evaluate whether or not it's being useful it's being a useful tool to you or not.Connection between Samar and the M learning definition notes that learning activities that lie at the modification and redefinition levels of the SanMar framework can transform learning. It is at these higher levels of the Sam SanMar framework that the full potential learning Via mobile device is realized (Hockley 2013).