We are already seeing how technology has proliferated in classrooms with the introduction of note taking applications available on tablets and the shift in lectures being delivered over PowerPoint and PDF readers/editors like OneNote. These replace traditional educational materials with taking notes using a paper and pen and writing on Blackboards when presenting a lecture. This is an overall net positive change as it cuts down on waste materials and makes reviewing materials much easier and more accessible. This fits into the Augmentation category of the SAMR model as these technologies are a direct substitute for their conventional counterparts that results in an increase in productivity as it significantly cuts down the time it takes to write down notes and deliver lecture materials.

I feel that the redefinition stage of the SAMR model will soon be applicable in the Sciences related courses with the introduction of Augmented Reality into course instruction. Specifically, in Biology courses Augmented reality can be used to help students better understand the components of cellular biology as it allows for the showing of virtual 3D models of cells that are able to be manipulated and viewed from different angles and cross-sections. This is a vast improvement over the previous method of instructions which relied on a 2d-image to showcase the different parts of a cell. Before the introduction of AR technologies, the only way to get the same level of clarity when viewing a cell would be in a laboratory setting, which is obviously not the most accessible form of learning.

I’ve included an informational video that showcases some of the more practical uses of Augmented Reality and how it could be utilized in the classroom for improved student engagement during lessons.

Here is an additional infographic that also details the different applications of Augmented Reality in an educational context.

Sourced

References:

Cellular Biology Augmented Reality Card Deck Demo (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcftVepIoqc

Teaching Biology using Augmented Reality (2020). Retrieved from: https://global-edtech.com/teaching-biology-using-augmented-reality/