When it comes to technology integration models, I was really struck by SAMR (which stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition). The idea here is that all technology can have unintended impacts both within and without a classroom. When we consider things like Google, Facebook or even, more recently, ChatGPT, it’s easy to see how this is true. SAMR provides a sort of structure for the effects of new technology that range from substitution all the way to redefinition. While substitution and augmentation enhance learning, modification and redefinition transform learning.

I think the best example I could come up with for this is Facebook. It started as a tool that somewhat substituted being with friends in person, allowing us to “be” with them digitally. It also augmented socialization in that it allowed people to create events and send ou invitations, for instance, within the comfort of their own homes. One way that Facebook may be said to have modified things is that people with specific interests all over the world were suddenly able to “meet” and exchange in one “place”, connecting with others across the globe. Finally, Facebook redefined politics in a sense that could not have been predicted. It was coopted in different countries as a tool of political manipulation, with dire consequences in some cases.

I find it fascinating and incredibly relevant to think about the possible and unpredictable consequences of the technologies that are coming up right now. Maybe if that had been done with social media to begin with, a lot of the downsides of it might have been avoided or curbed in a more efficient/speedy way.