Mercy-- Using Technology to Transform Instruction

It is a goal of Mercy’s IT Department and school administration to assist teachers in redefining instruction for the better.  I use redefining as intended by Dr. Reuben Puentedura.  I the an opportunity to spend a day at Reuben's side at a conference at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino two years ago.

Referencing his model below, substitution is the most basic form of tech adoption in the classroom.  For example, the DVD replaces the VHS which replaced the film that the teacher still loves to show his his students.

Dr. Ruben Puentedura's SAMR Model

Redefinition is the most advanced level of tech integration because it is transformational: new teaching methods are used that would be otherwise be inconceivable without the technology.

At Mercy we are not content with substitution.  Our several years of 1:1 technology with the HP laptops allowed us to hit the ground running when we switched to the iPads, which are now a pervasive part of Mercy life. Our teachers and students are using these devices innovatively

We wish to harness this genius.  The ninth grade Design Foundations course is almost inherently an example of redefinition.  It is my particular hope that our next stage of professional development assists teachers across the curriculum in using the multimedia tools the students experience using in that class.

Published with permission.

By the same token we hope to tap into our iPad "iWizards" to not only teach new students how to use their iPads, but we also want them to experience enrichments and be challenged creatively.  We have some very specific ideas about channeling their energy and creativity into school life.

In the coming months I'll have much more to report on these endeavors as we continually seek to redefine what leading edge instruction means at Mercy High School.

From Substitution to Redefinition

When I attended the "Challenge Based Learning Group Think" in Cupertino last year, I had the opportunity to meet a really bright guy-- Reuben Puentedura.  Reuben had already made a great impression on me, but I was still surprised when at the end of our conference, several Apple Education employees waiting outside our conference room descended on him like a rock star.


Not long ago, while I was listening to an Apple conference call, I came to understand why.  His SAMR model has been a centerpiece of Apple Ed briefings and presentations.  As he writes,

The SAMR model is a model I developed starting in the late 80s, early 90s, to answer the question of what types of technology use would have greater or lesser effects upon student learning. The name comes from the four levels of technology use that I've found could be related directly to results in terms of what happened on the student side. 

Here are the levels:

1. Substitution: the computer stands in for another technological tool without a significant change in the tool’s function.

2. Augmentation: the computer replaces another technological tool, with significant functionality increase.

3. Modification: the computer enables the redesign of significant portions of a task.

4. Redefinition: the computer allows for the creation of new tasks that would otherwise be inconceivable without the technology.


I think that this model offers excellent markers for how well a teacher or school "gets" the power of instructional technology.  In my own case, my disdain for tech used to be so great that I did not even explore substitution through PowerPoint for example.  In my film class I was interested in augmenting my students' experience with superior technology (dvd for vhs; LED projectors for tv screens).  


After I developed my "bookless" course in government, I began to be recognized at MHS for being quite the techie.  When Will Richardson led our in-service three years ago, I was introduced to him, more or less as Mercy's techie exemplar.  However when I told him what I had done, he gently urged me to explore ways to use the technology to empower my students or even engage them in creating the curriculum.  At first I was annoyed, but then took it to heart.  Looking back, I see that he was essentially nudging me toward "redefinition" and that Challenge Based Learning was my path.


It was with pleasure that I spoke to Will in June at ISTE.  I thanked him for challenging me, and told him that some teachers at Mercy were using our powerful technologies to do more that communicate information from teacher to student.  As we move into the school year, this is what I believe puts Mercy way ahead of the pack.  We have teachers who are redefining their students' experience.  Yes, our tuition is high, but I think this sort of "redefinition" is will truly prepare them to be successful in their futures.