The Technofication of a Lesson Plan

(Technology Assignment)

1) A traditional lesson plan (from any source) in a digital, editable form. This will be starting point. The lesson plan can be taken from almost any usual source. It should be of enough depth to the plan to make the rest of the steps in this process possible.

2) Substitution. Without functionally changing the lesson plan, convert each piece of the lesson plan into a digital or electronic version. You may list your Substitutions within the text of your traditional lesson plan so both aspects (the original and the digital) are easily compared. 

3) Augmentation. In this third step, begin with the document created in step two and delete all the original lesson plan text leaving only the Substitutions. Now, for each Substitution, make a functional improvement in the process or outcome of each aspect of the lesson plan. You do not need to modify the lesson, just change the function according to the “A” step of the SAMr model.

4) Modification. In this step, consider the purpose of each aspect of the lesson plan. Often lesson plans are driven by what we can do with traditional methods and teaching constraints rather than by what would truly be done if it were possible or allowed. The Modification step makes possible significant redesigns of the traditional lesson. For this step, try to encapsulate the purpose for each aspect of the lesson by using technology to both retain the pedagogical point of that aspect without regard for the any vestigial components of the original lesson that are unnecessary or less effective.

5) Redefinition. In this highest level of the SAMR model of technology integration, you are allowed to apply the cutting edge and even imagine the future.  A fully technofied lesson plan has completely left the traditional elements behind and expanded, amplified, and leveraged instructional technology to the point that the lesson can only survive in a classroom rich with technology; it has no non-digital version.

6) Two actual components that fit into your technofied lesson plan. These two pieces can be created as products from other aspects of this class, or from completely different directions. The components can use the types of technology we addressed in this course (Google Earth, Podcasting, video, etc.) or tech hardware and/or software beyond the scope of this course. The two products cannot be from below the scope of this course such as conventional word processing, PowerPoint, or using the internet for “research.”

7) A ~500 word narrative explaining or describing specific areas where and how you believe the technology will make the greatest change compared to the original traditional lesson. Use the rubric below to structure your narrative making it perfectly clear that you understood the necessary components of the Technofied Lesson Plan and how it is to be assessed.

Initially this assignment can take the form of a traditional lesson plan, with the word traditional applying to both the template structure of the lesson plan, and traditional in the sense that the lesson addresses a classic topic within a (or your) teaching area. In other words, any teacher of the subject in question would immediately recognize the lesson and be able to predict its event sequence according to traditions.

It is completely acceptable if the final stage of the technofied lesson plan, Redefinition, has little to no surface resemblance of the traditional lesson plan’s components, although the purpose of the lesson must remain somewhat constant across from traditional through technofied. Finally, this is not a lesson in technology so all technology aspects must support the purpose of the lesson in teaching a content piece, and not the other way around.

---