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Digital fluency and digital skills across the curriculum

What does digital fluency mean and, more importantly, what does it mean for teaching and learning? Tim Gander and David Parsons discuss this topic.

Next-generation learners demand a change in the curriculum to better equip them with the necessary skills for a world that grows ever more digital.

In the video, we discuss what digital fluency means and more importantly unpack this and related terms in ways that can guide us towards transformational teaching and learning using the SAMR model.

SAMR model - this model shows 4 layers of technology use in education: substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition. The first two are grouped as "enhancement" and the second two as "transformation"

Image by Lefflerd, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The SAMR model was developed by Dr Ruben Puentedura and disseminated through Apple education initiatives. It is a very simple layered model of ways that technology can be integrated into teaching and learning.

There are 4 stages in the model including

SUBSTITUTION – Technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change.
AUGMENTATION – Technology still acts as a direct tool substitute, but with functional improvements.
MODIFICATION – Tech allows for significant task redesign
REDIFINITION – Tech allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable

The first two stages represent enhancements of existing ways of working, whereas the last two stages are about transformation in terms of student learning, as the technology is actively helping to transform the way in which learning can occur.

Consider one of the ways that you currently or recently use(d) technology in your practice – where would you place that activity on the SAMR model? Share your brief explanation in the comment section below.