The SAMR-AI (get it) Model: What is redefined in a world of AI?

I distinctly remember taking part in the Classrooms for the Future Grant as a new teacher, and having a Smartboard and Laptop cart in the classroom.

Everything I had previously used as a teacher now seemed obsolete. It changed my entire practice, and the learner experience.

We had a training that year on the SAMR Model, and I quickly made the connection to my classroom. The new technology was often augmenting and modifying my old practices. It was rarely redefining, but when it did, great learning happened!

Flash forward two decades.

We are undergoing another massive shift along the SAMR Model. Artificial Intelligence tools and features are starting to completely shake things up in K-12 and Higher Ed institutions.

Yet, this time it feels a bit different. It feels like we are missing a level on SAMR.

What if after Redefinition, another level was present: Elimination.

Much of this video was inspired from​ Dan Meyer's post about Khanmigo​. I see both sides of AI in learning, but I'm also well aware we are just at the very tip of the iceberg in how it will impact our schools and learning institutions, let alone the individual learning experience.

We are entering a phase where the kids don’t even have to “go to [insert AI app]” anymore to get help with or do assignments. With Lindy AI anyone can make an AI agent that does work behind the scenes. Anthropic AI has Claude AI agents that take over your computer to do work.

We are thinking about AI’s role in education wrong. So many folks talking about how it’s going to personalize learning, save teachers time, and provide tutors for every kid. Maybe it does those things, but for now the impact is in a different area.

Any work we assign that students do not want to do, do not have time to do, or do not care about doing — can be outsourced to their own AI agent. This agent can write, talk, and even make videos like them at Hey Gen.

Same goes for a lot of the work we all do on a daily basis, whether it is responding to emails, creating presentations, attending meetings, assessing work, giving feedback, creating plans/activities/resources etc - AI can now do that, and is only improving at its abilities.

Imagine an AI Agent that grades, gives feedback, and logs into your grade book to enter those grades, and add comments. How many teachers would use a tool like this?

Education is much more likely to be impacted by AI for these reasons. Can we keep giving HW the way we have in a world of AI agents? Can we continue to give long term papers and projects in our current environment? Will our compliance-based model of school exacerbate issues?

Our biggest task ahead is building learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant. Experiences that draw learners in and get them excited about the process of learning, not just about handing in a final product for a grade.

I wonder what will be “eliminated” along the way, and how we might actually redefine a learning experience that is better for our children, and the adults that serve them.