Beyond Substitution: Surface Pro 3 - A new device that offers new possibilities for educators
06/04/2014
Part 1 of 2
As a technologist I get excited about new device categories that innovate and move the industry forward with regards to productivity and getting things done. I believe the newly announced Surface Pro 3 is such a device and offers many innovative opportunities for those with a sense of adventure and willing to explore.
Microsoft certainly encouraged this comparison at the press event announcement and on their website. This is unfortunate as most of the edtech press is entrenched in the Apple camp and thus have little to no experience with Windows 8.1, yet alone a hybrid touchscreen tablet with Pen input using the Microsoft cloud ecosystem.
SAMR Model
In the education field Ruben R. Puentedura, Ph.D. has developed the SAMR model of technology integration that provides a framework for educators to assess and evaluate technology use in the classroom. I believe this framework could also be considered by edtech journalist when looking at new innovative technologies, like the Surface Pro 3, that are different than their predecessors.
Here is a basic overview of the four categories of the SAMR Model:
Substitution – Tech acts as a direct substitute, with no functional change
Augmentation - Tech acts as a direct substitute, with functional improvement
Modification - Tech allows for significant task redesign
Redefinition – Tech allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable
The first two categories of Substitution and Augmentation are enhancements.
The second two categories of Modification and Redefinition are transformations.
Most reviews I've read about the Surface Pro 3 are looking at it through the lens of substitution. The most common comments I've read from reviews over the past week are that the Surface Pro 3 “only” gets 9 hours of battery life compared to 12 hours for the Macbook Air, Strike 1.
A second common comment is that the Surface Pro 3 is not a laptop and the “lapability” of the Surface Pro 3 is not as good as the Macbook Air, therefore cannot be a replacement, Strike 2.
The other common comments mentioned in many reviews are that it is too big as a tablet and too expensive, Strike 3.
… and with that many reviews have already dismissed the Surface Pro 3 before it is even available in stores for the general public.
I do not want to paint with too broad of brush strokes as there are Surface Pro 3 reviews that seem more open-minded and concentrate on facts without jumping to conclusions.
Why are many in the press having such a hard time writing a basic review of this breakthrough hybrid device?
I believe that the roots of the misunderstanding comes from the natural tendency of projecting our current understandings and workflows of the way tech works and force fitting them upon the new technology.
Thus, substitution is the easiest category we use when experiencing something new. This, I believe, is the lens in which many edtech journalists are writing from.
My interest with the Surface Pro 3 as an educator is to explore the new possibilities that are being overlooked in many current reviews.
In my next post I will pose some questions and explore more about how the Surface Pro 3 may be able to help educators improve the teaching and learning process in new ways.
Keep on Learning,
Tom Grissom, Ph.D.
@tomgrissom
http://eiu.edu/itc
Surface Pro 3 Image from: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro-3/productID.300190600?Icid=Homepage_Hero_1_Surface_Preorder_060214
Surface Pro 3 Image from: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro-3/productID.300190600?Icid=Homepage_Hero_1_Surface_Preorder_060214
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