Mary Gaeta is the librarian at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Lynnfield,
and received a 2018 Super Librarian Award
and received a 2018 Super Librarian Award
Transformation achieved! I glance around the library and watch inquiry unfold. Some students, with their headphones on, are watching YouTube videos while others are reading. Two students are discussing our subject, Malala Yousafzai. There is learning buzz in all corners of the library. Students are actively pursuing information. This is our goal with HyperDocs - students taking charge of their learning and working at their own pace.
A HyperDoc is a document with links to articles, videos, images, podcasts, and more. It is a place to craft a research unit with students in mind. The term HyperDoc was created by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis. It is an interactive document crafted for student learning. It is not a static document like an online worksheet (Highfill 68). For me, the benefits of a HyperDoc are that it is student-directed with choice and it is self-paced.
A HyperDoc is a document with links to articles, videos, images, podcasts, and more. It is a place to craft a research unit with students in mind. The term HyperDoc was created by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis. It is an interactive document crafted for student learning. It is not a static document like an online worksheet (Highfill 68). For me, the benefits of a HyperDoc are that it is student-directed with choice and it is self-paced.
I became interested in using HyperDocs through hearing so many positive comments on Twitter and at learning conferences. To learn more, I went to the website https://hyperdocs.co/ , bought the book The HyperDoc Handbook by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis, and joined the HyperDoc Facebook group. Teachers on the website and Facebook group have been amazing at sharing their Hyperdocs creations for free! So many outstanding lesson plans are shared. It is a wonderful teacher collaboration. (I think this is important. If we expect students to collaborate and share, teachers need to lead by collaborating and sharing with other teachers.) After reading and learning about the HyperDoc process, I created my own to use with my students. It went well. Once students were comfortable moving at their own pace, students embraced their learning. I had much more time to work with students who needed more support because I was not repeating the same directions on how to download an article, where to find the database, what do I name my project, etc. Everything the students need to learn is contained in the HyperDoc.
I use HyperDocs to teach the research process. My focus is on note-taking and citation. The unit involves showing students the note-taking features of NoodleTools and how to create source citations from our online databases. I see each class for 90 minutes once a week. There is so much that needs to be accomplished during that one period, and a HyperDoc helps me organize the unit and maximize the time. With a HyperDoc, students are exploring the lesson on their own and at their own pace. I am free to circulate around the classroom and to work with students who need help in clarifying a direction or a concept. Thank goodness I am no longer the “sage on the stage.” I am not talking at the students. Instead, I am working with students to facilitate their learning. A bonus of using HyperDocs is how much better my classes run when the students take charge of their learning. The students are more focused and engaged.
Using a HyperDoc was a new concept for the students. Many students waited for me to give the okay to move on to the next section. But with a HyperDoc, students do not have to wait for my permission to go to the next section. I think it is a liberating experience for many students because they can move on within the lesson/unit when they are ready. It is also liberating for the students who like to go slower. They no longer feel the need to rush through their work to keep up with the class. I think it also encourages students to ask questions because they want to know the answer to what they are exploring.
Grade 7 Malala Research Project Using NoodleTools is the first HyperDoc I created. (It has been modified since I first introduced it to my students. Please feel free to copy it and revise it to meet your students’ needs.) I followed the HyperDoc template from https://hyperdocs.co/templates . My main goal was for the students to learn the NoodleTools citation software, and my secondary goal was for students to see themselves as capable of changing the world or their community as Malala Yousafzai did. This is a project that I love teaching! The one thing I am going to improve on in this HyperDoc in the upcoming school year is to create or add videos for the students to watch regarding how to use NoodleTools. I have written directions, but I would also like to add video directions as a choice for learning. This is a major benefit of a HyperDoc - the ability to provide multiple ways for students to access the information. The HyperDoc also organizes all the information in one place, and this makes it easier for students to locate the information they want to read, watch or listen.
I am excited to teach using HyperDocs. It has made my teaching better and the students’ learning better. Students have choices on how they want to learn (read, listen, and/or watch), students can work at their own pace, and they take ownership of their learning. It is a great tool for me and I hope it will be a great tool for you.
I use HyperDocs to teach the research process. My focus is on note-taking and citation. The unit involves showing students the note-taking features of NoodleTools and how to create source citations from our online databases. I see each class for 90 minutes once a week. There is so much that needs to be accomplished during that one period, and a HyperDoc helps me organize the unit and maximize the time. With a HyperDoc, students are exploring the lesson on their own and at their own pace. I am free to circulate around the classroom and to work with students who need help in clarifying a direction or a concept. Thank goodness I am no longer the “sage on the stage.” I am not talking at the students. Instead, I am working with students to facilitate their learning. A bonus of using HyperDocs is how much better my classes run when the students take charge of their learning. The students are more focused and engaged.
Using a HyperDoc was a new concept for the students. Many students waited for me to give the okay to move on to the next section. But with a HyperDoc, students do not have to wait for my permission to go to the next section. I think it is a liberating experience for many students because they can move on within the lesson/unit when they are ready. It is also liberating for the students who like to go slower. They no longer feel the need to rush through their work to keep up with the class. I think it also encourages students to ask questions because they want to know the answer to what they are exploring.
Grade 7 Malala Research Project Using NoodleTools is the first HyperDoc I created. (It has been modified since I first introduced it to my students. Please feel free to copy it and revise it to meet your students’ needs.) I followed the HyperDoc template from https://hyperdocs.co/templates . My main goal was for the students to learn the NoodleTools citation software, and my secondary goal was for students to see themselves as capable of changing the world or their community as Malala Yousafzai did. This is a project that I love teaching! The one thing I am going to improve on in this HyperDoc in the upcoming school year is to create or add videos for the students to watch regarding how to use NoodleTools. I have written directions, but I would also like to add video directions as a choice for learning. This is a major benefit of a HyperDoc - the ability to provide multiple ways for students to access the information. The HyperDoc also organizes all the information in one place, and this makes it easier for students to locate the information they want to read, watch or listen.
I am excited to teach using HyperDocs. It has made my teaching better and the students’ learning better. Students have choices on how they want to learn (read, listen, and/or watch), students can work at their own pace, and they take ownership of their learning. It is a great tool for me and I hope it will be a great tool for you.
Works Cited
Highfill, Lisa, et al. The HyperDoc Handbook: Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps., Kindle ed., EdTechTeam Press, 2016.