Hyperdocs

by Christina Sweek, Hudson Middle School

Hyperdocs bring innovation into classrooms and transform student learning experiences by changing the attitude from “I can’t do that!” to “I couldn’t do it before, but now I can!” This post will explore what Hyperdocs are, how they work, and how you can use it effectively in your classroom reviews or independent studies.Hy

So what exactly are they? 

Hyperdocs are a tool that you can use to create an independent unit of study for a student so that they can work on them at their own pace and order. They are commonly used for enrichment or as a review. If you use the 5E model for your units, they can be a great way for students to do an independent study, or a review based on a particular TEK. You can also use them as make-up work or credit recovery.

Why should we use these in education? 

HyperDocs are a way for students to improve their 21st Century skills with the 4 C’s (Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Communicating) and to feel like they are in charge of their learning. They are a great way to utilize the ISTE standards in digital instruction, by creating Empowered Learners.

Well, that's great, but how can we get started? 

First, we need to think about what the student learning objective is. How long do you want the lesson to last? What are the specific learning outcomes? What would you like to see your students create? After you have the answers to these questions, you can pick the format you want to use. 

• 5E model - this was the model I used in Science, it works great for a full TEKS review.

• Basic Hyperdoc Model - this works great for beginners. It is a step-by-step methodology for specific outcomes. This works great for an independent study lesson.

• Workshop Model - this is a longer version of a combination of a direct teach/independent study lesson.

• Explore-Explain-Apply - this is a shortened version of the workshop model that works great for a unit that can be mostly independent, with a short direct teach.

Best practices and & tips: 

• Think about your end user! Make sure you make a document that is user friendly. The document needs to be simple, easy to read, and not too many different fonts and colors. 

• The student needs to be able to utilize the document and feel a sense of independence while completing the tasks. Put the instructions into easily comprehensible chunks.

• Make sure the document covers the beginning - middle - and end. If you are using it as a review, you can use a quick you tube video + reflection, give an exercise to try, and then a google form as a 3 question quiz. 

Need more help?

I have added some examples I created as STAAR TEK reviews to help you get started. I have also used these and added more resources to be used as a credit recovery tool for my students.

• Newton’s Laws Hyperdoc

• Ecology Hyperdoc

Questions or comments? 

Try out a hyperdoc and let me know how it went!