Hunting Hyperdocs

Photo by Ahmed Galal on Unsplash

I've been using "hyperdocs" for several years in my class, but I wasn't aware of the name for these things. Now I know, and it is going to make my life (and web searches) so much easier.

I am currently working on a project to present as an example for my Geometry class in the Fall (2022-2023) semester as an illustration of what the students' final data compilation could look like. Though I would like to give them complete freedom in their final product, the web 2.0 tool I have chosen for them has all of the elements that are needed to complete a professional looking and interactive presentation that they can be proud of.

Bookcreator.com allows students to create multimedia hyperdocs, offers numerous options to display information/resources to teach others, and allows for online collaboration in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. Additionally, it is intuitive to use, easy to learn, and offers a plethora of options for creating and presenting the findings of their research. I am including a prototype of the product below: (I encourage you to check it out!)

View Rough Draft

Upon completion, I will share this with the students. It is still a work in progress, so please excuse the mess.

I did a Twitter search to discover what other EdTech teachers and coaches had to say about hyperdocs. I ran across several blogs, and I have assembled a personal interpretation of what I learned:

I learned from several templates, professionally made hyperdocs, and experimentation that hyperdocs can be especially useful in a classroom, but that there are some guidelines that one should consider:

1. Hyperdocs are not a substitute for worksheets. They are meant to be interactive, and lead to a more meaningful learning experience (not just drill-and-kill).

2. Hyperdocs should not contain every possible resource. If they are too crowded and contain everything plus "the kitchen sink", they lose their effectiveness since the students can become overwhelmed. Doing too much will also prohibits students from developing their own understanding since they were "fed" the information.

3. Hyperdocs are not accidental. A teacher can't effectively use them to create a self-paced, student-centered learning experience without forethought and careful consideration of learning objectives.

Carefully planned hyperdocs can enhance learning opportunities, and have many benefits including:

1. If a student is owning his/her learning then they will be able to recognize their curiosities, formulate questions, be able to find resources that encourage deeper understanding, and provide the student with an opportunity for reflection.

2. Differentiation is always a challenge. If a separate paper assignment is created for a student, then the surrounding students will be interested in the alternate assignment, in turn drawing unwanted attention to the student whos materials are different. Using hyperdocs allows for differentiation in a unique and time efficient manner, provides appropriate accommodations and supports that will benefit the student. and can be assigned discretely, thereby not drawing unwanted attention to the student.

3. Students also benefit from the use of hyperdocs in the classroom since the teacher is able travel freely between his/her pupils offering guidance and answering questions. This freedom of movement accomplishes several things including increased proximity between student and teacher (improving student behavior and classroom environment), allows students to receive feedback from the teacher rapidly, and the teacher is able to monitor student progress to evaluate student comprehension.

Other information that I gleaned from my "hunt" made me realize just how quickly developers are improving the functionality and capabilities of the tools that we are using on a daily basis. Many of the examples of hyperdocs that I evaluated were lacking that "je ne sais quoi", that will appease the expectations of the most recent generation of digital natives. Mostly, the docs that I evaluated linked to other websites or YouTube videos outside of the hyperdoc. These hyperdocs were cumbersome, visually...meh (Borrrring), and did allow for students to take ownership of their learning or reflect on their questions or acquired knowledge.

The most helpful and fulfilling experiential adventures I undertook with hyperdocs were searching for products that other professionals had shared. I was able to see what I like, what I am not fond of, what impressed me, and what things were not appealing or interesting enough for me to consider using in my classroom. I was also able to locate an overabundance of templates, educational technology blogs with available resources, and how-to YouTube videos.

The main takeaway from this adventure is that resources for learning anything that one would like to incorporate into the classroom are out on the web. Finding them, learning them, and integrating them into the classroom requires intentional, strategic "hunting", an enthusiastic desire to experiment with new web 2.0 tools, and determination to take control of ones learning.

Don't be afraid to "hunt" out new technology, learn from others, and make mistakes while experimenting with your findings.