What is all the hype about HyperDocs?

In one of my classes at UND, I was required to read and present on a book related to technology. The book that I choose to read The HyperDocs Handbook.  In this book, educators learn about how HyperDocs can transform the classroom for the better. I enjoyed reading about this type of instructional tool.

HyperDocs utilize google documents to allow students to interact with multimedia and help eliminate worksheets inside the classroom. HyperDocs can be accessed from any device as long as the device has access to the internet. By using HyperDocs, teachers can extend the work day by allowing students to work on material at any location. Another benefit of using HyperDocs inside the classroom is by allowing students work through a HyperDoc while a substitute teacher is present. The substitute teacher then turns into a facilitator instead of deciphering through all of you sub plans.

Teachers can use HyperDocs to create flexible groupings of students in the classroom. The teacher can allow students to work on a document alone or in a group. Groups can all work on the document at the same time from various locations. Groups might decide to split up the work of the HyperDoc or work on the document together by collaborating around a topic. Now students can be anywhere in the world and are able to have access to the classroom.

One powerful feature of HyperDocs is the ability to utilize extensions and add-ons to fit the needs of all students. It is easy to include text to speech, google translate and duolingo into a HyperDoc. There are also countless other add-ons that you can experiment with including inside your HyperDoc. In my HyperDocs, I like to include a lot of multimedia. I think adding videos to a HyperDoc is a valuable tool to help students remember important concepts. When you add an application task at the end of the video, you help the student solidify the concepts. Lastly I make sure that I include important concepts students are learning inside a HyperDoc into my whole group instruction. By including all of these steps into my instruction, I am able to help students retain the information.

One thing that I really like about HyperDocs is that I can easily alter the HyperDoc to meet the needs of all students. I can allow some of my students who struggle with reading turn text to speech on and allow the computer to read the words for the student. I can also alter the HyperDoc for my students in the Gifted and Talented program by deleting problems that have already been mastered and include extension problems for the student to work on. I am also able to work with students who need teacher help while other students can complete the HyperDoc independently.

Recently I created a HyperDoc to help students demonstrate their learning of parts of speech. At our school, students really struggle with identifying various parts of speech and applying the concepts in their writing. I found a bunch of LearnZillion videos that the students have been watching. Even though the LearnZillion videos have student worksheets to accompany the video, I sometimes find them cumbersome to print off and make available inside my classroom. I decided to create a HyperDoc to accompany the video. I post the link of the slideshow on Canvas-an online classroom service. When students log into canvas, they are able to quickly access the videos and the link to the HyperDoc. Students then need to make a copy of the document and then get started. When a student is completed with the document, all he needs to do is share the document with me so that it can be graded.

I would suggest to any teacher who is interested in using HyperDocs in their classroom to start small at first. Identify a need that you have inside your classroom. Once you have identified a need, start the process of creating a HyperDoc to meet your need. Once you have successfully implemented your first HyperDoc, you can move on to implementing HyperDocs in more ways.

There is also a place for teachers to search for HyperDocs via twitter. All you have to do is search @TsgiveTs to find teachers HyperDocs. You can also go to the HyperDocs website called Teachers Give Teachers for other already created HyperDocs.

Have you utilized a HyperDoc in your classroom? What was your exerience with using this instructional resource?

Edchats- Should we use them in school?

I am getting my masters in Instructional Design from the University of North Dakota. Since starting the program, I have been exposed to many different instructional tools that I can use in my classroom. Today I was able to participate in my first Edchat. This was a new experience for me that I surprisingly enjoyed.

Edchats is a professional development tool. Individuals can log into twitter and collaborate with others with similar interests. The conversation is carried on because members of the chat link their tweet with a similar #hashtag. A moderator poses a question and participants have 140 characters or less to answer their question.

At first I was a little skeptical to the concept of using Edchats for professional development. When you participate, you really need to pay attention to what is happening in the conversation. There are points in the conversation when individuals are commenting on more than one question. If you are not paying attention and reading, you could quickly loose the conversation.

Another reason I was skeptical was because you are only able to use 140 characters to get your point across. In order to participate in the conversation, you are only allowed to add one thought to the conversation. Sometimes it is beneficial in a conversation to elaborate on a thought. This is not possible when you only have a limited amount of characters you can use in your post.

Now having completed the professional development experience, I am more open to using it inside my classroom. I felt like I was engaged through out the whole experience. I almost felt like I was in a "learning high" applying what I know to the conversation. I felt exhausted after I finished because I was focused on reading and creating a response to communicate in the discussion. I also wanted to formulate my answer quickly so that I was able to read what other were saying.

I could see this learning opportunity beneficial to other students in the classroom because they wouldn't necessarily need to communicate their answer face to face. It is a little less intimidating when you do not have to speak in front of everyone else in the classroom. Also students are able to create a response at different speeds. Some students will quickly read/create responses. Some students will spend more time working on one response. Either way students are engaged in the discussion.

Now that I have participated in this learning opportunity, I am eager to use what I learned inside my classroom. Don't worry! I am not signing twenty-five eight year olds up with twitter. Our school has invested in Canvas- an online classroom program that has a great discussion feature. I am going to pose a question about a topic that we are learning and allow students to add their thoughts to the discussion. I think this will work even better than using Twitter because students will not be limited to 140 characters.

Have you participated in an Edchat? What were your thoughts?

Strategic Groups to Promote Student Discourse

In order to be proficient in the common core state standards, students also need to be proficient in the math practices. The ten math practices illustrate skills mathematicians have to solve problems in flexible ways and to explain their thinking to others. One way I promote the math practices inside my classroom is by implementing math talk about sixty-five percent of the math lesson. I believe that the more students are talking about mathematical concepts, the more the students will understand the instruction.

One way to promote student discussion around mathematical concepts is by creating strategic groups to support the concepts I am teaching that day. The math curriculum my school district uses is nice because students do not learn new material every day. The lessons usually cycle between new material and reviewing concepts already learned. I know when there is brand new information, students tend to struggle a little bit more. This is a great time for students to be paired up (mentor/mentee) to work through new material. Sometimes lessons review concepts already learned in previous lessons. These lessons usually pop-up towards the end of a unit when students have more exposure to the material. This is a great time for students who work at similar speeds to be paired up together. 

Discourse is important to have in the mathematics classroom because it solidifies concepts students are learning. Using strategic groups is especially beneficial to students who usually catch onto concepts quickly in math. I have found that these students usually are unable to explain their thinking to others. By allowing students to explain their thinking, they are building their conceptual knowledge of concepts.

So you might be asking: How do I create strategic groups inside my math classroom?

The first step you need to do is organize your class list. I like to organize my students in order by mathematical ability. Sometimes I look at how students scored on a unit assessment. Sometimes I create the list based their understanding of a specific concept. Sometimes I create the list by gut feeling. (The last way probably isn't researched based) 

After the list is created, you need to think about four different ways to group students. The first type of grouping is a mentor/mentee grouping. I look at my list of students and group a student at the top of the list with a student towards the middle. I think it is unfair for a student who always does well in math to feel dragged down by another student. I continue to work my way down the list matching a mentor with a mentee. 

Another type of grouping I create are students who work through math material at the same speed. I go through the list I created and match students at the top of the list with other students at the top of the list. (Same with students at the middle and bottom) While students are working, I am able to circulate around the room to help out groups. There will be some groups who finish quickly. I will make sure to have a supplemental extension problem for this group. I am also able to spend more time working with the students who needs a review of the math material. 

I like to create two to three different types of mentor/mentee and same speed groupings. I like having lots of options. I know that somedays the groupings just do not work for what ever reason. It is also nice to have students working with different students on a regular basis. 

I also like to create groups where students have three and four students in a group. I like these types of groups because students are able to work on critique each other and create viable arguments for their math work. 

By the time I am done making groups, I have around six to eight different types of groups to use in math instruction.  I like to give the students cute names: M&M, Skittles and Starbursts partners. I think this year I am going to create group names around fruits and vegetables. (Fruits will be M&M partners, Veggies will be same speed partners) During the three years I have used these types of partnerships, there hasn't been one student who figured out the reasoning behind the groups. I usually revisit these groups around once every two months just to make sure the groups fit the role they intend. 

Overall, I plan on using strategic groups to promote student math talk in the classroom. The use of math talk has been well received amongst the students in the classroom. Fifth, second and third grade students all love implementing math talk every day in the classroom.