Interactive Documents

Hi everyone!

This week our assignment was to create an interactive document that makes it fun for students to learn. My initial response was that this would be a fun and easy assignment. It was definitely fun, but the word easy should always be a red flag. It wasn't necessarily a difficult project, but it took a lot more work than I thought it would. My main difficulty was dealing with overwhelm. I read through all the course resources and then perused the internet for ideas. So many ideas that I lost my way a little. 

At that point I took a walk and listened to the Cult of Pedagogy podcast. This was really great because the ladies from HyperDocs explained the teaching that goes with the HyperDocs. Previously, I had read a lot about how to create the documents, but this gave the pedagogy perspective and wrapped it all up. It's definitely worth a listen.

The Process

A problem I frequently run into is that I want to create the best work on the first try. But that's not realistic. So understanding (from the podcast) that even teachers have to learn how to create these documents, and it's a lot of work for them too, I just decided to give it my best shot. I started by simply listing the resources I found for my topic, Animal Adaptations. Once I found the links I wanted to use, I chose a format. I initially thought I would do a tic-tac-toe choice board, but instead went with a HyperDoc. Again, the template choices were overwhelming, but I got a lot of good ideas. I put my links in the order I wanted them to appear in the document, and then instead of using someone else's template, I just formatted my own. Here is a link to the document I created, and a screen shot:

I tried to vary the types of activities I used so all different types of learners would be engaged. Finding quality resources on the internet was challenging, but when I become a teacher, I will be able to use the school district's online resources. I was also unsure about where and how students should deposit their final projects under "Show What You Know," so I didn't add links for those.

Benefits of Interactive Documents

One benefit to using HyperDocs that was given on the Cult of Pedagogy podcast, was that this is something that is very useful for sharing student learning with parents. At home, parents can click on the links to see what their child is learning. It is also very useful for differentiation, because small changes can be made for individual students, and no one else needs to know. Lastly, even though these documents may take a little more work up front, they can be used year after year and improved upon.

Resource

Here is one of the templates I found. It's a choice board restaurant menu designed by Tom Spall. I didn't end up using it, but will definitely keep it marked for the future.

Conclusion

I can see why these types of documents can be more fun for students. Students can work at their own pace, control their learning, and make choices. I have been given these types of learning options since attending Shenandoah, and it made learning more fun. I also ended up working harder.