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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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It's no secret that Google applications make teachers' work easier and more effective.

The latest version of Google Forms, for instance, can not only simplify administrative tasks but also give teachers new outlets for connecting with parents and students.

Jennifer Carey, the director of educational technology at the Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Fla., offers a glimpse of recently added features in a post on Daily Genius. She writes that Google Form users can now:

View responses as they are submitted

Insert videos and images into survey questions

Create multiple choice grids that prevent respondents from selecting the same column twice

Publish Forms with pre-filled responses

Insert useful add-ons, such as formLimiter and Choice Eliminator 2

As educators begin to master these new capabilities, they can also explore a few of the tried-and-true ways teachers already use Google Forms in the classroom:
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1. Creating assessments for students

Teacher Tech blogger Alice Keeler, who earned honors on EdTech's 2016 Must-Read K-12 IT Blogs list, spells out five steps for assessing students through Google Forms:

1. Create the Google Forms quiz.

2. Create the Google Sheet for housing student responses.

3. Create an answer key by taking the assessment yourself.

4. Freeze the row containing the answer key.

5. Set conditional formatting before students begin the assessment.

While Keeler's final recommendation is by far the most complicated, it's also the most helpful. The conditional formatting feature of Google Forms allows teachers to color code the background of student responses to simplify grading. Responses that exactly match the text in the frozen answer key automatically turn green, while all other responses will turn red.

2. Building easy-to-use rubrics that can be shared with students

In a post on Whooo's Reading? - another of EdTech 's Must-Read blogs - Google for Education Certified Trainer Shawn Beard says he traded his clipboard for a tablet when he discovered the time-saving benefits of using Google Forms to grade student presentations.

Complete with an interactive template, his instructions spell out two ways to set up a rubric within the app: by rating performance on a linear scale or by assigning students number-based scores.

Beard also recommends that teachers use the autoCrat add-on for Google Forms to merge rubric results with a Google Doc that can then be emailed to students.

"In this way, students will receive their grade in a timely manner, and you can save time and effort by grading as you observe," he writes.

This Google Forms rubric template can help teachers get started. Source: Whooo's Reading?

3. Collecting web-based assignments

Google for Education Certified Trainer Adam Schoenbart says he's found a niche function for the Google Forms app.

"Google Forms are my go-to for work that I want to share," he writes on his blog.

As an English teacher at Ossining High School in Ossining, N.Y., Schoenbart uses the app to collect links to his students' web-based work and then leverages Google Sheets to facilitate sharing.

"After researching elements of Greek mythology, my students created storybook presentations and turned in the link on a Google Form," he writes. "Then, I organized the form results and published them to the web to create the Antigone Project Database."

Schoenbart's students accessed and critiqued one another's work through the published Sheet.

"The Sheet becomes a living archive of our creations and learning, as well as shared notes," he writes.

4. Soliciting feedback from parents or students

While online surveys are one of the more basic functions of Google Forms, they can be quite handy - especially for teachers looking to collect honest feedback from anonymous respondents.

Blogger Monica Parsons, a fourth-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary School in West Jefferson, N.C., offers step-by-step instructions for creating an end-of-the-year parent survey using write-in, multiple choice, linear scale and other answer formats.

The online surveys can be easily linked, embedded or emailed directly from Google Forms.

"If most of your parents use email, this is a fast, easy way to find the answers you're looking for," she writes.

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Tech Tips for Teachers: 4 Ways to Use Google Forms

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It's no secret that Google applications make teachers' work easier and more effective. The latest version of Google Forms, for instance, can not only simplify administrative tasks but also give teachers new outlets for connecting with parents and students.

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7 Must Have Student-Collaboration Apps, Tools, and Resources

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Spread the loveCollaboration in the classroom helps students process and deepen knowledge. Students also develop important real-world skills like problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and leadership. When you choose the right tools, incorporating technology can further enhance student collaboration and learning outcomes. Here are seven of the best student-collaboration apps, tools, and resources for you to try this school year.

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Creative uses for the free tools you already use!

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As you probably know, Google Drive is far more than a place to store files online. It also includes a suite of versatile creation tools, many of which perform the same functions as the ones we use in other spaces. These include Google Docs, a word processing program that behaves similarly to Microsoft Word, Google Slides, a presentation program similar to PowerPoint, and Google Forms, a survey-creation tool similar to Survey Monkey. Although Drive also includes other tools, these three are particularly useful for creating rigorous, academically robust projects. If your school uses Google Classroom or at least gives students access to Google Drive, your students are probably already using these tools to write papers or create slideshow presentations, but there are other projects they could be doing that you may not have thought of.

Below I have listed 16 great ideas for projects using Google Docs, Slides, and Forms.

Docs

Annotated Bibliography
By the time a student reaches the later years of high school, and certainly by the time she's gotten to college, it's likely that she'll be required to write an annotated bibliography, a list of resources that not only includes the bibliographical information of each source, but also a short paragraph summarizing the resource and reflecting on its usefulness for a given project. Usually an annotated bibliography is required as a part of a larger research paper, but it could stand alone as an assignment that tasks students with seeking out and evaluating sources just for the practice of doing so. And the research tools in Google Docs allow students to locate, read, and cite their sources all in one place. To learn more, see this guide from Cornell University Library on How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography .

Book Review
Instead of a book report, have students write a book review instead. This is certainly not a new idea, but publishing the work electronically allows students to enhance the final product with the book's cover image, a link to the book's page on Amazon, and even links to other titles the author has written or articles on related topics. For models and inspiration, elementary and middle school students can read student-written reviews on sites like Spaghetti Book Club . Older or advanced students might work toward more sophisticated, nuanced review styles like book reviews written on Oprah.com .

Book Review

Any kind of research paper can be given a big boost when done in a Google Doc, because students can insert images, drawings, and links to other relevant resources, like articles and videos. Using the Media-Rich Research Paper
research tools built into Docs, students can research their topics and include in-text citations with footnotes.

"Blog Posts" without the fuss, written in Google Docs.

Instead of creating a job chart yourself, have students build it from scratch.

Slides

These could take a variety of forms: mini-textbooks, children's books, cookbooks or how-to manuals, personal art or writing portfolios, even yearbook-style memory books. To learn more about the possibilities, see my post from earlier this year on E-book
Student E-Books.

Click the image above to watch a sample Museum Kiosk in action.

Students can upload their own images and add text boxes to a slideshow to create an animated story, then record the slideshow with a Google extension called Short Film
Screencastify. They can either record their own voice as narration, add background music, or both. There are so many different kinds of films students could produce: illustrated stories or poems, final reflections for a 20 Time or Genius Hour project, video textbooks on content-related topics, or news-like feature stories of school or community events. In this quick sample, I added music from YouTube's library of royalty-free music that anyone can use to enhance their recordings:

Using the same screencasting software mentioned above, students could also create their own video tutorials by creating a Slides presentation on their topic (such as "How to Open a Combination Lock"), then recording the slideshow with narration. This would make a nice final product for a unit on informational writing or a way for students to demonstrate their learning at the end of a unit in science ("How to Take Care of Lab Equipment"), social studies ("How to Measure Distance on a Map"), or math ("How to Multiply Fractions"). Student-made tutorials could even be created to teach classroom procedures. And any tutorials students make could be stored for later, so other students can also benefit from them. Video Tutorial
Learn more about how Screencastify works right inside Chrome.

Forms

Whenever students need to gather data to support an Peer Survey
argumentative essay or speech, let them gather data quickly and easily by creating a survey with Google Forms. Links to the survey can be sent out via email, QR codes, or through a post in a learning management system like Edmodo or Google Classroom. When results come in, students can use them to support whatever claim they are trying to make in their argument, or make adjustments based on what they discover in their research.

Way Beyond Worksheets

Just this morning on Twitter, someone posted a comment along these lines: "A worksheet on a Google Doc is STILL a worksheet. Students should be using tech to create!" I've heard this sentiment over and over, and it's exactly why I've put this list together. Google offers some incredibly powerful tools if we know how to use them. I hope this list has given you a few new ideas to put into your students' hands. ♦

There's a lot more where this came from.
Join the Cult of Pedagogy mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to my members-only library of free downloadable resources, including my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half, which has helped thousands of teachers spend less time grading. If you are already a subscriber and want this resource, just check your most recent email for a link to the Members-Only Library-it's in there!

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16 Ideas for Student Projects Using Google Docs, Slides, and Forms

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Your students probably already use these tools to write papers or create presentations, but they could be doing other projects you may not have thought of.

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The classic 9 square model is ideal for a tic-tac-toe approach to a choice board that requires students to complete any three activities in a row across the board. Teachers can organize a choice board so that each column focuses on a particular skill or standard.

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StudySync for personalizing within whole group rotation or station rotation

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StudySync for personalizing within whole group rotation or station rotation

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StudySync is your complete source for ELA and literature instruction for grades 6-12, offering powerful digital instruction with full print support. StudySync engages students while advancing reading, writing, critical thinking, speaking and listening skills.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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February 23, 2017
Exit tickets or cards are informal assessment tools teachers can use to assess students understanding at the end of a class. They can also be used for formative assessment purposes to help teachers design better instructional content based on students feedback. Exit tickets can take the form of a prompt or a question related to what have been taught in the lesson. Here are some examples of questions and prompts to use in your exit cards as featured in Brown University:

"Name one important thing you learned in class today.
What did you think was accomplished by the small group activity we did today?
Write/ask one question about today's content-something that has left your
puzzled.
Today's lesson had three objectives (These would have been shared at the
beginning of class and should still be available for referencing.), which of the
three do you think was most successfully reached? Explain. Or, which was not
attained? Why do you think it was not?"

The traditional way exit tickets were used to be delivered was through pen and paper. But with the pervasive use of technology in education, there appeared a number of useful web tools teachers can utilize to create and share exit tickets with students. Here is an updated list of some of the best tools we recommend for teachers:

1- Google Forms/ Docs
You can create an exit ticket form in Google Forms and share it with your students. You can collect and store students responses in a spreadsheet to use for later reference. Alternatively, you can create a Google document with the questions and prompts you want students to work on and share it with them. Using the commenting feature, students add comments to the document and in this way you will be able to see what each student has contributed.

2- Polling tools
You can also use a number of interesting polling tools to instantly assess students learning at the end of a class. Examples include:

Poll Everywhere is a powerful web tool for creating and distributing polls. It offers you five types of polls to choose from: multiple choice poll, free response poll, true or false poll, clickable images poll, and discourse poll. Your respondents can vote on your poll either through SMS or via the web using the generated link you will provide them. Poll Everywhere also has a wonderful way of displaying the results of the poll. You can have the results displayed on a chart of bouncing bars.You can also present your polls as a seamless part of your PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow. Flip on through and instead of another flat picture, your respondents see your slide come alive with real time poll results.

AnswerGarden is another great tool to use for collecting feedback from students. This is how it works: you type in your question in Create New AnswerGarden page. When you hit 'submit' you will be directed to your newly created AnswerGarden page. From there you can share your page with others or embed it in your class blog or website. Respondents will have to either enter their answers or choose from existing ones."If you're satisfied with the results, you can for instance show the AnswerGarden to your friends, tweet about it or export it to Wordle or Tagxedo.

Here are some of our favourite student response tools to use in class to do the same job a pen and paper exit slip can do:

A- Today's Meet

This is an excellent tool to use with students to gather instant feedback on their learning or poll them on matters related to what you teach them. Today's Meet allows you to create rooms and invite students to join them with no sign up. It is also a very good backchannel platform where students can engage in fruitful discussions and conversations.

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February 23, 2017 Exit tickets or cards are informal assessment tools teachers can use to assess students understanding at the end of a class. They can also be used for formative assessment purposes to help teachers design better instructional content based on students feedback.

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Sharing knowledge and ideas is the key to learning. You can't learn on your own. You're learning ideas from other people. Ideas in books, ideas from television, ideas from friends and family, ideas from your teachers and from your fellow students. You interact with those ideas and create your own.

Because sharing ideas is so important, we need some digital brainstorming tools to support that. In this post I'll go over a list of some amazing educational apps that support brainstorming exercises.

Apps to support brainstorms and collaboration

MindMeister enables you to map your ideas together with your class. Experience the simplicity and elegance of mapping your thoughts with MindMeister.

This app allows you to organize ideas, add icons and emojis, and more. All your mind maps are private by default, but you can work together so you can do a collaborative brainstorming. There are multiple ways to do this, for example, via email. You choose who has access, who can only view the map, and who can edit the content.

Here's a tutorial that shows you how MindMeister works:

Padlet can be used by students and by teachers. With padlet you can create an online board that you can share with every student or teacher you want. Just give them the link. Padlet allows you to insert ideas anonymously or with your name. It's easy to use and very handy.

Whoever has the board open on its computer, tablet or smartphone, can see what's on it and what everyone is writing. It can be used for learning collaborative during teamwork, and the teacher can use it to do some live brainstorming on a topic in class.

Collect your ideas when you find something interesting on the internet that you can use in your lessons. Simply save it to a Padlet board. Students can do the same.

Take a look at all these amazing things you can do with Padlet.

)

Google Docs is just like Word, but with a little (read gigantic) twist. You can work together in the same document at the same time from another device. No more sending files back and forth. No more figuring out which file was the latest.

Oh, another great thing for students: every change is saved automatically! Total disasters are not possible in Google Docs.

So why is this a brainstorm app? I've given Google Docs a place because its a collaboration tool and it's very easy to use when brainstorming from home with other students over an assignment or a new project. Working together has never been so swift and easy.

Here's a video to get a better view:

Popplet is perhaps the simplest tool to capture and organize ideas. With a few clicks on your screen you can make "Popplets" (little squares) and add text and images. It's easy to connect the Popplets, rearrange them, change their colour and even adjust their shape.

Popplet is great for learning in the classroom and at home. Students use Popplet to think and learn visually. Students learn to generate new ideas by capturing facts, thoughts, and images. They learn to make simple mind maps in just a few steps.

Image: Pinterest - Steve Lee

Trello gives you and your students a view over all the projects, assignments, etc. It's actually an app for the business world, but I am convinced it can work in education too.

Trello lets you create boards with lists. You can name them and you can add different "cards" to the lists. Add documents, links, comments, checklists, etc., to these cards. You can invite your students to the boards with the lists. They can also add cards.

Sounds a bit confusing, doesn't it? Take a look at this video below to see an example.

The ability for students to add cards and lists makes brainstorming easy. You can also create boards for teamwork and projects. As a teacher, you can monitor your students work via the lists they make and the cards they add. You can also use it for your lesson planning and creative ideas (like in the video).

There are so many ways to use Trello in your Classroom, so don't stick to the video ideas. Use your imagination!

Miro is an endless virtual whiteboard to brainstorm and write down visual projects. You can add videos from YouTube and Vimeo and Google Docs from your Google Drive to the Whiteboard.

Students can collaborate on teamwork on different devices. They can add little memos and comment on them with the mini-chat. This interactive app will increase classroom engagement.

The app looks a lot like iBrainstorm. However, it's more advanced. iBrainstorm works better for younger students, Miro is perfect for the older ones who need more features.

Lucidchart is a web based program which allows you to create plenty of different diagrams like flow charts, mind maps, wire frames and much more. Get started with a number of templates.

Why is it so good? Well, students can work together on these charts without sending new versions by email over and over again. Collaborate with others and work on diagrams together in real time.

Lucidchart provides free educational licenses that include all premium features to schools and universities.

This app isn't an app that helps you to collaborate on ideas and gives you a solution to brainstorm easily. This app gives you the idea.

Use Brainstormer in art lessons, and language lessons to give students an idea to start from. The app gives them inspiration to start with. Let them write a story, using the Brainstormer app. I'm very curious what the result will be!

Creating mind maps has never been easier with this mind map widget from BookWidgets. It's super easy for students to use, and it doesn't take the teacher much time to create one.

You have several design options, such as color and shape. This way, it's easy on the eye, and students can organize their thoughts without distraction.

The randomness widget won't help you with brainstorming, but it will give you brainstorm prompts. Use this widget as an inspiration tool for your students.

As a teacher, you can decide what will be in the randomness widget. All you or your students have to do is click the button so that this widget can provide your students with a brainstorming prompt. Let them use this to write a story or to pick a presentation subject. It's perfect for making sure everyone will have an interesting subject.

This example shows you how to use the randomness widget. It gives you the subject, the place, and an action. Your students can think about the rest of the story and make it as crazy as they want.

Wrap up!

That's it! I hope I've inspired you to teach more from your students' point of view and let them do the work. Do you think these apps are useful, or do you know any other apps? Join our Teaching with BookWidgets Facebook community and share them with other teachers. And make sure to follow us on Twitter!

I'm Lucie Renard, and I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn or Twitter too!

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8 intuitive brainstorm apps for a collaborative classroom

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Sharing knowledge and ideas is the key to learning. You can't learn on your own. You're learning ideas from other people. Ideas in books, ideas from television, ideas from friends and family, ideas from your teachers and from your fellow students. You interact with those ideas and create your own.

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30+ creative ways to use Padlet for teachers and students

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I’m always excited when I’m using Padlet. Is it the interface, the way everything is designed, its purpose or the fact that I’m organizing things smoothly? I don’t know. It just makes me happy.

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Use hyperdocs to encourage student agency

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Use hyperdocs to encourage student agency

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Listen to my interview with Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis, authors of The HyperDoc Handbook ( transcript):

In many classrooms, a learning cycle looks something like this: First, we write plans for a series of lessons and a final assessment. We gather materials-handouts, websites, rubrics, video clips. Then we teach the lessons one at a time, to the whole class, at the same pace, distributing materials as needed. Finally, we end with a project, test, or other assessment.

It's a very teacher-directed model, which can limit learning in a number of ways:

Students don't feel much ownership for their own learning. Instead, they depend on the teacher to tell them when and how to learn the material.

Because so much of the teacher's time is spent in direct instruction, there's little opportunity to work one-on-one with students.

Because it's up to the teacher to adjust instruction for students with varied needs and levels of readiness, differentiation becomes one more thing to do.

ENTER THE HYPERDOC

A HyperDoc is a digital document-such as a Google Doc-where all components of a learning cycle have been pulled together into one central hub. Within a single document, students are provided with hyperlinks to all of the resources they need to complete that learning cycle. Here's an example.

In the above HyperDoc, all of the bolded words are linked to outside resources. The right-hand column is set aside for students to take notes and do other kinds of thinking and planning as they work through the lesson.

One of the earliest iterations of the this type of "hub" was the WebQuest, which guided students through a lesson using all online resources. Now that Google tools like Docs and Slides have become so prevalent, teachers are using these tools to create similar lessons, choosing and mixing resources that go well beyond simple web pages. Last year, we looked at something called a playlist, which teacher Tracy Enos used to organize her language arts lessons and differentiate instruction for her students.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links; if you purchase from Amazon after going through these links, Cult of Pedagogy receives a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Meanwhile, teachers Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis were doing similar work in their own classrooms. They coined the term "HyperDoc" to describe their version of this, and in 2016, they published The HyperDoc Handbook to teach others their method for creating these lessons.

The book explains how HyperDocs work, why they have such an impact on instruction, and their model for how teachers can design HyperDocs for high-quality instruction. In the podcast episode above, I interviewed all three about their work. Here I will blend their expertise with some of my own thoughts about this exciting format.

BENEFITS OF HYPERDOCS

Fewer lectures. Teachers have been told for decades that we need to do less lecturing, to step away from being the sage on the stage and become more of a guide on the side. "I feel so bad for teachers when they hear that," Highfill says, "because they're like, 'Well, what am I supposed to do? I need to get information into their heads.'" A HyperDoc offers a solution by taking care of the direct instruction part of a lesson and offering a lot more as well.

More face-to-face interaction. A good HyperDoc runs itself, allowing students to work through it without needing you to guide them through each step. "Although it seems odd that you're putting a student in front of a device," Landis notes, "really what it's doing is freeing you up to move around and have increased face time with the students."

Flexibility. If one part of your lesson isn't working, you can just change it in the HyperDoc and the change takes effect immediately; no need to re-copy all your materials. Similarly, if each student gets their own copy of a HyperDoc, the elements can be changed on each to meet individual students' needs.

Multimodal opportunities. Because it is digital, a HyperDoc allows us to include all kinds of multimedia. "Living in this digital age, we're able to expose kids to different types of media that allows each child to access the learning or the content or the information in a way that's visually or auditorily appealing to them," Landis says. "I might be visual, and I might first study an image, then watch a video, and then I'm finally ready to tackle that article my teacher really wants me to read."

They don't know that maybe their text ... is at a different reading level," says Hilton. "Or they're able to use Privacy. If students' HyperDocs have been customized for them, no one else needs to know. "Read&Write for Google and just put headphones in, and that's just a little agreement between you and that student."

MODELS FOR BUILDING HYPERDOCS

Because HyperDocs are such adaptable tools, teachers structure them in many different ways, and you should experiment until you find a structure that works for you. Here are some options to consider:

Playlist: This model, explained in this article, follows a step-by-step sequence of activities that consist of learning activities as well as check-ins with the teacher and housekeeping tasks like setting up accounts on websites.

Self-Paced Learning: Explored in this post by math teacher Natalie McCutchen, this system lays out a path of lessons for a whole unit, along with links to review materials, pre-tests, and practice questions. Students decide how much practice they need and determine when to take the assessment for each learning goal. If they grasp the material quickly, they can test and move on.

5E Model: This first stage of this model is to Engage student interest. Next, students Explore the topic, Explain what they have learned, and Extend their learning by applying it in new situations. The last stage Evaluates student learning.

HyperDoc Model: The HyperDoc Handbook authors have developed a model that has some components of the 5Es above, but with some additions and adjustments. This template explains all 7 stages. One important component of this model is the first step, Explore. Highfill explains the value of this stage: "Kids are exploring and coming up with ideas and answers about a concept on their own, and it's engaging them from the beginning, instead of passively listening to a teacher explain something." During this time, while students explore, the teacher is actively gathering information: "I listen to my students," Highfill says, "I'm studying them and hearing to what level are they understanding a concept. I have the ability to pull a small group. I can work with my language learners during that time. The whole time I'm doing formative assessment in the classroom, which will then really be my basis for the next part of the lesson."

Agenda: This model, borrowed from the kind of planning done at a typical Montessori school, provides each student with a planner listing out their assignments for the week. Students decide how they want to use their class time each day, but are expected to complete all goals by the end of the week. Although these are traditionally done on paper, they could easily be converted to a HyperDoc format.

OTHER USES FOR HYPERDOCS

Building an extended lesson or unit is one of the most instructionally robust ways to use HyperDocs, but they can also be used for:

substitute teacher plans

video or podcast playlists

learning centers or stations

student-made HyperDocs

parent resources

departmental-, team-or grade-level HyperDocs to gather and share resources among teachers

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Start with a template.
Rather than build your first HyperDoc from scratch, you might find more success by starting with a pre-made template, like the ones available for free on HyperDocs.co. You could also start with a completely finished HyperDoc that someone else created for their own classroom and modify it for your own use.

Build in participation, collaboration, and multimedia.
One risk inherent in HyperDocs is that they could simply become online worksheets, replicating the kind of work students could just as easily do on paper. Take advantage of this medium by including ways for students to participate actively, collaborate with others, and learn from a variety of media: video, interactive posters like ThingLinks, podcasts, online flashcards, and so on.

Offer choice...
HyperDocs are designed to allow students to work at different speeds and navigate learning in a way that works best for them. So when you can, offer choices: Give students options for the kind and quantity of materials they need to learn the material, how they will practice and apply it, and how they will demonstrate their learning.

...but don't "kitchen sink" it.
If you stuff your HyperDoc with every possible resource on a topic ("everything but the kitchen sink"), you'll overwhelm students. Choose resources thoughtfully.

Give students HyperDocs training.
Even if your students have used HyperDocs in other classes, your design probably has its own unique qualities, so take the time to demonstrate how it should be used. And within the HyperDoc itself, provide clear directions for its use.

So if you create a HyperDoc," says Hilton, "in the header or footer, say Collaborate with other teachers.
You do not need to do this alone! Thousands of teachers are sharing and collaborating on the HyperDocs.co site and using the #hyperdocs hashtag on Twitter. And be sure to give credit to the person who created the original: " Created by, and maybe link to your Twitter handle or your email, for yourself, and then if you make a copy of someone's, we encourage you to give that person credit by saying Inspired by or Remixed HyperDoc originally created by, just because we want an inclusive, appreciative sharing community."

Don't feel like you have to create a HyperDoc for every lesson.
"That's not something that any teacher should feel pressured to do," says Landis, "and it's not really realistic. We don't want teachers doing any one thing all the time, because then it becomes redundant for our kids."

HyperDocs Resources: How to Learn More

Book: The HyperDocs Handbook

Website: HyperDocs.co: The online hub for Landis, Hilton, and Highfill's work on HyperDocs. It contains helpful blog posts and the Teachers Give Teachers system where participants share their own HyperDocs with one another. To browse and borrow other teachers' HyperDocs, all you need to do is register.
Professional Development Social Media

There's more where this came from.
Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Come on in!!

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How HyperDocs Can Transform Your Teaching

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HyperDocs make room for more interactive, personalized, and student-directed learning. Let's look at how they work.

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According to education thought leaders Kathleen McClaskey and Barbara Bray, personalized learning occurs when learners take charge of and actively participate in the design of their own learning.

"Learners who own their learning are intrinsically motivated to learn and succeed," state the founders of Personalize Learning on their website. The pair, who developed a chart comparing personalization to differentation and individualization, also believe that "personalizing learning is the key design element to transform education."

If you've been thinking about transforming your own classroom in this manner, we've provided 10 quick personalized learning examples to get you started.

1. Give students a voice and choice regarding what they want to learn, and how they want to show what they know. This personalized learning example may mean rather than requiring all students to submit written assignments, give them the option to submit a video, drawing, song or other evidence of learning.

2. Give specific, positive, actionable feedback to students using their preferred method of communication (video, audio or text). They will appreciate the individual attention and will be more motivated to act on your suggestions.
3. Use beginning big questions or exit slips to gauge student understanding either before or after a lesson to ensure you address specific needs during the coming lesson.

4. Identify students who are struggling to meet learning objectives and assign personalized learning activities for reinforcement. If your learning platform has learning objectives reports and a recommendation engine to assign activities, most of this process can be automated (with the teacher approving all activities assigned, of course).

5. Work with students to create Individualized Learning Plans (ILP's) for tracking personal growth or senior projects. Plans can include skills, goals, task tracking, reflections and feedback from mentors. If your learning platform allows, progress can be automatically communicated to students, teachers, parents and mentors via their dashboard.

6. Allow students to use e-portfolios and blogs to reflect, take ownership and foster a lifelong love of learning.

7. This personalized learning example puts the student in control! Encourage students to create rather than just consume by empowering them to develop portions of a lesson, surveys, or even a test! Research shows that students who create their own tests score higher than those who do not ( Dylan Wiliam, Cambridge Assessment Network Keynote, 2006).

8. Help familiarize students with productivity tools such as the personal dashboard in their learning platform. Task blocks that pull in aggregated lists of student tasks, assignments, due dates and status can keep them on track. Options to personalize their dashboard's look and feel with graphical themes, or add/remove blocks such as course listings and Individual Learning Platform progress can further encourage students to manage their own learning.

9. Encourage peer-to-peer assessment through the use of discussion boards, or pre-flight checklists where one student evaluates another's project using a set of defined criteria.

10. Personalize who has access to which assignments based on student needs by using groups and permissions in your learning platform. For example, you may want to assign advanced students a different set of assessment questions or assignments than you would for students who need extra help in grasping basic concepts.

We hope these personalized learning activities and suggestions help you to foster a more engaged classroom with your students!

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10 Personalized Learning Tips Using an LMS | itslearning US

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According to education thought leaders Kathleen McClaskey and Barbara Bray, personalized learning occurs when learners take charge of and actively participate in the design of their own learning. "Learners who own their learning are intrinsically motivated to learn and succeed," state the founders of Personalize Learning on their website.