What is the hype with hyperdocs?

What is the hype about hyperdocs?
Hyperlinked docs have been around in many various forms for some time. With the coining of the term hyperdocs and the development, generous sharing and collaboration with teachers combined with various forms of new technologies, the Hyperdoc Girls, Sarah Landis, Kelly Hilton and Lisa Highfill, have brought edtech another useful resource for the classroom. You can tell how not only popular, but successful a teaching strategy is by the amount of airplay it is getting on the various PLNs.   

Hyperdocs are a great way to engage students and explore theirs and your creativity. Here is a summary of a post I wrote on hyperdocs for a conference I am presenting a workshop for. If you are interested to find out more, you can read the full version here. 

Why should teachers consider using hyperdocs for their students?

Hyperdocs are a functional, practical and efficient way to deliver resources to students. Have students create, collaborate and research to achieve learning outcomes. Hyperdocs are great for blended learning, self-paced, differentiated activities and getting feedback back to students quickly. I encourage teachers to join the hyperodc group via the link at the bottom of the post. The infograhic below illustrates idea of "why use hyperdocs?" nicely.

Image: Jeffco Ed Tech

Are hypedocs teacher friendly?

The great thing about digital technologies is that you can transfer skills from one piece of software or app to another. If you have used any digital software such as Google docs or Word and have linked it to something, then you have created a hyperdoc.

What software or apps can be used to create hyperdocs?

Just about any app or software can be used to create a hyperdoc. I love Google apps. The power of Google apps for me are the functionalities that allow teachers and students to be able to collaborate in real time, share, explore, self-pace, experiment, receive feedback, and much more. You can also use other software or apps such as those in the Microsoft suite, Padlet, and Thinglink to name a few more.

What is a hyperdoc?

Hyperdocs are, in the most basic of definitions, a digital app, for example a Google Doc. This app may include a hyperlink to another app or webpage. Does workflow or app smashing, web quests and Google lit trips sound familiar? Think of hyperdocs as the second generation of these digital forerunners. Hyperdocs can vary in the amount of activities you would like the student to engage with and should include some or all of the components listed below;

• Research and explore
• Critical thinking
• Collaboration and/or sharing
• Create
• Apply 
• Feedback (teacher and peer)
• Reflecting 

How many activities can you create with a hyperdoc?

You can have a hyperdoc with one or one hundred activities, although I do not think anyone
has made a hyperdoc with that many, but it is possible. I would suggest that teachers starting
out with hyperdocs start with one to two activities, then build from there, of course it also depends
on what topic and objective you would like your students to achieve during and at the end of the activity.

How can you get started with hyperdocs?

Like any learning activity, plan your lesson using hypedocs with realistic objectives and goals for your students and think of what apps you may use to achieve these objectives. For more information, check out my full post or go to the hyperdoc resource sites below.

1. http://www.kellyhilton.org/  for everything you will need to get started, check out this excellent site for hyperdoc templates, resources and help.
2. Join the Hyperdoc Facebook group for lots of sharing and help.
3. Here is a sample of a recent hyperdoc I created for my Year 10 Chinese language class.

QR Codes

QR or Quick Response code

QR codes are a great way to engage students straight away.  You will need at least a smartphone or tablet to scan them.  Download a free QR code reader on your smartphone or tablet and try it out on the codes on this page. 

Once set up, these square boxes, that look like some type of maze in overdrive, can be used for engaging and worthwhile learning activities.

Similar to barcodes on your shopping items, QR codes are much more powerful.  Barcodes can hold up to 30 numbers, a QR code can store up to 7,089 numbers.

Apps for creating QR Codes

Smartphone or tablet

If you are using an Apple iPhone or iPad, search for a QR Reader or Creator on the Apps Store, some of the apps combine both.  If you are using an Android phone, the Google Store has loads.  I suggest trying the free ones as most of these will at least read a code.  Most teachers would want to create QR codes and customize them for their classes.  

Computer

If you use a laptop or computer, there are lots of options for creating QR codes.

• Chrome Store: I use the QR Code Generator extension.  This is a good one for generating url QR codes or making custom codes, just go to the edit function. 

• For non-Chrome users, you can try out http://qrcode.ie/  It has lots of options and you can use it on your phone as well. 

QR Code Formats

Depending on the app or site you are using, students can scan the code and have the message delivered in a variety of ways.  Below are a couple I use regularly;

1. Texts: for urls or instructions. This can be in many foreign languages as well.
2. Voice: Many foreign languages available in this format as well, the voice is robotic but understandable. http://qrvoice.net/ 

To jazz up the appearance of your QR code, try Visualead. You can add an image and make it more relevant to the task you are giving to the students, there is an example of a Visualead QR code in the workflow below.  Just note that the free version of Visualead has a limited number of QR codes you can generate and download.

Ideas for Teaching

Some ways I use QR codes when creating lessons;

-       Summative and formative assessments

-       Project based learning

-       Games - locations, coding, languages

-       Treasure hunts
-       Collaborative group work
                                              

Here is an example of an activity I presented to Chinese language teachers during an app smashing workshop. It shows the workflow of how you can use different apps to create a final product. Students can try app smashing as well and have lots fun while blending tech with learning. 

  

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE?   

If you are interested in learning more about QR codes, you can enrol in my free "Basics to QR Codes" course on the Open Learning site at this link or scan the code on the right.

QR codes are easy to use and lots of fun. There are so many things you can do with them to incorporate them into your lessons. Lots of teachers have written about them if you need more ideas, just do a web search and you will find lots. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss any ideas or have any questions.  Have fun!

Flipgrid for Language Learning and Teaching

Flipgrid is a cool piece of software that allows you to record videos for many great teaching and learning activities. You basically set up grids, which are sort of like groups or for teachers can be separate classes. Within each grid, you set up topics which are the questions or stimulus you would like the students to respond to.  It works on any device and is really worth having downloading and trialing with your class. 

Flipgrid launched the new look platform just recently and it looks amazing!  The functionality has improved an already impressive digital tool.  The new add-ons make it even more engaging with response tools, which include badges and stickers help increase the engagement factor. Well done Flipgrid team!

Like most of the great apps and links for teaching and learning resources, I came across Flipgrid via a teacher twitter chat, so must thank my PLN for this suggestion. 

After using Flipgrid for a few months with my Chinese language students, I have found it a very useful tool.  Flipgrid is easy to use and you can use it on any device. It's so tech friendly, engaging and easy to use that students and teachers just love using it. 

Lots of teachers use Flipgrid for a variety of exercises, I've used in a variety of activities which include;

1. Recording content and messages when working in groups and collaborating.
2. Respond to questions.
3. Recording monologues.
4. Giving peer reviews.
5. Flipped lessons
6. Use a video feed recording as an audio timeline eg keep other team members up to date on what they are up to in the project by recording a note.

Well, the list is really endless. 

See how other teachers use it in their subject and teaching areas by checking out the Global Grid Connections and the Integration Centre.

I have used Flipgrid with four of my classes. I am teaching Chinese language, so most of what I ask the students to do is to record their responses in Chinese. I try and get the students to talk as much Chinese language as possible in class, but sometimes it is hard to give them as many opportunities as you would like each lesson. The reason being, there is not enough time.  It is difficult to get time to adequately include speaking, reading, writing and listening activities in a 50 minute lesson. Flipgrid gives my students another tool they use to practice their spoken Chinese and also get some feedback, great for formative assessments! 

Lesson Activity - a sample of how I use Flipgrid

All activities need to be integrated into a lesson plan and unit thoughtfully and with an objective and outcome in mind. Flipgrid is a great formative tool as it gives the teacher and student quick and valuable feedback.  Recently in class, we have been learning about "things I own" and "my home" which includes asking about and responding in Chinese regarding location. Usually, after we have learnt the vocabulary and sentence patterns and reinforce these, we practice our oral responses.  An example of how I use Flipgrid is to ask students questions is in the video example below.  In this activity I refer to an image which includes items we are learning in the topic. Students are asked in Chinese "Where is my [item]?" and then I point to the image. They respond saying where the item is in relation to it's relative position, for example, "your mobile phone is on the sofa".

Due to privacy issues I am unable to include any of the students responses here. 

Depending on the objective of the activity, I set anything from one to three questions. This way, returning feedback to students is quick. With classes of 20 students though, it can still take some time to check and return all responses, so you will need to work out when and where to use Flipgrid for this type of activity. 

Feeback

Feedback needs to be effective and make sense to the students. As mentioned above, there are many ways you and the students can leave feedback. I found that customizing the feedback grid in Flipgrid easy and very effective. 

To customize your feedback grid;

1. Go to your topic list (you can also do this in a topic) and click the Action button on the right. 
2. Click on Edit Topic
3. Then in Section 5 down the bottom, click on Custom Feedback
4. Click on Create New Rubric
5. Add your Criteria Heading (the specific criteria you are marking)
6. Add in your Criteria Description, useful for letting the students how you are marking or grading them
7. Set your Minimum or Maximum score

You can also watch the video below which explains this process.

Response Features

Flipgrid is engaging and I think that is part of what motivates students in using the software. Depending on what feedback settings you allow, students and teachers can give feedback in various ways. This can be found in the Topic Actions as well. Some of these are;

• likes/dislikes
• add a video/audio/text reply/feedback
• take a selfie and decorations
• response reactions
• moderation and reply settings

Distractions 

I found the students really liked playing around with the respond actions and some of them can initially spend more time decorating themselves more than tending to their responses.  To curb this distraction, I found that before using Flipgrid, reminding and then discussion with the students what is good digital citizenship and responsible action.  Reinforcing what  the activity's objective saw most of them using it properly as well.  For the class and particularly those prone to being more easily distracted than others, I implemented a rule of allowing students to use a maximum of 2 decorations for each response.  Breaking of this rule would result in banning the respond actions altogether, this also proved effective and quickly got them back on task. 

Functionality

The functionality, appearance and ease of use of Flipgrid has been very thoughtful and well designed. I have used other video/audio apps and software that have some of the Flipgrid functions, but Flipgrid is so far the best one I have used. 

Flipgrid is very well supported by their team and also have a useful Support Centre you may want to visit to help get set up. You can find lots of good instructional videos and handy tips there.

Verdict

Try it out. Flipgrid is a great product and why not trial the free version for one of your classes.  I'd imagine most of those who try it will want the full version so they can get all their classes on board, I did. 

The Inside Outside Classroom flip, a toolbox for teachers and students

Here is my presentation of some ideas on how to flip inside and outside the classroom plus some useful tools, mostly free, for teachers and students.

               

iPads in the iClass, flipped learning with tablets

iPads and tablets are a useful tool for teachers and students.  Check how I use them to flip lessons in the classroom. Below is my recent presentation at FlipCon16, Adelaide, on how I use iPads in the classroom.

          

 

Instant, real-time feedback, with Classkick

Classkick is a great app that has many practical and useful features for the classroom.  The main things, for me, that Classkick offers, is the way you can watch, on your iPad, your students working on their iPads in real time.  This real time feature gives teachers the ability to make sure students are on task, address student questions and best of all give them instant, real time feedback.  As as we know, feedback rates highly in student progression.  Formative assessment is also important, so well-planned, worthwhile Classkick activities can also help teachers gather data to assist in mapping out and analysing how the students are progressing.

There are many excellent videos and instructions on how to setup and use Classkick, on the Classkick homepage.  This post is a brief intro on some of Classkick's features, not a detailed intro on "how to set up" Classkick.  I do mention a few setup things, but I suggest you can go to their site for more detailed instruction if needed. The short video embedded below is one that illustrates a few ways on how I use it in my classes.

Gold Star Items with Classkick

1.  Instant Feedback

Real Time Screen View: Classkick is one of the few apps out there where teachers can view, on their iPad or computer, what is on their students iPad screen in real time without peering over the student's shoulders.  Apart from helping students with questions and correcting activities, teachers can also see if students are on task. 

Digital Hand: This is a very useful function for teachers and students as it allows students to ask for help as soon as they need it. Students merely press the orange hand to ask the teacher for help or the green hand to ask the teacher to check.  Once the teacher is on the student's page, a message "teacher is helping" appears, so the student knows they are getting assistance right away. 

2.    Easy to use: The Classkick canvas is easy to use.  The teacher's page is the same as what the students' page with some basic, but useful tools, see the image below. 

Assignment Page

The Assignment Page is where the class organisation and assignments (activity pages) are organised. 

Assignments: Your activities are organised here, as in the image below.  

Roster: Your classes are set up and organised here.

Account Details: This is where your details are kept. 

There's lots more

There is a lot of helpful and practical information, instruction and how to's on the Classkick site.  Please check out their site for more information. 

Classkick is definitely worth checking out and trialling in your class. 

See how I use Classkick in this video.

             

Screencasting on a budget

Screencasting is making a video recording of your computer or tablet screen when making a presentation.  Teachers will find this resource valuable as it is a recording that can be used for future use and can be edited if need be.   

When screencasting, its always good to plan what you are going to present, just like you would for any lesson preparation. I like to do some mindmapping, brainstorming, or sketchnoting.  This I suppose is a type of story boarding and for screencasting, when starting out at least, planning your content could be a valuable step when making your videos. Videos can be a powerful tool and resource that can assist teachers present content to students online.  Screencasting is another way you can also flip your lessons.

There are some really good apps and software out there for teachers and students to use. In this post, I will be mainly introducing free or inexpensive software and talk more about apps for tablets in the future.

Flipped learning also comes in various forms, but seeing this post is on screencasting, the ideas here will be using videos that you can create yourself. Check out my earlier post on videos, teaching ideas and handy tools here. 

One of the easiest free downloads that you can use is Screencast-o-matic.   You can start recording your screen from the website or download their software.  Some other similar programs that are free are;

1. Jing 
2. Screencasting

Find out about screencasting
I found the best way to find out on how to prepare and record video lessons was to talk to others who have been doing it for ages, or even not that long, join PLNs and read up as much as possible. This researching I suppose is something I do for just about everything for teaching anyhow and I am sure many of you do as well.

There is a fair bit of debate whether teachers should screencast and make a video with themselves in the video.  I think its up to the individual, but I have made videos with and without me on screen and the students always comment that they would rather see me as well, not just hear my voice. 

Screencast-o-matic is a favourite of mine.  Its easy to use and you are limited to 15 minutes of recording time with the free version.  This is a good thing as most videos are best kept between 2 - 5 minutes, maybe 10 minutes max.  

Things to think about when you are planning to and in the process of screencasting

1. Presentation Format: After you have your idea of what you want to present, decide on a format, either PowerPoint, Google Slides or filming yourself with a whiteboard or butchers paper.  
2. Practice: Whichever way you want to go, practise a few times first, then record. 
3. Be Prepared: When ready to record, have everything in place and maybe even a script.  
4. Mistakes: I doubt anyone get's through a recording without making a mistake, even a 2 minute recording.  When you are into your screencast (recording), if you make a mistake, just correct the mistake on the spot like you would in the class, even acknowledge the mistake and keep going.  If you cannot live with the mistake in the video, redo that segment and edit the mistake out later.
5. Editing: If you are using Screencast-o-matic and want to include text, captions, hotspots, links and perhaps other interactive functions, then you will need to edit all that in later with other software. If you have to cut the mistake out and cut and splice bits and pieces, then you can use something like Movie Maker.  Paid video editors cost money and you can do a lot more with them, but for the basic screencast, Screencast-o-matic and Windows Movie Maker are probably good enough. 

Editing Tools

1. iPad: Cute Cut (Free)
2. Windows Movie Maker.  Read @lizabrown6 article introducing a few good editing tools.   http://tinyw.in/X42k

Suggested PLNs to join to connect with other teachers about screencasting
#Ausflipchat
#aussieEd
#digitalEdchat
http://www.classroom20.com/
http://flippedclassroom.org/
@flippedlearning
and #
#Ausflipchat

More readings on screencasting
http://blogs.techsmith.com/tips-how-tos/what-is-screencasting/
Tech For Teachers http://tinyw.in/rOk3 
http://www.schrockguide.net/screencasting.html 
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/redefining-learning-through-screencasting-beth-holland 
http://edtechteacher.org/apps/screencast/#ipad

I hope you found this post on screencasting useful.  Be interested on your thoughts or any feedback!  If you'd like to see some videos on tech and Chinese language stuff, please check out my Youtube channels below. Thanks.


                        An intro to how to screencast with Screencast-O-Matic