HyperDocs Make Me HyperExcited
I want to personally thank Lisa Highfill, Sarah Landis and Kelly Hilton for introducing me to my newest obsession, HyperDocs. Ever since I read this blog post about using GAFE to facilitate a learning adventure, I’ve lost sleep, ignored my family, and recorded copious amounts of favorite TV shows on my DVR. Needless to say, I have put their HyperDoc Template to good use. Below you will find my fledgling attempts that I recently posted on my Rock the Lab website for students. To learn more about HyperDocs, check out their HyperDoc Tour.
Rock the Lab: 4th Nine Weeks
The final grading period is here and Rock the Lab is open for business. All of the K-5 grade level buttons have been flipped over to the new lessons that support the 4th nine weeks grading period. All lessons follow the NEISD scope and sequence. If you are not a teacher within North East, check them out anyway. You might be able to use some of the lessons located in either the current or last 9 weeks. Just click on “9 Weeks” in the main navigation toolbar at the top. I will be working on the rest of the lessons over summer break. Many of the activities require student accounts, so please check out the teacher section of the website for tutorials. Please let me know if you have any questions or need in person assistance.
May the lab be with you.
Collaborative eBooks Using Book Creator
One of my all time favorite apps for student created products is Book Creator. Recently I worked with 2 of my campus librarians to complete a collaborative research project. Rosa Roberts (@RivitingReads) from Encino Park Elementary worked with all of the 1st grade students at her campus to learn about different animals that live at the San Antonio Zoo. This project was done before their field trip in order to build prior knowledge about the animals and how they interact with their natural environments. Before they used the Book Creator app, Rosa provided them with a research recording sheet so they could plan all of the components on their page. Each student added text, an image of the animal from Encyclopedia Britannica, and a picture that they drew of their animal living in their habitat. Once all of the pages were complete, Rosa and I combined them all on 1 iPad using Air Drop.
Jennifer Oldham (@battyforbooks) from Cibolo Green Elementary helped me with a similar 2nd Grade research project on the different states that make up our country. Students learned how to add text, images and audio to complete their class ebooks. Below is a quick video that will walk you through the combination process. I did experience a couple of scenarios you may run into:
- The iPads need to be on the same network in order for Air Drop to work. (Either iTouch or WPA2)
- You may want to turn Air Drop off with the exception of the 2 you are working with. Otherwise, it gets confusing as to which device you want to select for transfer.
- Make sure you are aware that the free version of Book Creator allows for the creation of only 1 book, however, you can add as many pages as you need. Fortunately, all of our campus librarians have the paid version. Please contact them if interested in co teaching a lesson.
NEISD Thinglink Challenge: Winter Traditions
You could say I have a slight fondness for Thinglink. I’ve spent the past 2 summers participating in the Thinglink Teacher Challenges facilitated by Susan Oxnevad. One of my professional goals this year was to try and replicate a similar challenge for our NEISD students and teachers. Last year we implemented the District Verified Organization offered by Thinglink Edu and have had great success in recruiting more users. This past winter we introduced our first ever district wide challenge. The goal was to create an interactive image explaining a winter tradition celebrated from anywhere in the world. It was open to all K-12 students and the grouping options included individual, pair, small group or whole class entries. We were hoping for a diverse group of submissions and that is exactly what we received. 5 interactive images were chosen from over 70 total entries. Before Spring Break, Cindy Gregory and I showcased the winning images by sharing screencasts of students explaining how the image was created and what they learned through this experience. The webinar can be viewed below.
View the channel below to see all of the great interactive images that were submitted for this challenge. We hope to have future Thinglink challenges, so please contact your campus ITS if you would like assistance getting started.
Facilitate Interactive Learning Adventures Using Thinglink, Hyperdocs and App Flows
The Internet can be a very overwhelming place for young students. There are many kid friendly search engines and databases, but they still provide a large amount of information that may or may not aid in accomplishing learning objectives. Collecting resources ahead of time and placing them in an appropriate container can be a huge time saver when students are asked to create projects. Over the past couple of years I’ve been tinkering with this idea and have gotten many great ideas from fellow educators online.
My first example to share is the app flow framework that I found on Graphite. An app flow (now known as Lesson Flow) is an interactive framework tool that enables teachers to seamlessly flow apps, websites, and games throughout lessons. This gives students guidance and the ability to complete a purposeful lesson independently in a workstation, thus giving the classroom teacher the opportunity to work with individuals or small groups. I have some examples below for 4th and 5th grade Math.
- Geometric Properties
- Equivalent Fractions
- Comparing Fractions
- App Flow Template (Word Document)
Susan Oxnevad, Thinglink Education Community Manager, is a master of creating interactive learning adventures using Thinglink. She has inspired many through her countless examples. My favorites are her interactive images combined with Google apps. Click here to check out her latest blog post that includes presentation resources from EdTechTeacher Innovation Summit. Thinglink allows teachers and students to create interactive images that contain embedded multimedia content. It has become my favorite online tool because of its ease of use and cross-curricular implications. Here are a few examples that will hopefully inspire:
- The Amazon Rainforest (created by Susan Oxnevad)
- 2nd Grade Pilgrim Quest (created by Mrs. Brown)
- Polar Bears Expert Topic Example (created by Dan Gallagher)
- Earth’s Forces
- Forest Food Chains
- Ecosystems Research Project
Hyperdocs are new to me…kind of. Back in the day I used to use Word to create a hot list, but never really thought about using it as a framework for instruction. Earlier this week I read a Technotes blog post listing free Google Templates for Students. On that list was a resource from Lisa Highfill explaining Hyperdocs and giving several examples. To learn more, you can take the HyperDoc Tour. This really made me think about how I can utilize the functionality of multiple Google Apps in one lesson. Below are some excellent examples from Lisa’s post:
- The Amazing Race Across the States
- Going Places with Google Maps
- Simile/Metaphor created by Kelly Hilton
- Graphic Organizer Ideas
Using digital tools to facilitate learning adventures is a great way to engage students in the lesson and allow students to progress at their own pace. It does require some preparation in advance on the part of the teacher, but fortunately there are many experts willing to share their creations. Hopefully this list will inspire you to create your own interactive learning adventure.
February Themed Technology Lessons
Seriously? It’s February already?
I’ve updated my list of February themed lessons that support Groundhog Day, Black History Month, President’s Day, Valentines Day and more! Hopefully you will find a lesson that will work for you.
Modern Chalkboard is a SMART Choice
Download from our large collection of professionally created SMARTBoard Notebook files for teachers. Most activities are common-core aligned. We have math, ELA, science and social studies lessons. Members have complete access to all files on the website. Please explore our … Continue reading
#MakeMeThinkIn5Words
So, insomnia struck again on a Sunday morning. Twitter can be a truly inspiring resource. First, I found @ValaAfshar which led me to #MakeMeThinkIn5Words. I could explain the idea to you, but I think you get the gist. Here are a couple … Continue reading
Are Your Students Rocking the Lab?
Classroom teachers are my heroes. I can’t think of anyone else who is more dedicated to the overall well-being of 23+ children on a daily basis. They wear every hat in the book and I am in awe of how … Continue reading
NEISD Technology Spotlight: Jodi Harris
One of the benefits of having this blog is that it allows me to connect with teachers outside of my assigned campuses. Last year I had the privilege of working with 2 teachers from Bush Middle School on an Edublogs … Continue reading
May The Holidays Be With You
December Themed Technology Lessons
It’s that time of year again. Below you will find a list of December Themed Technology Lessons that are perfect for the computer lab or stations in your classroom. Enjoy! December Themed Technology Lessons View more lists from Laura Turner … Continue reading
2015 Hour of Code
The week of Dec. 7-13 is the global Hour of Code initiative, a one-hour introduction designed to demystify computer science and show that anybody can learn the basics of computer programing. The promotional video that you can show your students in … Continue reading
The Thanksgiving in America Interactive Textbook
Last year I was truly inspired by Susan Oxnevad’s Living in the US – Bring the Textbook to Life Challenge. It provided students and teachers the opportunity to work collaboratively in the creation of an interactive textbook. I knew I … Continue reading