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104: Create a Hyperdoc in 6 Easy Steps

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One easy way to make your units accessible across scenarios, is to format them into a hyperdoc. This way, kids who are in person, kids who are at home, and kids who are alternating between both can all be working with the same materials through the same medium.

That feels like a pretty big win right now.

On today’s podcast I’m going to walk you through the process of creating a hyperdoc. For this example, I’ll share the process of creating a hyperdoc to introduce students to the visual mediums of sketchnotes and one-pagers. You can click here to make your own copy of this hyperdoc so you can explore it up close and also use it with your own students if you wish. 

You can listen to today’s episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the podcast player below, or the podcast network of your choice. 

Today’s episode is brought to you in Partnership with Stitchfix. Since I stopped being able to shop at the store at all, I’ve looked forward to Stitchfix even more. I like the boxes my stylist sends with clothes suited to my requests and style, but I also really like the new “shop” feature where they curate clothes in my personal style and I can choose anything I want to be shipped straight to my door with free returns. I find I check the recommendations in my personal shop a few times every week, and I generally have to laugh at how perfect they are for me. If you’d like to try Stitchfix, you can use my affiliate link to get $25 off the checkout of your first purchase. At this point, my favorite three shirts, my favorite jeans, and my favorite sweater are all from Stitchfix, so that’s why I’m happy to recommend it.

 

Click here to get $25 off your first purchase. 

 

Maybe you’re asking yourself, what the heck is a hyperdoc? Basically, it’s an online journey. An easy way to create one is to open a Google Slide and link out to whatever you want students to see, watch, listen to, explore, and do. Through a hyperdoc, your students can access anything you want them to that exists online. 

So let’s explore the steps. 

 

#1 Figure out your goals

What do you want your students to be able to do at the end of this unit? In this example, I want them to understand why sketchnoting and one-pagers have value, understand what the components of each medium are, and be able to use these two mediums in class (and out) throughout the year (and for the rest of their lives). 

#2 Start your Hyperdoc

 
 

Open a Google Slide and create a page to introduce your unit. On this first page, give your own background and introduction, then on the second page, you’ll start adding the activities your students will do (in the next step!). 

#3 Gather Steps 

This part is pretty fun. What can you find on the internet to help students get where you want them to go? Look into podcasts, Youtube videos, photo essays, infographics, web articles, Instagram posts, and anything else that you know will help students in interesting ways. I created these three little buttons in Canva to use to help organize my steps. 

    

 

I decided to put all my main steps on one page, using these buttons. From this page, students link out to watch videos, dive deeper into the two big concepts (one-pagers and sketchnotes) on separate slides for each, and do several assignments. Here’s what that page looks like.

 
 

#4 Design Linking Slides

I wanted to keep my main hyperdoc pretty concise and clear, with doable steps. So at several points, it links out to other Google slides where students can dive deeper into an idea, or work on an assignment. For slides I just want kids to view, I put the settings to “anyone on the internet can view.” For assignments, I created the link to make a copy for the student who clicks it. 

Here are the two main slides I designed for students to explore concepts on a deeper level.

 
 

I also wanted students to create their own one-pagers for a podcast clip. So I linked out to have them make their own copy of the podcast one-pager assignment. 

 

#5 Add places for students to upload their work

To keep things simple, add slides on the end of your hyperdoc where kids will drop all the assignments that are part of the unit. That way you don’t need to deal with things coming in in a whole bunch of places. 

For my hyperdoc, I added two slides below the main journey page where students can drop photos or PNGs of the sketchnotes and one-pagers I asked them to make in the “create” section. 

 
     

 

#6 Share a Copy of the Hyperdoc with each Student

You did it! You created a hyperdoc by introducing your concept, taking students on a journey (both around the web and to some different creative slides made by you), adding your assignments, and making space for your students to share their work. Now all you need to do is share a copy of the hyperdoc to each of your students and schedule working through it for several days of class. 

By the way, would you like to use this unit for introducing sketchnotes and one-pagers with your students? Make your own copy here and tweak as you wish. 

 

 

 

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One Comment

  • What do you want your students to be able to do at the end of this unit? In this example, I want them to understand why sketchnoting and one-pagers have value, understand what the components of each medium are, and be able to use these two mediums in class (and out) throughout the year (and for the rest of their lives).
    Bath And Body Works

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