HyperDocs & Deeper
Learning
By Emma Webster
HyperDocs in the ELA Classroom & Promoting
The Deeper Learning Competencies
HyperDocs allow for students to participate in the 6
deeper learning competencies in the following ways.
1. Master Core Academic Content
- Students will be able to understand ELA concepts related
to fiction & non-fiction texts.
- Students will be able to use literary terms properly
within a unit of study.
- Students use their acquired knowledge to create projects
that demonstrate their understanding of a unit and its
key goals and essential questions.
- Students understand the importance of comprehension,
reading and writing skills.
2. Think Critically and Solve Complex Problems
- Students will explore a variety of texts and other
sources to analyze key information and essential ideas.
- Students will regularly self-reflect on their reading,
writing and their own learning to make decisions about
what they need to progress.
- Students learn about complex problems and research
solutions in order to produce and share information with
their community.
3. Work Collaboratively
- Students have more opportunities to collaborate with
their classmates digitally.
- Students learn to communicate effectively with their
group to express and effectively utilize a variety of
perspectives to solve complex problems.
- Students collaborate to set group goals.
4. Communicate Effectively
- Students communicate concepts through presentations,
blogs, vlogs and podcasts.
- Students regularly obtain, share and utilize feedback
with and from their peers.
- Students meet and collaborate digitally to produce and
revise work through multiple drafts.
5. Learn how to Learn
- Helps guide students in setting goals and completing
tasks.
- Offers students opportunities to explore reading and
writing strategies to that can be used to complete a
task.
- Allows for students to work independently on ELA lessons
when necessary.
- Students can apply literary concepts and writing skills
from lesson to lesson and unit to unit.
6. Develop Academic Mindsets
- Empowers students through the opportunity to work
independently and at their own pace on ELA skills that
meet their individual needs.
- Forces students to reflect on their own personal learning
and progress and learn that hard work leads to growth.
- Since the work is individualized students recognize its
importance because the text topics and skills are what
“they” the individual need and want to do.
HyperDocs in the ELA Classroom & Supporting
The 6 Arguments for Why Schools Need to Be
Different
HyperDocs in my ELA classroom will support the 6
Arguments for why schools need to be different in the
following ways.
Argument #1: - Students will be able to
navigate online fictional
“Our information landscape
and non-fiction texts.
- Students will be able to
is becoming incredibly access and navigate
reliable sources.
complex and students need - Students can work
the skills to navigate it collaboratively and
independently to research
effectively.” multiple topics throughout
the year.
Argument #2:
“Automation and global
- Students will learn to
collaborate and
hypercompetition communicate effectively
increasingly define the
through digital and
face-to-face
economy that our experiences.
graduates are entering.”
- Students will learn to
Argument #3: take control of their own
learning.
- Activities will allow
“The role of teachers as students to work and learn
exclusive purveyors of
at their own pace.
- Students will get to make
information is obsolete.” decisions about their own
learning including but not
limited to research
topics.
- Work is more
Argument #4: individualized and
therefore work is made
to be rigorous for all
“The tasks we ask students students.
- Students will get to
to perform are select topics that they
undemanding and tedious, research and in the
work that they
leading to boredom and a complete.
lack of critical thinking.” - Students can choose how
to demonstrate their
learning.
Argument #5: - Students get to use
Office 365 applications
and a variety of tech
tools integrated into
“Schools are doing too little Hyperdocs.
to create a culture of - Students will have the
option to be pushed to
educational innovation that more rigorous
can respond to evolving activities through
student needs.”
differentiation of
student pathways.
Argument #6:
- All students have their
own devices through
Baltimore County Public
Schools.
“The digital tools students - On these devices students
will require for future
have access to Office 365
applications and tools.
success are too often - Students will also have
access to Padlets,
unavailable to traditionally Kidblog, HyperDocs and a
disadvantaged groups.” variety of other tech
tools.
Resources:
Deeper Learning Competencies. (2013, April). Retrieved from
http://hewlett.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/Deeper_Learning_April_2013.pdf
McLeod, S., & Graber, J. (2018). Harnessing technology for deeper learning : (a quick guide to educational technology
integration and digital learning spaces). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
