A HyperDoc for The Outsiders an Instructional Design Proposal

My proposal is for the creation of a HyperDoc to use while teaching a class novel, The Outsiders. I am hoping to incorporate more technology into the teaching units of my novel. I am also hoping that by creating and using such a document I will encourage other staff members in my school to use it as well. 

The Process

The process for this project has been interesting. I have learned to analyze the assignments that I put forward for students from multiple perspectives including learning styles but also by soliciting feedback from teachers and students prior to implementation. In general, I think that I have learned a lot, and this project made me approach the novel in a different way than I have in the past. I focused more on student connections and reflections and less on written responses and questions. I am hoping that this will be a better way to teach the novel and will keep me more engaged with a book that I don't love. I think that the students will appreciate the more interactive tasks, and while I'm not certain they will love the idea of being on camera, I think when we are finished they will have overcome their hesitation and will like the video portion.  For these reasons I am excited to start teaching this unit in January when we return from break. At the very least I'm curious to see if organizing it this way makes things more efficient. 

Challenges

The biggest challenge that I have faced is finding time to actually create the HyperDoc. This is a time consuming document to create. Both re-engineering a unit that I have taught for 20 years with minimal changes, and the actual copying, pasting, linking, image finding, etc. are both time consuming tasks that would be better done with a team or partner, but I am working on this alone. My colleague will likely try and implement at least large chunks of this HyperDoc, but she is not interested in putting forth the time to re-create a unit that exists in a perfectly acceptable form already. 

Positive Aspects & The Role of a Coach

The most positive aspect of this process has been reminding me about the roots of my teacher training program. I attended my undergraduate courses over 20 years ago, and while the technology aspect looks vastly different now than it did then, the research behind the units, lessons, assignments, and activities is much the same. Over the years though, we tend to focus more on the day to day than the big picture. This course was a good reminder of what that big picture should look like and will help me as a technology specialist who is looking to help other teachers re-make their own units. Ideally, this will be a part of my job when I finish the program. Currently my position is part-time and generally consists largely of support and "fun stuff." As I finish this program and move to a full-time role, I'd really love to help my co-workers rethink their units rather than just their individual lessons. There are several good examples from this class about how to do that in a way that is helpful and not overwhelming. 

Changes

The biggest disappointment of this class was the fact that I did not have a chance to complete the HyperDoc I was hoping to create yet. The process was helpful, and I have the HyperDoc started, but it's only about a quarter done. It would be helpful if completing the assignment instead of creating the presentation was an option for the final piece. For many of these projects that require approval or much lengthier time line I understand that it wouldn't make sense for them, but for people who are working on an project that is just for their own personal advancement I think it would work. Seeing the HyperDoc completed would give my classmates an overview similar to the presentation of the process would I think. Just a thought.