HyperDocs are becoming one of my favorite things in education.  It is such an amazing tool to incorporate technology in a purposeful way that promotes student learning and engagement.  One of the things that I love about the HyperDoc model is that there is a focus on creating digital lessons that go through various stages of learning (Engage, Explore, Explain, Apply, etc.).  I am finding that this process is helping me to truly analyze the type of lessons and I am creating, as well as the purpose of the technology that I am using.

After all, technology has become an important part of education but technology only benefits students if it is a meaningful tool in their learning process.  Technology should never be used just to say, “My students used this really cool technology tool in class.”  Instead, it should be, “Look at this amazing things my students created and were able to learn because of technology.”  The HyperDoc model helps me to focus on the later.  It helps me to focus on the pedagogy behind the technology.

Check out the lesson below and give me your thoughts!

Road Trippin’!

The Lesson: Road Trippin’! A Ratios & Proportions HyperDoc

The Objectives: In this lesson students will plan and create a road trip and budget using Google Maps, Google Docs, and various technology tools.  They will use ratios, proportions, and scale factor to calculate the cost of gas, hotel, and food.  Students will share the Google Map with the class and the world by publishing it online.

The Technology: Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Images, Google Search, and Random Number Generator.

Students will be introduced to the lesson through the Engage stage where they will watch a video about creating a successful road trip.  During the Explore stage, students will begin planning their road trip by creating a Google Map.  To better understand the mathematical concepts, the students will enter the Explain stage and watch two videos, as well as take notes, on “Ratios & Proportions” and “Scale Factor”.  During the Apply stage, students will work on the bulk of their project over a 2-3 day period of time.  Students will explore scale factor to determine the actual distance and scale factor of their road trip, choose a car and calculate the cost of gas, and select places to stay and eat during their trip.  In the Share stage, students will publish their road trip on the internet and share it with the class.  The class will view the Google Maps that have been created and vote on the best road trip.  At the end of the lesson, the students will Reflect on what they have learned during this activity.

If you use in your classroom, I would love to hear about the outcomes and student reactions.  In addition, I am always open to more ideas that would improve this lesson and create more learning opportunities for our students!