Google Forms--Fast to Make, Fast to Take, Fast to Tabulate!

Using Google Forms turned out to be a learning curve, as all our assignments have been, I wasn't fully expecting. Yet, one that will probably be the most far-reaching assignment for the research classes I teach in middle school. PRISMS [Problem Solving and Independent Study for Middle School] is a semester-long research class where the students must generate authentic data to prove, disprove, or add to what they have located about a topic of their own choosing. Some produce surveys, some interviews. All are carefully constructed along time-honored techniques any good survey- or interview writing uses. Google Forms, by it's user friendly capabilities bypasses many of the stumbling blocks common to producing a mature and worthwhile data-gathering tool: the introduction, types of questions, order of questions, the ebb and flow of the questions to hold the survey-takers attention.

Surveying opinions among the troops.

In the assignment, I prepared a PechaKucha 20x20 survey that would gather information from my Gifted Academic Program students about doing a PechaKucha activity. I'm not particularly looking for numbers as I am thoughts...the reasons behind actions. By gathering opinions on one Spreadsheet I can make quick comparisons. This online version of surveying opinion is fast to make, fast to take, and fast to tabulate. [OMG, that rhymes!!  How cool is that!] Quizzes would be much easier to produce and administer too for the same reasons that this survey was to produce.

Gourd Spiders

I tried to email the survey to my sister so she could serve as a test subject, and although she is in the Google system she could not access it -- even with permission from me to accept her. Making it public [sharing it] made the difference. So, it can be sent to others as a link in an email so it opens in another page (and showing the theme) or it can be sent embedded in the email so the person doesn't have to leave their email page to answer and send back.

School, gourd chapter, after-school activities - Forms have many used and may well be the reason this gourdhead chomps at the bit to make changes in how classes are run in the near future!