If you go to make a Google Form now, you'll notice that you're prompted to try the new Google Forms. It's quite a different look. I just made my first form with the new version. Overall, I like the new interface. It's a cleaner look; rather than presenting all options at all times, it keeps things hidden until you need them. The only thing I see to be missing at this point are Add-ons, but in my experience, those are not widely used at CVU. I expect that they will be re-created for this new version of Forms and will start to re-appear. Themes are also handled differently.
I was going to make a video explaining the new features, but I found this excellent one already done (from Guildway.com).
One thing mentioned in the video is that data validation (checking to see that an answer is a number, for example) is not available in the new Forms. This has been added back in since.
I'd love to hear what people think of the new Forms. I'd be happy to help teachers and students get started with these.
Students creating surveys and sending them out is an excellent way to work with real data in the classroom. How can we do this effectively (so that people actually answer the survey)? This document has detailed tips and outlines a process for getting surveys approved. If you're interested in getting your students started with surveys (or would like to create one yourself), let me know!
I'd like to announce a new model for technology workshops at CVU starting semester 2. Every Thursday will be drop-in work time during the first half of each block. I will have my office (127) set up with laptops and tables.
I will announce the topic for each week. If you have something in particular that you'd like to work on or learn, please let me know and I'll put it on the list.
Topic for January 15 (at 8:15, 10:45 and 1:00 on this exam day rescheduled to 1:30): Closing out your Moodle page for semester 1 and getting set for semester 2
Topic for January 22: Save a Tree-- Assigning, collecting and giving feedback without paper.
Topic for January 29: Checking in-- Making questionnaires, surveys, and exit cards.
I did a presentation at a recent conference on using Google Sheets and Forms to work with data. I've been in to several math classes helping students learn the basics (and beyond) of the spreadsheet as a tool for analyzing data, exploring patterns, creating graphs, and modeling problems. Here are the slides from my presentation. If there is something in here that you'd like to see in you class, let me know!
Here are some changes you'll notice soon in Google Apps:
It's now easier to share a document, presentation, or sheet with someone. When you click share, you will (soon) see a button that says "Get shareable link." This link automatically gives viewing rights to anyone you send it to.
Google Forms now lets you create a custom theme. That's just plain fun-- and it lets you decide you want your form to look!
Need to insert a special character (like a non-Latin character or an arrow) into your doc? Go to the Insert menu. You can even draw the character you want to use and it will search for you.
Many teachers and students use Google Forms to create surveys. Google Forms just got even better with the addition of two features:
You can now put images into Google Forms. This is something that people often ask about, and it's finally here. When you're making the form, just go to Add Item...Image.
You can now paste a list into the first choice for multiple choice questions, and Google will break the list into separate choices. I found a list of the presidents, copied it, and pasted into choice 1 for the first question.
Google Forms has a new look. If you're unfamiliar with Google Forms, it's the survey/questionnaire tool in Google Drive/Docs. A Google Form is a very easy way to collect information.
For those who have used Google Forms before, here are the two important updates:
You can now collaborate on authoring a form (just like any other Google Doc).
You can now specify the destination for the responses. This will create a spreadsheet file that is separate from the form itself (it used to confuse people when they were the same file).
If you'd like help getting started with Google Forms, please let me know!
The next time you go to make a new Google Form, you will likely notice that there have been some changes to the editor. The most significant changes are:
You can now choose whether the responses to the form go into a spreadsheet (as they have in the past) or whether they are kept in the form itself.
You can now collaborate on a form, just as you would on any other Google doc.
I just used the new editor myself, and I like the changes. Please let me know if you need any help with the new editor.
There are many tools available for creating quizzes that students can take online. Moodle, for example, has a powerful quiz module that I use all the time in my class. To be honest, the learning curve can be a bit steep, so here's another (easier) tool you can try. It's called Flubaroo and it makes use of Google Forms. Students submit their answers and they are checked against your key.
The tutorial below takes you through all the steps required. One thing to note is that for "free response" questions, spelling will count. There is an option to have particular questions not graded, however, so that you can do these manually (I use that option in Moodle not only for longer responses, but for shorter ones where students may word their answers differently).
It's a new semester, and a chance to try something new with technology. Here are 10 simple things you can do right now! In a 10-minute meeting, we can get any of these ideas started:
Have students post their reactions to a reading/video on a Moodle forum....
...or use a VoiceThread to get students’ reaction to a picture, video, or story.
Have students start a blog to write reflections on what they’re studying (go to GMail, More, Even More, Blogger).
...or for a different approach to writing, have students create a comic strip summary of the day’s lesson.
Have your students record themselves speaking/reading, using Audacity or Aviary.
Create a Google alert to send you the latest results on any search query.
Start a parent e-mail list (see me to set this up- it only takes a few minutes!).
Create a YouTube playlist (or have students create them) for extending classroom learning.
Create a database or glossary in Moodle that all students can contribute to (see me to set this up).
Create a Google form (in Google Docs) to get input from students.
Why not give one of these a try? I'd love to help you get started.
