Google Forms

With the recent advancements in technology over the past few years, many new and innovative ideas have come about online. You can now create your own websites, word pictures, videos and even spreadsheets. While these all have very practical use for the average person, they're also a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. One of these new things is Google Forms, a subset of Google Docs. It is used to create a spreadsheet, survey or other information collecting tools. After collecting data from multiple users, Google Forms then stores the information in a spreadsheet. Google Forms is beneficial because instead of compiling information via individual emails, users submit their information online in a single place.

I like a lot of things about Google Forms. I liked that it was user-friendly in the sense that it was very easy to use and follow-everything was spelled out for you and there was no guessing as to what things did. I also enjoyed that you could personalize your form with different templates however there weren't so many options as to overwhelm you. There wasn't any aspect of Google Forms that I did not like. Admittedly, I have not scoured every nook and cranny that is Google Forms but from my experience there was nothing I would change about it.

If I were to redo this project, I would have everyone interact with all of the different Web 2.0 tools while still specializing in one specific tool. I am a visual, hands-on learner and therefore learn best by doing things. While I can play around on my own with the different tools, it would be nice to have a structured assignment where I had a purpose for creating an artifact from each. However, my thoughts might change after seeing and hearing each group's presentation.

Google Forms can be used in the classroom in many ways. If I am teaching a statistics class, I can survey my students and use the data for analytical purposes. Google Forms will present the material in both spreadsheet or graph/chart form which can help students identify the different ways to present the same data. One can also use Google Forms the way we did in class-as sort of a digital dropbox where students can put URL's or other information so as to not bombard the teacher's inbox with 30 emails from students. Google Forms can also be used to get feedback from parents. Nowadays so many parents have access to a computer and find it easier than reading a handout or flyer sent home from the teacher. By having parents fill out a form, you can get instant feedback and involve the parents in their child's education. There are also plenty more ways to use Google Forms in different subjects than mathematics.

You can create your own Google Form by clicking here!