Google Forms for More than Just Surveys

A lot of my teachers have been using Google Forms lately, both for class work and extra-curriculars. Its a pretty versatile tool that is easy to create and can automatically generate results into both charts and spreadsheets.

Google Forms lets you capture data using different question types, such as short and long answer, multiple choice, multiple selection ('checkboxes'), dropdowns (great for mobile device users or long lists!), Likert scales, file uploads, and even date and time. You can also include pictures and video, or require certain responses using the response validation feature. The possibilities seem endless!

Since it has been so popularly lately, I though I'd share a few other uses of Google Forms, including procedural uses, assessments, and student projects.

Opinions and Polls

You could make simple surveys to learn about your students or their parents. Some students might be more willing to share information quietly through Forms instead of aloud in front of their peers. You could also survey student opinions about a particular topic, and if giving them choices (multiple choice, checkboxes, or dropdown), Google Forms will keep track of the data in real time and show you the changes in a bar graph or pie chart, which you can display for your students.

Online Dropbox

I've known some teachers to set up a Google Form to collect file submissions. Students can upload their work, with a Form set up to collect their email addresses (so you know who submitted), and it is all time-stamped. You can even set up the Form to send you email notifications when files have been submitted.

Sign-up Sheets

You can set up a simple form with some fields like first and last name, email address, etc. where students could sign up to bring something to class. If you need choices to be eliminated after they are taken, like removing a time slot from a sign up sheet, try the Choice Eliminator add-on.

Auto-graded Quizzes

For multiple choice and multiple selection questions, Google Forms can be converted into a quiz, allowing you to mark correct answers, assign point values, and provide feedback for correct and incorrect responses. You can also make questions required, which will remind students if they've skipped a question. If you include short or long answer questions, you'll need to manually review student responses to assign point values, but auto-grading the multiple choice questions should save you some time!

Entrance/Exit Tickets

Have students answer questions at the beginning or end of class. If students have mobile devices, you could turn the Google Forms link into a QR code that students scan upon entering the classroom while you take attendance and get ready. Remember, you can include images and video as part of the question or the answer choices! Depending on your device connections, you could show responses to start discussion - either reviewing the entrance ticket or exit ticket responses from the previous day.

Rubrics and Grading

Convert your paper rubric into a Google Form by assigning questions for each part of the rubric. While reviewing student work (this a huge time saver during student presentations!), you can record a point value and include feedback. You can pull up the responses later and add grades to your gradebook.

As an alternative, you could have students create a form - maybe a quiz to send to another student, or survey to collect data for a probability lesson.

These are all just general ideas, but hopefully at least one sparks some interest in something you could do with your classes!