Creating simple surveys using Google Forms

Have you ever wondered whether or not a project went well - in the eyes of the students? I frequently survey my students on recent projects to get ideas of what went well, and what could be fixed for next time. I've learned a lot!

Using Google Forms, one of the features of Google Docs, makes creating and administering surveys a snap. All the answers are compiled in either a Google Spreadsheet, or can be downloaded to Excel for further manipulation.

Here are a few things to think about when making surveys:

1. Think about what data you'll get back from the students? Ask the right questions.
2. Do you want quantitative or qualitative data? Both work equally well, but the latter takes a lot longer to evaluate.
3. Make the surveys anonymous - it takes the pressure off of the students, and allows them to answer more honestly.
4. Add a field to sort the students by, like period, or subject.
5. Make certain questions mandatory - that way you know you get better data.
6. When using the Grid question type, limit your rows to 10 - otherwise it takes up more than one screen, and the answer choices are difficult to reference.
7. Use section headings and page breaks effectively - good ways to break up longer surveys.
8. Don't forget the themes - makes the survey more interesting than a blank page background.
9. When using the Scale question type, use catchy or funny Good/Bad statements - makes for a more engaging survey.
10. Save often. Sometimes, depending on your connection, Forms has a tendency to stall, especially with large surveys.

Those are just a few hints about using Forms to create effective, and quick, and highly informative surveys for free, using Google Forms. As always, you learn by doing, so the more surveys you create, the better they'll get. And, you'll get better at asking really good questions that will drive your instruction. Why not create a pre-test for a new unit?

#TT4T 2 - How to switch between applications using your keyboard

Have you ever wanted to quickly glance at your email inbox, then back at your PowerPoint? Well, there's an easy way to do it!

To switch, or toggle, between applications on your system, hold down the Alt key (lower left hand corner on the keyboard) using your left thumb, then press the Tab key (above Caps Lock) repeatedly. On both PC and Mac, you'll see a dialog box with all the applications open, and a square around it as you're alt+tabbing through the applications. Once the application you want to go to is selected, let go, and voila!

If you're a Mac user, instead of the Alt key, use the Command Key + Tab to do the same thing.

TT4T #1 - Minimizing all your open applications

Sometimes when working, you just wanna get to that desktop - to open another file, find another application, or to take a break from whatever you're doing. Here's how to get rid (minimize) all applications on your screen:

In Windows - hold down the WINDOWS key, then press the letter 'M'. This minimizes all open windows to the taskbar for later use, and leaves you with a nice, clean, desktop.

On a Mac - you have multiple options here (ever tried F11?), but the quickest one is to hide your applications by simply holding down the Command Key (⌘), and pressing 'H'. This hides the current application from view.

How do you get back to application/window? Hold down CTRL (on Windows), then press the TAB key. On a Mac, ⌘+TAB will do it!

TT4T - Tech Tips 4 Teachers

I came up with an idea this weekend... Provide tech tips for teachers on a weekly basis. I thought I'd email these to my school district, in order to help out those who are less familiar with all the stuff that can be really helpful. We'll see how it pans out...