You can use Google Forms to survey participants’ perceptions of activities, events, or field trips. A science
coordinator in a Texas school district
used a Google Form to collect follow-up information after a professional
development session. The data helped
in planning subsequent trainings.
One elementary teacher used a
Google Form titled “Questions I
still have to ask” so students could
ask questions after a particular unit
or activity. The teacher would answer
the questions either individually or
to the class. Students liked the form’s
anonymity and 24/7 access. The teacher liked knowing that the students
were thinking outside of class about
what they were learning in class.
Forms for Assessment
Using Google Forms for assessment
is easy. A group of fourth grade
teachers had students read a passage
on their state history and then com-
plete a webquest. As a culminating
activity for the unit, students took a
summative quiz created using Google
Forms. Some students took the quiz
on their classroom netbooks, while
another class used the school com-
puter lab. All of the students took
the digital quiz at the same time,
and their answers were recorded in
a spreadsheet that the teachers could
analyze and grade. Teachers were
freed from carrying around papers
and were able to grade the test more
quickly. The exercise also allowed
students to practice for their online
standardized tests.
Using Flubaroo for Item Analysis
Flubaroo is a tool designed to work
in conjunction with Google Forms.
After students take a quiz or test,
Flubaroo grades it based on the teacher’s answer key and highlights questions missed by more than 40% of the
class. With a quick glance at the summarizing data, teachers know what to
reteach and what students clearly understood. Flubaroo can automatically
email students their scores, giving
them immediate feedback.
Consider what happened when an
eighth grade social studies teacher
used Google Forms and Flubaroo for
the first time. After the students com-
pleted a quiz, the teacher logged in
to her Google Docs account, opened
the spreadsheet that contained the
students’ answers, and ran Flubaroo.
Within minutes, the students received
their grades and answers in their
school email accounts. The teacher
identified what the students did not
understand and tailored the next les-
son based on the test results. The stu-
dents were surprised by the immediate
feedback and were glad to revisit the
material they did not understand. And
the teacher was able to spend more
time planning and collecting materi-
als for hands-on learning labs that
reinforced the social studies content
rather than grading and sending email
messages.
Creating More Time for Teaching
Unlike their paper-based predecessors, Google Forms and Flubaroo
offer robust and immediate digital
analytics that allow teachers to get
a clear picture of student understanding and react accordingly.
Although paperwork remains a
frustrating part of education, tapping
in to technology can help alleviate
some of those burdens.
—Laurie O. Campbell is an associate clinical professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas,
Texas, USA. Her writing interests include using
mobile multimedia devices in instruction, Novaki-an concept mapping, and multimedia education.
Contact her at laurieocampbell@gmail.com.
