Reading Survey with Google Forms

One of my biggest challenges when it comes to integrating technology into my classes is keeping my digital life streamlined. Always in the back of my mind is a concern about introducing too many applications / passwords / websites / etc. into my own digital workflow; I try to be especially mindful of what I ask of my students. This is difficult for me, as there are so many cool resources out there, and I want to try them all! Ideally, I'd like to have one online "hub" that connects multiple resources behind the scenes - thankfully, Moodle works pretty well for this, and I've been learning more about connecting and integrating resources into Moodle.

One way in which I've streamlined my digital world is by trying out different digital resources in different ways with different classes, and seeing which ones "stick" - those that are useful and user-friendly enough to support content rather than overwhelm content are those that I continue to use. The other way in which I've streamlined recently is to switch over to the Google family of applications rather than using the Office Suite, Dropbox, and a host of other applications. I don't love everything about the Google world, but the convenience and connectness outweigh the downsides for me. Most recently, I've been experimenting with Google Forms as a platform for surveys. 

In the past I've used the free version of Survey Monkey, which is easy to use but limits surveys to 10 questions. After watching Barbi's video post on using Google Forms for quizzes, I decided to create a survey using this platform. For this first form, I decided to create a reading survey that I can use with my Core College Reading students at the beginning of the term. Previously, I've given a similar paper-and-pencil survey in class, but I wanted to digitize this for several reasons. First, I wanted an activity that would help introduce students to Moodle. Second, I wanted an easy way to compile and display the responses to the survey. Creating an online form accomplished both of these tasks. 

Creating the form went very quickly. The Google Forms interface is intuitive and easy to follow. I found that the tools were adequate for what I wanted to do, though I did wish for a larger response box for "other" responses. (I think it's easier for students to type a longer response when they can see all of their text on screen, as opposed to having it scroll through the box.) The most time-consuming part of the process was typing the questions and options. 

My favorite thing about Google forms is that I can revise and update my form whenever I like without having to upload another document or change the link in Moodle. I will definitely make use of this tool again in the future.