I really like using Google Forms to make quizzes and surveys. It’s quick and easy (as I blogged about in an earlier post). However, there are no options to add media to your questions. Wouldn’t it be perfect to be able to have students watch a video clip built right into a quiz? Sort of like BrainPop except you make it yourself (and no Moby). Or how about having students use a picture embedded in a quiz to answer a question? So it’s been my quest to find an online, interactive quiz maker that can handle these features… what I found: MyStudiyo.

Here is a quiz I made at MyStudiyo. Please take a moment and test your knowledge about the continents (a typical U.S. primary/elementary school unit):

Here is what linked quiz looks like.

Making this quiz was almost painless. (I admit- I did refer to the FAQ a few times.) I had to sign up for a free account. Then, the site walked me through the steps and allowed me to preview along the way. For the perfectionists there are different designs to make things aesthetically pleasing. I really like that you are able to tailor feedback and responses in the quiz. As you saw, I made a multiple choice quiz, and there is the option to make a more open ended quiz called an “How X Are You?” However, I was a little disappointed with the size of the graphics when the quiz runs. The small size does makes it challenging for a student to use, for example, a map to answer a question. As far as collecting data on a particular student’s performance, the site does collect statistics the number of people who have taken your quiz, what questions have been answered correctly and incorrectly; however, unless someone is a registered user or submits their name, there is no identifier. I also question privacy and the ability to turn off the other quizzes and ads that appear at the end. I think further exploration or suggestion from users of MyStudiyo are needed. Anyway, I’m tossing this out there as a possible tool for those who are looking to create interactive quizzes.

As always, your comments are welcome!

I always want to put the tools into the hands of the students. I want them to be the creators. I believe they will make more meaning and definitely get more out of it if they are able to take the reins.

At the elementary level that often can be challenging with a project. To make a project more manageable, I often find I have to be a bit of a micro-manager, controlling many aspects. I find that my job is to come up with the best approaches on how to integrate technology. It should be doable, logical and, hopefully, seamless. I also find from my work with adults and children that presenting mini-lessons or concepts in small, digestible chunks make people feel more successful. And success breeds success, right? However, realistically, when I work with a teacher, one of the main concerns that we discuss is how long the class can spend on the topic. Unfortunately, the curriculum is packed, and students can’t linger on one subject/topic… I’m sure we could digress here and have a month’s worth of blog posts and comments around the curriculum coverage issue… Let’s just say- time is a factor.

So when the opportunity arises to give the students a little more wiggle room and independence for the output of their work, I’m excited.

Recently, I was brainstorming with a teacher about enhancing her students social studies knowledge about the American Revolution and Constitution. She wanted her students to research information from a web site that we have on our curriculum links and design their own questions that could be typed up as quizzes that they could print out and administer to each other. This email conversation coincided with me reading Suzanne’s Blog (a member of my PLN and blogging alliance). I can’t seem to find the exact post, but it mentioned using Classltools.net. This site created by Russel Tarr has templates that allow you to make interactive organizers and games that can be embedded or linked to a blog or wiki. Perusing this site gave me the idea of having the students go paperless and make their quizzes with this online tool.

We started the project last week, and the hook of creating arcade-like games certainly has motivated the students to research and create questions. Classtools.net is very simple to use. It doesn’t require a username or password to access the templates. When you create something, you are given a link and embed code. According to the site, it stores your work indefinitely. I have set up a private Wiki/Blog where I am going to have the students post their quizzes, so they can take them.

Classtools.net also can be used by teachers to design interactives for their students. There are tons of templates and samples. The dustbin template looks great for categorizing/sorting. There’s also a traditional memory game. All great for reviewing concepts. Not to mention- there are interactive graphic organizers and even management tools such as a timer or class picker that could facilitate a whole class activity.

Explore it and see the possibilities for teachers and students alike! It may be the perfect fit for a project that you envision students researching, designing and sharing their knowledge all on their own.

TweenTribune is an online newspaper that is written exclusively for “tweens”, 8-14 years old. The goal is to get kids hooked on reading and seeking out news on a daily basis. To promote this behavior, TweenTribune updates daily with stories that are kid-friendly from reliable sources (such as AP and CNN). Two other appealing features are the ability to comment on articles and post your own stories.

A teacher will need to register his/her class. It then is very easy for a student to sign up. (The site encourages students to sign up versus a teacher signing up for them. A plus is that no email is required for students. However, I believe sign up procedures should be left up to the discretion of the teacher based on the age level of the students.)

Still, no worries- the teacher is in control and can moderate comments. When a teacher logs-in, s/he can sort through the activity of his/her students using links on the sidebar. Another good assessment feature is being able to print individual reports of student’s comments.

This site presents itself as a great place for elementary students to read current events that are appealing to them. Having the option to comment in a safe, moderated environment gives them authentic practice of contributing to the conversations of a community. Many classrooms still subscribe to a paper magazine (such as TFK for Kids), but with an online news service the discussion goes beyond the classroom walls, and it is FREE.

If a teacher is looking to add more non-fiction reading with short written response & reflection to his/her classroom, TweenTribune may be a good choice.

Need to survey people, or want your students to administer a survey? Want to make online quizzes for students? Or even better: have students make their own quizzes for each other to demonstrate what they know? Then look no further than Forms in Google Docs.

Do you send out an email whenever you need to gather info from people? This Google video illustrates the hard work of compiling data using the email method. Can you say management nightmare?

Creating a form that is online and gathers data for me to analyze (with graphics!) right in Google Docs is slick. It looks so professional, and then to be able to download the data into Excel makes it even better.

Try out this sample one that has been embedded below:

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What will you need to do to get started making your own? First, you need to create a Google account or log into an existing one. From there you need to get into Documents and create a new Form.

I found this how-to use a Google Form to create an online quiz video on Wesley Fryer’s blog originally. It’s very easy to follow. You can use this video to create a survey, too. Looking to go one more step and have the form act as a self-grading quiz? Then you’ll want to check this screencast out as well.

There is one possible hurdle to overcome: Google accounts for younger students. The good news is that you don’t need an account or email to fill out a form or take a quiz. The form or quiz can be embedded or linked on a teacher’s web page or blog for students to access. All of the results go to the teacher’s or creator’s spreadsheet in Google Docs. If you want younger students to create their own surveys or quizzes and collect the information, you will need to set up Google accounts for them. Instead of managing all of those accounts, create a handful for your class and have students work in groups. Changing the passwords allows you to keep using those accounts with new students.

Google Forms are practical, yet cool. They will gather data, but also encourage the critical thinking of design. The integration possibilities are starting to take shape in my head…I’m thinking a choose your own adventure… How will you use them?

Resources to check out:

AHS Google Form Ideas (submitted by a Form!)

Google’s Lead Learners examples

Google Docs Help for Forms