Collect Instant Feedback with Google Forms and Spreadsheets

Google forms and spreadsheets are a great tool for instantly capturing feedback and sharing results. I use them in professional development and for school open houses/celebrations. You can embed a form/survey into an online space like a wiki and have the answers embedded as a spreadsheet following the form. Gone are the days where we have to stop to collect only the feedback of those who are most vocal. Using forms and spreadsheets, everyone feedback is instantly captured and posted for review in a way that lets participants quickly take it ALL in and get to the thinking faster.

This wiki page (Student response with Poll Everywhere) shows a sample of how this might be used. On the page you’ll notice the participants can complete a survey and their answers instantly appear below on the same page.

Ten Steps to embedding Google Forms and Spreadsheets

1. Creating the document
   Go to docs.google.com and select create a form. Name your form. Enter the questions and answers you want included, pick a theme, and save. A spreadsheet to capture results with the same name as your form will be automatically generated.
2. Capturing document embed codes
   Go to your docs.google.com account and open the spreadsheet. When you do you will see a tab for “form.” Select the “form” tab and click “Embed form in a webpage.” Copy that code.
3. Next go to “share” (found at the top right side of your screen), “start publishing.”
4. Select “Get a link to published data”
5. Select “html to embed in webpage”
6. Embedding the document in Wikispaces
   Go to your wiki page and select “edit”
7. Once in edit mode select “widget” -> “Other html”
8. Paste your first embed code and save
9. Repeat for your second embed code.
10. Save the wiki.
    

That’s it. You’re on your way to transforming the way you can capture information from your entire audience and instantly review results. Now your time can be spent on making meaning of all the feedback you have received rather than spending time collecting limited responses!