GoogleDocs in Ning to collect vocabulary

This is another ELTAS Tech Tools Day task.

Pre-task thinking:

• Does it make sense to keep a vocabulary list for the entire class?
• Or does each individual have his/her own list that can not be generalized?
• How do you collect vocabulary in your classes?
• Have you tried other systems?
• What are the pros and cons of each?
• How does collecting vocabulary in digital form differ from having it in a notebook?
  

What I'm doing:
One of my company courses now has a Ning. We use this collaborative learning environment primarily to get organized, as the participants have rather demanding jobs that make them have to miss quite a few lessons. The Ning lets them check things neatly in our course log. I can embed any media we used, so that means fewer copies of handouts to pass on to those who didn't show up. We also organize our extra-curricular events there.

One thing they've asked me for over the years is a vocabulary list that they could fill in. We've used handwritten sheets and copied them, but that doesn't work well, especially when they are coming irregularly. So what I've done is to make a Google Docs Form using the questions:

• English word
• sample phrase/ sentence
• sample phrase/ sentence
• Definiton
• German equivalent

Any user with the link to the live form can enter information into that form. They don't need a Google acount.
And any user can read (but not edit!) a Google Spreadsheet that has been published as a web page. When new content is added through the form, this web page is updated automatically. On the spreadsheet select the settings: Publish + Automatically republish when changes are made.

So all I had to do is get my students to sign up for Ning. Then I created a text box in Ning and added two links:

• to the live form to enter new words
• to the output spreadsheet to view our list.

The text box also contains some reference links:

Macmillan dictionary
Oxford collocations
Corpus Concordance English
American Corpus
Linguee
Leo


Now they'll just have to start filling it up!

The limits of Google Docs in Ning:
Unfortunately, you can't embed a Google Form or Spreadsheet in Ning the way you can in a blog or in Moodle. This is connected to internal formatting in Ning. Pity! It would be nice to have everything under our Ning URL. Adding a link is only second-best.

Task:
Create a vocabulary list template using Google Doc Form.
Create categories like:

• word
• sample phrase
• explanation
  
• translation

Give it a focus that other EFL teachers can relate to (e.g. words in the local dialect)
Link to it so we can add vocabulary.

An assessment test with Google Docs

This is another task for the ELTAS Tech Tools Day.

Pre-task thinking:

Let's say you want to send clients an assessment test for them to do from home, and all the data should be evaluated instantly, without you having to correct it. You would like to have all of the data neatly in one table, easily available. This could be for a general assessement test that you use again and again.

I've got a very short test on Making appointments on the phone just to show what the front end of such a self-grading test could look like to the client:



When you do it, you'll notice:

• you get no feedback!
  

That's because all of the answers go into the spreadsheet and I have not included a correct/incorrect message. This may be a bit weird for the assessment test takers.
It's fantastic for you, though. Have a look behind the scenes at the spreadsheet, and you'll see:

• the answers are neatly entered in a spreadsheet with a formula that evaluates the answer and gives points accordingly, which are added up.
• Note that new data that has gone in needs to be formatted simply dragging the formula in each column down over the new data below.
  

Step by step:

• If you haven't already, please study the Google Docs Form/ Spreadsheet entry on this blog first.
• Then watch this video explaining the self-grading feature.
• Finally come back and study the sample spreadsheet and its formula.

How the formula works:

The trick is to set up your quiz and enter the correct answers yourself through the form. Then go into the spreadsheet itself and add those answers as headers, or questions, at the top of new columns. Follow up by entering a simple formula in each of the columns below the answers to allow the correct answers you enter in the spreadsheet to be checked against the answers given by the test takers.

This is the formula in words:
If the student's answer is equal to your answer, then he/she gets X points; otherwise he/she gets 0 points

In our case, I've decided to give each correct answer X=20 points, adding up to a total of 100 for the 5 questions. Look at the formula:

• In H2 you'll see "=if(C2=$H$1,20,0)"
• In H3 you'll see "=if(C3=$H$1,20,0)"
• In I2 you'll see "=if(D2=$I$1,20,0)"
• In I3 you'll see "=if(D3=$I$1,20,0)"

...etc.

The $ signs before the correct answer field let you avoid changing that particular letter/ numeral in the formula when you drag the formula down the page.

Task:

• Create a short self-grading assessment test.
• Post a link to it so we can take it.

Dear teachers, this may look daunting at first, but never fear, try it out and you'll see it's doable and soon it'll be a snap. Any and all questions welcome!

Google Docs Form/Spreadsheet for contact, surveys, quizzes and feedback

On 17 July, ELTAS is hosting a Tech Tools Day for teachers of English. To prepare for it, I'll be posting tasks on this blog. The first task:

Make a survey or contact form on your blog using Google Docs Form/Spreadsheet. This form can also be emailed to users. It allows respondents to input information that is then collected neatly in one spreadsheet. Some possible uses for this function are:

1. Creating a general contact form
2. Providing a sign-up form for specific courses
3. Creating a needs analysis form for potential students
4. Quizzing your students on content taught (open questions, you will assess)
   
5. Feedback on student work published on your blog or Ning or other Collaborative Learning Environment by everyone in your class
6. Feedback on your teaching by participants in your course

To demonstrate how Form/Spreedsheet works, here is a survey made using the app.



This is how Google introduces their app:



Step by step:

1. Go to docs.google.com If you don't have a Google account yet, follow the directions and create one
2. Go to "Create New/Form" or "/Spreadsheet". These two are simply different modalities to create the same questions. If you go through Spreadsheet, click on "Form" to edit the form itself.
   
3. Enter title, intro text and begin adding individual questions by clicking "add item".
   
4. Item title is the question, additional details can go in the second text box for each question. Item types include text (one line box), paragraph, multiple choice (only one answer), checkbox (multiple answers), choose from a list (only one item), scale (viz 1-5) and grid. You can also format headers and page breaks.
   
5. In editing mode, you can change the sequence of your items.
6. When you're done, save.
7. Select a template for your form and save.
   
8. To embed in a blog, go to "More actions" and click "embed" for the HTML code. Copy and paste this code into your blog.
9. To send by email to a selected group, Go to "Email this form" and enter the email addresses.
10. To see the results of your survey, go to "See Responses".
11. If you want to publish the results of your survey to a select group or to everyone, go to "See Responses" and select "Spreadsheet". There, in the right-hand corner, you will see the "Share" button. Select whether the sharing settings "Public on the web", "Anyone with the link" (your group only, whom you send a secure link to) or "Private" (you only). You can change these settings at any time. Then email your group, or publish the URL of the spreadsheet on your blog.

Your task:
Decide on the function your Form will have. Create the form and publish it to everyone on your blog. Please post a link to your Form here, under "Comments".