Google Forms Can Work for You

Have you used a Google Form? I am just learning how to make my life much easier with this little goodie. I may be a little behind the times on this incredible tool, but I just didn't know what I was missing. I believe that people rarely learn to use new tech tools until they have a real-world application for them. Once someone has a legitimate use for new tool, it is worth the effort to figure it out. A need for quick information is what led to my recent discovery of Google Forms.

Our 5th grade students are preparing for a Veterans' Day Program, and solo auditions will be held this week when our students are dismissed early for Parent/Teacher conferences. Rather than typing up permission forms, printing them, handing them out, sending them home, and waiting for them to be returned, I simply created a form in my Google Drive. This has been the perfect opportunity to test a Google Form to see how much it could help me do my job.

One really cool feature is that I could embed the form into my school web page. However, the most awesome feature is that the submitted results are automatically entered into a spreadsheet in my Google Drive. That is amazing! I no longer need to collect forms and create an audition list by day. Now I can simply sort the spreadsheet and print.

The list of uses for Google Forms is limited only by your imagination. If you would like to try one, follow these steps to get started:

1. Sign up for a Google account, if you do not already have one. Click here to register.
2. Go to your Google Drive.
3. Click on the red "Create" button, then select "Form."
4. Create your questions. There are choices for question types, and you can mark questions as required, if needed.
5. You can select a theme.
6. The form or link can be e-mailed, or the form can be embedded in your web page.
7. As completed forms are submitted, the results are directly entered into a spreadsheet that you will see in your Google Drive.
8. Sit back and enjoy the time and paper you saved by using this remarkable tech tool.

If you need more help, Google provides plenty of assistance: Google Forms Help

You should try a Google Form! It will save you time, effort, and paper. It's so simple! Now, if only selecting the soloists for our program could be that easy. Is there an app for that? :)