Google Forms

Welcome! One of my favorite book series to read to my daughter when she was little was the "Did You Know?" series. Asking that question encourages a state of amazement and wonder that kindly moves you to "Wow! I hadn't heard that yet! How can I try it out?"

Come along as we ask this question about Google Forms. All of the examples shown below were shared on Twitter via the #GoogleForms hashtag. Not on Twitter? Well, you're missing out!

Topics addressed:

  1. Create pre-filled forms
  2. Create password-protected forms
  3. Set formulas in a Sheets page when new Forms response comes in
  4. Copy items from Forms you have created into a new Form with Form Recycler add-on
  5. Easily read Google Forms responses using Save as Docs add-on
  6. Insert Form Responses into a Google Doc
  7. Import grades from Forms into Google Classroom
  8. Get Email when someone submits a form
  9. Have data from Google Sheet copied to another automatically

Google Add-Ons Quick Reference

  • Autocraft: Merges documents to create PDFs or Google Docs. These can be attached to an e-mail and sent
  • Certify'em: Grade quizzes and issue certificate
  • Choice Eliminator: Remove an option from a multiple choice question after it has been selected
  • CopyDown: Automatically pull a formula down to a each new form submission
  • Form Mule: Mail merge utility. It combines the data across the rows of a spreadsheet into a template you create, and e-mails it to whoever you decide.
  • Form Recycler: Reuse questions from Form into another Google Form
  • Save as Doc: Convert any Google Sheets spreadsheet into a Google Document for easy reading.
  • Doc Appender: Appends Google Form question responses to the bottom of selected Google Docs.
  • Sheet Go: Connect your Google Sheets with Excel, Google Sheets or CSV. Automatically import, export, centralize, consolidate or filter data.
  • Smart AutoFill: Autofills one column of data based on the values of the other columns.
  • Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM): Create email campaigns with Gmail and Google Sheets. Personalize & track each email sent.

Google Forms Overview & Ideas

You can find many excellent resources online for Google Sheets and Google Forms.

Be sure to read the TCEA TechNotes blog entries on the subject for great lesson ideas and applications! Also read Eric Curts' Ctrl-Alt-Achieve blog on Google Forms and Sheets.

Google FORMS
7 ways to use Google Forms tomorrow

Ideas for Use in the Classroom

Differentiating with Google Forms

Additional Ideas

  1. Click here to see a list of 80+ integration ideas; many of which have forms you can copy and modify!
  2. 20+ Google Forms Teachers Should Not Miss (actual forms that you can create a copy of and modify!)
  3. Lots of Google Forms resources
  4. 10 Great Free Google Forms Every Teacher Should Be Using
  5. 81 Interesting Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom
  6. Using Google Forms (video)
  7. Google Forms: A Teacher/Student Connection (video)
  8. Innovative Ways to Use Google Forms
  9. Quick Google Form Time Savers for Teachers
  10. 20 Practical Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom
  11. Engaging Quiet Students with Google Forms

Special thanks to Diana Benner (@diben) from TCEA.org for sharing her ideas above!

Did You Know?

1-You can create pre-filled Forms?

Here’s how:

  1. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner.
  2. Select “Get Pre-Filled Link.”
  3. Enter the answers you’d like to pre fill.
  4. Click Submit.
  5. Copy the link. All done!

via Jake Miller

2-You can create password-protected forms?

There are a lot of uses to password-protecting Forms, but here are the 4 main ones that I can see:

  1. Post a Google Form (i.e., an assessment) to your LMS early, but students won’t be able to access the questions until you give them the password or until they complete a preliminary activity that releases the password to them.
  2. Set this form as part of a BreakOutEDU style activity – participants can only access the form once they’ve found the password in the previous stage.
  3. Make it so only your intended audience can fill out a form. (i.e., 1st period class, but not 2nd period class)
  4. Keep sensitive information within the form, just like a password-protected website.

One important note: setting “error text” is essential – otherwise it will tell the user the password.

via Jake Miller

3-You can set formulas to automatically trigger when a new Form submission comes in?

The CopyDown add-on automatically pulls a formula down to a each new form submission. No manual dragging necessary. This is useful when your Form & Sheet are part of a bigger system that triggers other actions in other add-ons (i.e., autoCrat, formMule) that require those formulas.

via Jake Miller

4-You can copy items from all Google Forms you've created into a new Form with Form Recycler add-on?

Use items or questions from previous #GoogleForms and insert them into a new or different #GoogleForm.


via Teacher's Teacher tweet

5-You can easily read responses from a Google Form using "Save as Doc" add-on?

Excerpt from Eric Curts' blog:

The new version of Google Forms does let you view each response one at a time, which is a definite step forward (click “Responses” then click “Individual”) but it is still not an easy way to view all the responses at once in an easy to read format.

One of the best solutions to this problem is an add-on for Sheets called “Save as Doc”.

Once you have “Save as Doc” add-on installed you can use it on any spreadsheet.

  • Start by selecting the rows and columns of data you wish to turn into a Google Doc.
  • Simply click, hold down your mouse button, and drag to highlight the desired data in your Google Sheet.
  • Now click “Add-ons” then “Save as Doc” then “Start”.
  • This will open a panel on the right side of the Sheet.
  • For “Save Doc file” type in a name for the new document that will hold the data.
  • Check “Include Headings” if you would like the column headings to appear above each item in the Doc. This can be useful so you remember what question each answer goes with.
  • If you chose to include headings, you can specify where the headings are found in the “Headings Location” drop down menu.
  • You can also select the size for the headings in the Doc from “Heading 1” (large) to “Heading 5” (small).
  • Check the box for “Add a pagebreak after each row” to start a new page in the Google Doc for each row in the spreadsheet. This will put all the answers from each person who filled out the form on a different page of the Doc.
  • Finally click the “Save as Doc” button.
  • When done you can click the “Open the Doc” link to view your new document.

Special thanks to Eric Curts (@ericcurts) for this tip! Read his blog for more awesomeness!

6-You can use the DocAppender add-on to insert Forms responses into a Google Doc?

DocAppender automatically appends GoogleForm responses to selected #GoogleDocs. docAppender is the missing link between Google Forms and Google Documents as it appends Google Form responses to the bottom of selected Documents. Having trouble reading a written response in Google Form? docAppender has a solution for you.

7-You can import grades from Forms into Google Classroom?

This screen cast will demonstrate how to make a Google Form a quiz, then import the grades into Google Classroom.

via Kim Mattina

8-Get emailed when someone submits a Form?

9-Have data from one Google Sheet copied to another?

Sheetgo is an excellent add-on you should definitely install on your Google Sheets. It allows you to easily transform data between different spreadsheets in Google Sheets. You can also use it to create a centralized overview of your data by merging several sheets into a single sheet. You can even import data from Excel files you have in your Google Drive right into your Google Sheets.