Using Google Forms to Create Conference Notes

I wish I could find the magic button to press to make everything go smoothly. If you find it, please press it for me. I have battled year after year to find the perfect method for conference notes. Each year I come up with the "best idea ever" and by December I have reverted back to writing my notes on random slips of papers. Unfortunately, God never gave me the gift of organization. 

So here is my "best idea ever" for this year. It's week 7 and I'm still using it on a daily basis for three different subjects, so maybe this one has hope to making it to least January.

Google Docs is pretty useful. You can create and share documents, forms, presentations and other fun things via the World Wide Web. For my conference notes, I created a form. You must have a Google account in order to use Google Docs. If you haven't got a Google account yet, please come out from the rock you are living under and sign up for one now!

Now you are ready to start creating your form. Go to https://docs.google.com/ and click on 'Create'. Then choose 'Form' from the drop-down menu. This will bring you to a screen where you can customize your new form. To get started you should enter a title such as "Reading Conference Notes" or something similar. 

I always start off with the first question type being a 'choose from a list' and I put in all of their names so that I can quickly click on their names when I begin. I make this a required question so it won't let me submit it unless I pick a child. 

After that I get to pick the "questions". I use check boxes for these. I make a group of strengths and goals for each standard or strategy I would like them to work toward. I also always leave a 'text' spot on the bottom for my personal notes or observations that aren't included in the check boxes.

You can add as many "questions" as you need. When you are done with one, just click on 'Done' and click 'Add Item' in the top left corner. You will get to start over and add another option. Don't worry about saving, Google Docs automatically saves everything as you go. 

Once you are done, check out your published page. The link will be at the bottom of your page in blue. This is the document that you will go to when you need to input your notes. I saved the link to my desktop so that I have easy access to it.

 

I sort of stink at giving directions (please don't ask me how to get to my house, unless of course, you like driving in circles). So if you are lost with how to create a Google Form, please don't give up. There are several websites and YouTube videos dedicated to just describing how to build a form that do a much better job than I ever could. Just search for "Creating A Google Form."

Each time you fill out the form, all of your data will be put into a simple spreadsheet, which you can find by logging into Google Docs. You can organize (and reorganize) the spreadsheet using any category, which really helps when you are forming small groups. For instance, I can click on my 'Comprehension Goals' category and it will sort it by the children who have all the same comprehension needs. If I want to get a snapshot of a particular child, I can sort by name.

Someone recently asked me if I bring my laptop around with me to conferences. I wish I could say I did. I consider myself a drive-by conferencer. (I'm pretty sure that's not illegal in the state of Florida, but if it is, please don't report me!) I find my most valuable information walking around and talking to children unplanned. Being short, I have child-sized arms that do not hold a laptop very well. Most times I am still carrying around my clipboard and writing on random sheets of paper. When I get a free chance (ha ha, yeah I know that's pretty funny), I input my data into the forms. It makes me happy to look at my organized spreadsheets filled with some pretty awesome data. Now if only I could get around to organizing my desk drawers . . .