I learned about SurveyMonkey a few years ago and had used it some with my journalism students to gather information for sidebars, but I did not think about using it poll my own students until I read Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). They use the survey as a way to gauge prior knowledge and student interest when starting a new unit.
I tried this with my English I students when we began our study of Eli Wiesel's Night, set during World War II, and I mimicked the Mr. Solomon example from the book (Pitler et al, 2007, p. 27). I showed the students a Flash video from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum overviewing World War II on a map of Europe (Animated Map, 2010). I followed with comprehension questions over the video, then solicited requests for the focus of our study. The students completed their surveys taking turns on the computer, and then we reviewed the results together, using the data projector to display charts of their responses.
This activity covered many International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) technology facilitator (TF) standards and their indicators, but it was most useful for TF-III.B: "Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students" (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 205). Using SurveyMonkey to allow students to guide their own instruction showed me how powerful this standard could be. After we finished reading Night, World War II veterans visited our classes for a question and answer session. This panel idea came from a student's survey response and was arranged with help from our Marines Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MJROTC) commander and the local Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) office. The students have a deeper understanding of World War II from hearing these men's stories; one had even quit high school and lied about his age to join.
I continued using surveys to start new units with great success. The one I gave prior to Romeo and Juliet led to a research project centered around preventing teen suicide. I also a variation of the same survey to gauge my summer school students' knowledge of TAKS objectives at the beginning of the course. With the proliferation of Internet-enabled devices at school, more teachers can use survey technology to make instruction more meaningful for their students, and I will show them how.
ISTE Standards/Indicators (Williamson & Redish, 2009)
(TF-II.A) Design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology enhances instructional strategies to support diverse needs of learners.
(TF-II.C) Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
(TF-III.A) Facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
(TF-III.B) Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
(TF-III.B.1) Use methods and strategies for integrating technology resources that support the needs of diverse learners, including adaptive and assistive technology.
(TF-III.C) Apply technology to demonstrate students’ higher-order skills and creativity.
(TF-IV.A) Apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.
(TF-IV.B) Use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
(TF-IV.C) Apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students’ appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity.
(TF-V.C) Apply technology to increase productivity.
(TF-VI.B) Apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
(TF-VI.C) Identify and use technology resources that affirm diversity.
(TF-VI.D) Promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
(TF-VI.E) Facilitate equitable access to technology resources for all students.
(TF-VII.A) Use the school technology facilities and resources to implement classroom instruction.
(TF-VIII.A) Identify and apply educational and technology related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding the use of computers and technology in education.
(TF-VIII.E) Engage in supervised field-based experiences with accomplished technology facilitators and/or directors.
References
Animated Map of the Holocaust (2010). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?MediaId=3372
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE's technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.