MMGS: A Quick Overview

When working with Google Tools, you have access to a whole suite of incredible tools and resources. Those include:

  • Google Forms - Use this to gather information from others

  • Google Sheets - Use this to store and manage data collected from others, as well as do some processing

  • Google Add-Ons - Obtain even more ways to process, organize, and present information to others

  • Google Data Studio and Similar Tools - Use this to turn your raw data in Google Sheets into fuel for a database-backed website that allows you to query data.

Let's take a moment to go through each of these one by one.

Google Forms

Tips

  • Questions

    • Keep question titles brief, rely on descriptions for more details

    • Organize (alpha sort) in Sheets, then copy-n-paste into Google Forms

    • Pre-fill forms with data for different audiences

  • Adjust Settings ->

    • Responses to NOT collect email addresses if you want to allow people anonymity

    • Defaults -> Form Defaults -> Collect email addresses by default (off switch)

  • Modify Responses ->

    • You can link to an existing Sheets spreadsheet with multiple Form Responses, great if you want to gather data from multiple Form sources into one place for aggregation.

  • Create a tracking Sheets spreadsheet with Forms and Responses via =hyperlink formula

  • Put Forms and Responses Sheets together for easier tracking

Group Your Forms and Certificates Together

Google Sheets

Tips

  • Break your data up into discrete sets

  • Use Named Ranges when appropriate

  • Group Rows as needed

  • Set up a Statistics/Stats or Summary page to capture aggregate information from

    • Multiple Sheets tabs in one Sheets document

      • (=CountA and =CountIF and =Average are my favorite functions) and

    • Sheets (=ImportRange) from different Sheets documents

    • =Query function is fun to use

Two Hacks for Google Sheets

Hack #1: Flippity

Have you explored Flippity.net?” Flippity takes data you have in your Google Sheet and then does cool stuff with it.

With each Sheet, you will must go to File->Publish the sheet. This make its available on the web for viewing. When you get it setup, you will copy the Flippity.net website address (URL) (shown in blue in the image below) then share that with students or staff.

Hack #2 – PowerTools

This free add-on to Google Sheets makes it easy to create and update Google Classroom. With RosterSync Teacher Edition, you can sync a copy of a Google Classroom course roster. Student names and email addresses get saved to Sheets. Why is this important? It makes getting at data saved in Classrooms easier to use elsewhere. Once you have that class roster of students, you can use other add-ons (like Flippity) to do more.

Google Add-Ons

Getting add-ons for Google Sheets (or Docs/Slides) is pretty easy. Simply go to Extensions and then select, Get add-ons.

Google Data Studio and Similar Tools

Want to learn more about Google Data Studio? It's an amazing tool. Check out Mike Hermann's and Megan Swope's incredible preso below.

Reflection Invitation

Allow me to invite you to reflect on what you are learning today. You can use this Jamboard to take notes on three areas:

  • What you've seen today

  • What it means for teaching and learning or your work

  • And what next steps or changes can you make to your work based on those

You can also get a copy of the Google Slides that serves as the template for the Jamboard here.