How Collecting Data using Google Forms Changed My Classroom

Data is the thing that I absolutely love and hate at the same time. Data drives my classroom and helps me make decisions best for my students. But data can be a pain to collect. When you have a lot of team members working with a student, it can be hard to keep it all organized.

Cue Google Forms — the thing that changed my classroom! Before I share this, I want to make it clear that I color-code my students. Each student is assigned a color, which makes it easier to keep the sheets confidential. If Jonny Martin is color-coded blue, my data sheet would say “blue data sheet.” The only people who know my color code are my therapists, my aides, and my assistant principal. That means if any other person finds the data sheet, they have no idea which student is which. That protects confidentiality.

Here are my five top reasons that you should consider electronic data sheets!

I don’t have to worry about paper data sheets

I am that teacher who loses everything. I forget to make copies. I can’t read my own handwriting. Paper data sheets were a disaster for me, and I did not have my aides take data at all. If I couldn’t figure out how to do it, how can I train someone else to do it? I always ended up taking data on a Post-it note, then losing that Post-it note. I would have a data sheet and forget to make copies. I couldn’t find my data sheet when I needed it. 

Now, it’s all electronic. I can grab any device and access the data sheet. I never run out of copies and I never lose it. I can add, change, or tweak a goal with the click of a button. It has completely changed my data collection process and now I take more data than ever before!

It is easier for my aides to take data

As mentioned before, my data was only taken by me. With this system, my aides are now taking data on a regular basis. In the past, I would give an aide a data sheet. She would take the data sheet with her to inclusion, drop the student off, and head to her next location. Twenty minutes later and I needed to take data but I couldn’t because the sheet was with her in the music room. 

Now, we all have access to the same data sheet at any point. My assistants can log on and collect the data and I can sign on two minutes later and take more data. It also makes it easier for my assistants to take data on multiple students in inclusion. Rather than balancing multiple clipboards, they click between colors on one device. So much easier!

I can look at my data whenever I want

I was really bad about heading home for the weekend and forgetting to grab or look at my data. I would sit down to write progress notes at the end of the quarter and have nothing to go off. Now, I can sign in and look at my data whenever I want. It makes it easier to stay on top of things.

Google Forms graphs the data for me

This is a biggie for me. I wish I was better at graphing my data weekly, but I’m not. I found it daunting to go through all my data at the end of the quarter. Plus, I would often find out four weeks too late that an intervention was not working. Now, I can click on the responses side of my data sheet and see the data graphed instantly. It takes a weight off my shoulder and makes me feel more confident in the data collection,

I can share with my administrator

I’ve had my data pulled for review before and I always had to scramble to find it all. It added unnecessary stress. Now, my administration has my login. If she ever needs to look at my data sheet, she can log-in and see it in real time. It again takes pressure off me and keeps us all on the same page. 

If you are feeling nervous about starting Google Forms, check out my short tutorial here. It shows you how to create and edit the form, as well as how to analyze the data. If print is easier, download the PDF guide here. As always, reach out with any questions!