Survey Says:

I have always loved surveys.  Any surveys.  I think it's partially from watching Family Feud when I was young.  I'll check the boxes on the cereal box surveys.  I'll circle my ratings on magazine questionnaires.  Once I answered the survey questions of a telemarketer calling about sleeping pills.  Of course this means that I like to survey my class.  Face to Face.  On paper.  Online.  Here are just a few things I've surveyed my students about so far this semester:

• Technology tools 
• Types of reading
• Reactions to the reading themes
• Feelings about test difficulties
• If there is enough homework

I do some in class surveys (I like "Stand By Your Opinion" Polls), and some anonymous (and non-anonymous paper surveys).  The best surveys, however, are done with free technology tools that magically  collect the data, analyze it, and turn it into easy to read charts and graphs.  A wide variety of themes makes the form look pretty when it's emailed, linked, or embedded into a website.

In the past, for most of my surveying I used the mother of all tools:  Surveymonkey.  Now I'm using Google Forms more and more.  I also like Doodle for quick surveying, especially scheduling.  Other tools I've played around with as well are Polldaddy and Zoomerang.

Here's the data summary from the technology tools survey I gave my students the first day: