Running Records of Research Period Goals Using DocAppender

This post is pretty wordy...if you are a visual learner or would like help on doing this just ask me!

I have truly loved using Google Forms and the Google Classroom platform to manage my research period class this year.  It has saved me many a headache in following my students' progress toward their goals, collecting evidence from them, and helping them reflect on their progress.  In first semester, I used a simple Google Form (that I adapted from my awesome Google Coach, Kyle Hamilton) to have them record their goals, and then I checked in with them using the Response Sheet that was created.  I added a column to that Google Sheet where I added manually notes on the evidence they showed me each week.  In my class to get a V+ (check plus--I cannot for the life of me figure out how to type that well in a regular doc or spreadsheet) they have to complete the survey and show evidence of working toward or meeting their weekly goal.

You can check out the form here:

https://docs.google.com/a/masonohioschools.com/forms/d/1pRMEh6iwxSLWI32AXl3XKt4jnQaMGBntRur1rn_YZ6Y/viewform?usp=send_form

The problem with that process (it was minor) is that kids often "forgot" their  goal or plan even in the same week that it applied to--let alone from weeks that were in the past.  I had to find a way to give them a hard copy of the response that was automatic and not reliant upon them picking "send me a copy of my responses" to get an email.  ENTER DocAppender...something I had used before but for different reasons.

Notice now that the second question has students select a "Running Record" of their weekly goals.  This is where my new favorite add-on to Forms comes in--docAppender.  I seriously love this add on and have many ways to use it if you want more info (peer reviews, class review games, brainstorming lists done electronically, etc.).

I created the following blank template document (see link below) that I then assigned on Google Classroom choosing the option "make a copy for each student".  That creates a separate doc labeled for each kid in a distinct folder in the Classroom part of your drive.  In order for this to work for you, once you make this and "assign" it on GC, just have kids open and shut the document...they have to do this for their "copy" to show up to you in your drive.

https://docs.google.com/a/masonohioschools.com/document/d/1cRuK1PJukm8q-9it1pl9mlx-SZjVLVGtRx1rkUOSLdQ/edit?usp=sharing

Now, in Google Forms, you open the sidebar for the Add-on called docAppender.  The short explanation of this add-on is that it allows Forms submissions (or several questions on a Form if not the whole form) to be directly imported into target Google Docs.

For this to work you have to make a multiple choice question (and then don't create any "answers").  Notice mine is "Select your Running Record from the list below."

Then run Doc Appender and pick the folder where your Google Classroom Running Record Assignment is located (it is automatically created in the folder for that Google Classroom Class period) to be the target folder for docAppender.

Then select the question you would like to use as the "Doc Picker" question.  This should be the "Select your Running Record from the list below." question.  Hit "save and populate the selected question.  Then magic occurs and your student Docs--all nicely labeled will appear.

Then go through the items on your Google Form and put checkmarks next to the items you would like to show up in the Google Doc.  Then pick "rows in a single horizontal table" as the format and hit save.

Now, every time your students submit the form their responses will import directly within a few moments into their document.  This way they can review their old goals when they cannot do this by just completing the form.

So far I really like the workflow!