Gather Data with Google Forms

What is it?

Google Forms is easily accessible from your Google account menu or by going here. It's a straightforward quiz and poll maker, which could be used to gather data for research or for needs analysis at any point in your course. Below are two tutorials. The one by Susan McGannon is a bit monotone, but she has carefully tailored it to teachers. 'Technology Guru' is a bit punchier but more about general use:

There is no set-up necessary and the features are easy to locate and operate. The nice thing about Google Forms is the variety of answers students can provide: short answer, paragraph, multiple choice, checkboxes, linear scale, etc. A side benefit is the way in which it develops teachers' awareness of testing methods.

How would I use it? 

Personally, I would use Google Forms for homework or even better flipping the classroom. One can imagine giving students a short story or film to watch over the weekend, along with a Google Form to complete before class. If you select Responses on the Question box, there is a little green cross icon that creates a spreadsheet of the results. Instead of just going over homework, you're starting the discussion with their responses, which they've had time to formulate outside of class. If you have other ideas on how to use GF, please share!