Forms for Art Teachers

In my last post I talked about all the amazing things that forms can do for everyone, but I started thinking about how can I use this for my classroom. I started wondering how would using some of these new techs look in the art room? Ultimately, what I found was that I what I have constructed is making my life as an art teacher so much easier. I am going to admit that I am little obsessed with Add-ons right now and specifically Autocrat.

1. Supply List

One of my biggest struggles is ordering supplies. While I love getting supplies in. I hate making that yearly supply list. I dread having to do this. I dread it so much that I actually put it off until I'm desperate for the items. The worst part is that I will make list after list of items and then lose those lists. Then I find that I've forgotten to order the blue watercolor paint. So I created a form to help me with this exact problem. It is a pretty simple form, I put in which item I need, the item number, and the quantity needed. Since I have my phone often nearby I put the link on it so I can fill it out, right away. I can then use EZQuery to sort the information. 

After trying this for a few weeks, I am realizing that finding the item number while putting away stuff is a huge pain in the butt. I have found I skip that question and have continued using the item and quantity needed. 

2. Project Organization

Each year I try to organize all my art projects, lesson plans, presentations, etc, etc. Unfortunately, I have things scattered between handwritten notes, photos on my phone, links on Pintrest page, and everywhere in between. I have tried linking them together. I've tried linking my presentations with my documents, but that has never actually come together. Plus, that takes so long. This year, I created a google form. In my form, I choose, grade level, semester, skills assessed, target goals, resources, and then my final reflection. As I type this, I am thinking about adding in Common Core Standards. This form is linked to my ipad/desktop, so that as soon as I finish a project I can fill out the form and add it to my digital portfolio and I print a copy for my binder.

Not only did I create a form but I also linked the Form spreadsheet using Autocrat and it now auto-fills a document for me. Basically, Autocrat creates my lesson plan. Which is spectacular because in my district we have to provide a lesson plan and a reflection to our administrator for our observations.With this one form, I have actually completed my requirement for planning and reflection.

3. Student Reflections

Finally, I recreated my student reflection and turn that into a form / auto-filled handout. Right now, the lack of printers in my school makes it hard for us to print out the final reflection. I love the idea but getting the reflections too my student's hands seems more difficult. While Autocrat will send me these forms, having to print all 350 is tedious and just silly. I want the students to have them and look at them. I think that in the future, when I move more into Google Classroom I will link this and have the students fill it out that way.