This was a great assignment.  I had been wanting to explore Google Forms for a while and this assignment provided the perfect opportunity.  Thank you teaching staff!

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First I had to get to Google forms.  It wasn't readily apparent in the G-Suite on my lap top so I actually googled it (ironic, huh?) and found it that way:

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https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/forms/get-started/

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I really wanted to learn how to make a branching scenario using Google Docs.  I like Google Docs for the accessibility features already included such as the text reader and hover text.  Universal design is on my consciousness in all my design decisions, not simply because it is required at my college but also because it is a good thing to do in my ongoing efforts to be a good instructor and human.  Additionally, I appreciated being able to easily add video and images as these make the learning inherently more interesting.  Finally, this is a free tool, another great reason to use it for practice.  

 

The example I created for this project is pretty simplistic but now that I've started, I can think of many engaging learning scenarios that could benefit from a more complex "Choose Your Own Adventure" type format.  For instance, what if an art history professor used it to walk students through a museum solving an art heist.  Each painting would provide a clue as to what room to visit next to ultimately catch the criminals.  A physics instructor could break down a multi step  problem to determine the projectile of a rocket.  Students would have to think carefully about each step to choose the correct "branch"  in order to make it to the end of the problem and orbit rather than explosion.  

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So I made it to Google Forms and it was pretty user friendly from there.  I wrote in my title and added an image.  The button to add hover text was right there imploring me to add alt text to my image so it seemed to be just a built in part of the process.  When it came to adding the question and the multiple choice answers, I wanted to make sure I got off on the right foot so I did seek out an outside tutorial, a helpful YouTube which can be viewed here:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=culjr3SB7rA 

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After my question and answer choices were added I had to make it so that each selection the learner made would send them to a new page.  This was accomplished by using the "Go to section based on answer" tab.  Of course, first, I had to create the new sections, one for each answer so that students would be sent to a specific place based on the answer they chose.  Forms asked me where I wanted them sent after they answered incorrectly and for this exercise I had them sent back to the start.  Later, I would like to explore a little further and create new branches (sections) and let them wander down their chosen path for a while.  I placed a comment and either an image or video in each section they could choose.  If they get the correct answer, only then are they allowed to hit the "submit" button and earn their point.

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Androgogy was the main driving factor here.  Yes, this was an assignment for our class but I was very motivated to learn this new skill anyway.  In work life I have some specific course objectives I'd like to meet using branching scenarios of this sort so it was immediately applicable.  I liked that I could pick it up or drop it as my schedule permitted.  I ended up working on it a little at a time over two days.  You wouldn't guess it given how miniscule it is but that's the truth.  I guess I was microlearning my microlearning!  Small chunks were definitely easier for me to deal with.

I worked with Constructivism employing the "Knowledgeable Other", my wonderful YouTube tutor.  It was very helpful to watch her first and then try it on my own.  I also relied on my experience of building quizzes in the past and was able to scaffold that by taking it to the next level.  There is some overlap here with Connectivism in the sharing of online resources and I am heavy into Cognitivism as I reflect and write this entry.  Less used was Behaviorism though I think that would come in to play later as Google Forms tallies the responses and gives feedback to the instructor on how students answer each question.  A poor response rate would stimulate me to rework the question.  

 

Overall, it seems there was good synergy with many of the theories I've been studying lately. And here is one of the main themes of this class, the weaving of theories that serve as a strong and steady background drone to the more light and lilting notes of engaging learning.

 

Please try out my demo below!