On April 7, Google announced an addition to Google Classroom—a new polling feature that offers users the ability to gather feedback or conduct "checks for understanding."
To celebrate the launch, Google published an announcement with four teacher-sourced ideas for using the feature in instruction. For example, Heidi Bernasconi of Clarkstown North High School in New York uses polling to help "guide a career discussion with her students." She explains:
“I wanted to discuss skills and qualities employers are looking for from graduates. I kicked off the discussion with a poll, which led us to review a Forbes article. I allowed students to see each others’ posts so they could get a feel for what others felt was important.”
Another teacher, Mike Fricano, uses the polling features in Make It 101—a makerspace course. The Hawaii high school teacher encouraged students to use the polling feature to track whether they were on target for meeting a project deadline. “When I sent out this poll, I could see who was on schedule and who was at risk of missing their deadline," he says. Fricano was then able to see which students were "way off track," and respond accordingly: "I met with them to help them get back on schedule. I will continue to use multiple choice polls like this to check in on deadlines and gauge interest in future projects.”
For more examples of how to use Google Classroom's polling feature, check out the Google for Education blogpost.
