Ep. 24: Google Forms Data with Heather Cacioppo

Today we chat with Heather from Full Sped Ahead all about using Google Forms for Data Collections? Got questions about using Forms? She has ALL the answers for you, so you don’t want to miss this one! 🙌🏼

Be sure to check out the digital data collection guide from Heather in the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook group!

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Transcript

Heather Cacioppo: even bringing it to IEP meetings, families were able to see it visually versus just like me explaining 30 percent of the time this happened. And they're like, I don't understand what that means,

Welcome to the Misfit Behaviorists Podcast. Join your hosts, Audra Jensen and Caitlin Beltran, here to bring you evidence based strategies with a student centered focus. Let's get started. 

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Audra Jensen: Hi, everybody. Welcome back to the Misfit Behaviorists. We are excited today. We have a guest on, super excited to talk about, but before we get to that, I just want to remind you to go to our Facebook group where you can gather all of our freebies and engage in our conversation. I also want to remind you today that you can always catch Caitlin at either BeltransBehaviorBasics.com or on TPT. And she really specializes in awesome stuff, especially digital data collection stuff over there. So if you're interested in data collection and digital stuff, she's got the goods for you. You can find me at abainschool.com, also on TPT. I have a lot of skill acquisition, early learning type of stuff.

So between those two, we'll get everything that you need. So, Caitlin, what are we doing today? 

Caitlin Jensen: So today we have Heather, also known as FullSpedAhead, if you've seen her on Instagram or Teachers Pay Teachers or on her blog. And I thought we would talk a little bit about data collection. But first, Heather, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you're currently working.

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah. Hi, everyone. Um, I am a special education teacher by nature. I spent eight years in the classroom in self contained classrooms, mostly with middle school and high school students. I think middle school was definitely my favorite. and, you know, after COVID kind of hit, I realized, something needed to change and I had completed my master's program and teacher leadership.

So decided to pursue that. I started off as an instructional coach at a private autism school and I've grown into a curriculum and assessment coordinator, at that school. And I'm going into my third year. 

Caitlin Jensen: That's awesome. That's such a cool like path that you took like a little bit of everything.

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, for sure. 

Caitlin Jensen: In your current role, what does that look like day to day for you? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, so it's a lot of bit of everything. so I get to support in classrooms and do some co teaching, giving suggestions, feedback on lessons, classroom structures. There is a mentorship program that my school does, so I support, some of that on the back end of helping teachers just be better teachers, and then I do everything curriculum and assessment related.

So if it's bringing in a new curriculum for our school or getting teachers to pilot a program so that we can try it, and assessments. So state assessments are a big undertaking, especially in the spring. So somebody kind of oversees that and that's my job. 

Caitlin Jensen: That's awesome that teachers have you as that support system because that's such a daunting process.

Um, speaking of assessments and data, what kind of data are you collecting in classrooms like day to day and what kind of tracking system are you using? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, so day to day, it's IEP goals, it's behavior, it's life skills based. So literally everything that the student does from transitioning to being able to make their own lunch.

We really do all the things and just track that progress. I would say probably not every single day. It's every little thing, but we do try to get as much data as possible. A lot of our data right now is paper data but I do have some teachers that are moving and transitioning to digital data.

Caitlin Jensen: Okay, so when you say digital data, I've seen some of your stuff. I know you're a Google Forms wizard and that is like really cool for me because I mostly work in Google Sheets and I love Google Sheets for a lot of reasons, but I do love Google Forms and I want to get better at it because it seems really user friendly. So is that how you kind of pitch this to your teachers to get some buy in from them? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, definitely. So it is Google form based, so you plug the questions in with the date and staff name, all of that information gets into a form, you fill it out, and then, yes, it does eventually go to a Google Sheet, and that's where you make all the fun charts and graphs.

Caitlin Jensen: That is the most fun part. So when you were thinking about plugging this into Google, and then, of course, it's storing it for you, are there any issues with confidentiality there? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, there can be but the way I like to work around that is either adding a password to your Google Form. So like the first layer that you have of protection is you have to sign in.

So you have to have access to be able to sign in. So it has to be a school email. The teacher needs to share that form with you. So that helps with the one layer of it. Then if you add a password to it, then the staff members that only have access to that password can get into that Google Form.

So it really does add another layer of protection there and so you can share it with your whole team of teachers or staff that you're working with, or just keep it really confidential of this is only for the classroom use. And I know sometimes we have sneaky students that, you know, catch a hold of it and you can change the password really quick.

Audra Jensen: I would think you'd also be able to use, can you use just initials for the student and some of those, you know, kind of even, you know, we used to have even code words, like a kid would be Mickey Mouse or something. So nobody would have any idea who it was if somebody saw it. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yes, code words for sure. I would say initials, you can still have. Yeah. Hold, for legal reasons and things like that. So we do try to stay away from that if it is. But then the other layer that you can add for protection is a QR code. So you can link your Google Form to a QR code and by scanning it with your phone or an iPad or whatever you're using, you can 

Audra Jensen: Can you explain what a QR code is?

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, so it's a like picture with a bunch of pixels on it. And it's in a certain way, that is linking basically to whatever you want it to link to. So it's a quick picture. I know lots of people have scanned them just with their camera app. But it is just kind of black and white boxes all over the place.

It doesn't really look like anything until you like scan it and see oh, this actually does take you somewhere. 

Caitlin Jensen: Now, when you have these QR codes in the classroom, how often are they taking the data from the principal paper sheet and putting that online? Is it like every day, once a week? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, so it's a mixture of both.

I have some classrooms that are using just digital, and that's how they track it is they pull up their classroom iPad, and it's got all of the students' goals bookmarked on the bookmarks page or the favorites page. So, it's a quick access that way. I have some classrooms that are taking the paper data throughout the day. And then at the end of the day or end of the week, the teacher will input that data. And so that it's still in the online system. 

Audra Jensen: Yeah, we used to do that. We'd do kind of a hybrid. We'd have everybody, they'd have all their data sheets and stuff. We'd collect them at the end of the day or the week, depending on which. And then we had a tech that was assigned the task of all plugging all those data in. So that was fun. 

Caitlin Jensen: And what I love about that, too, is just with anything in Google, once it's in, it's in. So, I mean, if you're old enough to remember, like, when we were putting it into Excel and, saving it on a flash drive or something.

And every once in a while, it would go corrupt or something. 

Audra Jensen: Or you forgot to save. You forget to save. And then you're like, I lost it all. It's gone. 

Caitlin Jensen: And I think with Google, it's pretty impossible to accidentally delete it. Although, I guess there's a way. 

Heather Cacioppo: Oh, there's always a way. But, you know, I always love it, too, that if it's inputted wrong for some reason, like maybe you did a typo and pressed submit too quick, you can go into the Google Sheet once it's completed and make that change. Or you can just put in a new submission and then delete the bad one. 

Caitlin Jensen: Okay, so those are two good options. And when you say, so you have your data in the Google form, and then you've linked it to the Google Sheet, can you share those two things separately with separate groups? Like maybe I'm thinking like a parent versus like a tech.

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, for sure. so like typically I would give a classroom staff access to view the form, but not edit the form. So that's also another option. But then yes, once you are on the back end of it, looking at the data, you can share that with families, a psychologist, the classroom team, if that's really important to them.

So I know some families really want, weekly data and they want to send that home. Like, it's a quick, print, go off, and there you, you have it right in front of you. Even the graphs are pretty quick to make as well. Once you kind of get your process of, I need a bar graph or I need, you know, line graph, whatever it is that you're looking for, you can really plug and chug and it's super quick.

Audra Jensen: The visual data and stuff is especially good when you're creating an FBA or a BIP. And have that visual piece that goes into your form that goes with the student and the team. Have that visually done is so easy and so easy to do when you're using some of these Google applications. It's just, you know, you plug in the data and it generates it so easily.

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, I found that same thing, even bringing it to IEP meetings, families were able to see it visually versus just like me explaining 30 percent of the time this happened. And they're like, I don't understand what that means, but then I can say oh, it happened in science, it happened again at lunch, it happened and there's other information that could be totally given to families.

Caitlin Jensen: Oh, that's cool. And so, I imagine that once you create a template for you're talking about behavior data or skill acquisition data, you can then just kind of duplicate that and save so much time on the backend. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yes, totally. So like having templates already made of if you really want to track like, One to one correspondence or something of that sort, like you can already have that form created, or yes, if it is a behavior, an antecedent behavior consequence type of form, like that can already be created, and then you just duplicate for whatever student you're tracking it for.

And it's really simple to just you said, throw in a student's name, a student's initials, whatever you're doing, and really just track it from there. 

Audra Jensen: How have you found training going with some of the paras, maybe especially paras who aren't used to using digital data? How does that go? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, I think it's good, except for some para professionals are really, not tech savvy, and they just are afraid they're going to break something, which is totally fine.

So, I've had para professionals in the past that have I've taken it on paper and I've just inputted it later on. And that's totally fine too. But yes, the training process, you do need to sit down and walk through, especially if you're having a QR code and a password and other information that you like do need to share with them.

But for the most part. Google Forms can be really straightforward in like date, staff name, collecting the data, if you're collecting it in a certain class, or if you're collecting it a certain time period, if that's what you need to put in,and every form that I try to make is usually more of like a checkbox or a multiple choice, so it's pretty straightforward and can't really make too many errors.

The more errors I've seen is in like fill in the blank type answers where it's like, Oh, I need you to put in some information. Some will put 40 percent in with a percent sign, and some will put 40 percent with the word percent, and some will just put 40. And so, like, when you put it in the Google, sheet then, it looks a little wonky, and you have to do a little bit of tweaking of, okay, I want all of it just to be the number.

So if you want to train your staff of saying, you just put the number in there, you don't put, like, percent or the word or whatever you need in there. 

Audra Jensen: How do you use, Google Forms that I haven't used in this way to do, interval recording? You have different ways to do like partial interval, whole interval. How do you do that in Google Form? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, so you can do like a start and stop time if that's something that you need to track in there. There's times that you can put in there, or did the behavior occur? Yes, no, you know, in that certain situation. And so again, it can be a fill in the blank if you'd rather have it that way. So there's a couple different ways that you can do it. 

Caitlin Jensen: When you are having staff enter their, say, scan the QR code, are they using their own device or do you have shared tablets that can help with this? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, I would say it really depends on what your district's requirements are and expectations. So before I implemented it when I was a teacher, I did ask is this something that we are allowed to do on our personal phones? Because again, like student confidentiality is super important. and so some classrooms and some schools might say no, we want you to only use school issued devices, which is totally fine.

So then continue to advocate for yourself for an extra iPad for the classroom. So I know some classrooms that I'm currently working with, they have specific data iPads for the classroom. It's not for student leisure. It's not for, academics. It is specifically for data. 

Caitlin Jensen: That makes sense. I feel like those iPads get Broken a lot less than the other iPads that the students are using.

Heather Cacioppo: For sure. 

Caitlin Jensen: Because they're durable, but not as durable as you would think. my own son's tablet cracked for the second time this month.So have you gotten any pushback from teachers who are like, I love this, but I'm just not interested. And that's when you're just kind of logging it on the backend.

Yeah, I would say it's still like somewhat of an initiative to move forward more digitally. and it definitely is a preference. I haven't forced anybody to do it because it is, it's an undertaking of understanding, sometimes technology doesn't work. Sometimes iPads aren't charged. things happen that, it just can't happen.

And if you have a teacher that's not very organized, sometimes that's really hard of, like, I have to keep track of all these papers to then input later. Or, you know, I have to remember to bring the classroom iPad with me. So there's lots of different layers of why it might work for some teachers and why it might not.

Yeah, I think it's cool that you're offering them choices and saying it's here if you feel comfortable with it and I'm here to support you. But it also seems like such a great tool that like you said, they can track it and you could take probably, you could probably do it in your sleep at this point cause you're so proficient with it. And then it's still there online for everyone to see. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, for sure.

Audra Jensen: So I've got another question for you. What if you have a student who has, you know, eloped out of the area, or there's a certain situation where you feel like you need to take data, but it's not, it's not regular, you know? So what do you do in those situations? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, even unsafe situations I feel like sometimes happen too where you're like, I can't bring out an iPad or iPhone right now. but I need to track this data. So yes, I would say paper copies are always your best friend. clipboards by the door with either just pieces of paper or data sheets just blank, ready to go.

That's always really probably the best way to do it is, like, you can be more discreet about holding a clipboard or a piece of paper versus, you know, a classroom iPad walking around with it, to track data, either if it's behavior or whatnot. And same thing with, a student who's quickly left the classroom.

There's a, a data sheet clipboard right by the door. I'm just gonna grab it on my way out, to even just, make tallies or do what you need to do, because we know sometimes those moments get a little bit wild. So data is, great, whenever you can take it, however you can take it. seriously.

Audra Jensen: And have you had any students who perseverate on technology and see those pieces of technology as theirs, you know? 

Heather Cacioppo: Yes. For sure. And then you become the target and potentially in unsafe situations. So yeah, for sure. It can definitely lead to more unwanted behaviors. 

Audra Jensen: I guess it just comes down to thinking about each situation individually, and this particular student and this data.

Does this system work for the student? Does this system work better? Also thinking like we talked about with the teachers that you're involved with, with the paras you're involved with. So any situation kind of individualizing it just for that situation. We've had plenty of times where we've had some of both, you know, just even in one class, you could have some that this really needs to be paper data.

This one works really well with inputting. So, you know, kind of being flexible in that way. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, and I've even done that year to year and said oh, this year, it works, the students I have, it really works in, they don't really seem to notice the iPad too much when I'm working on it, and others, if I'm doing a small group and trying to take some data and I have an iPad in front of me and they're all right in front of me, they're like, wait, no, hold on, and so, I've done it where some years it's paper and I just put it in later, and just how it goes, it depends on, really, your students and what's going on.

Caitlin Jensen: I love the idea of just keeping a clipboard by the door with, generic data sheets. And we always get that.I'm picturing it labeled, for emergency use only or something. but, because we all, think it's going to be, you know, well, jot it down on a post it, but then, you know, you lose the post it or it's in the trash before you know it.

So just having an actual bank of, general, principal, old school data sheets, that's so handy. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, and even it doesn't have to be a data sheet, just pieces of paper sometimes is super helpful of like, all right, I need to write down the scenario that is happening, like antecedents, behaviors, you know, what happened before all these situations.

And so, especially if you need to fill out a behavior report at the end, sometimes it's really helpful to take notes at 9. 06 this happened, 9. 10 this happened, which maybe you not be, you won't be able to type on an iPad as fast, but you can take quick notes. At least to kind of get you started. 

Caitlin Jensen: Right. And it's funny, like I feel like back in the day you wouldn't think it'd be that hard to find a piece of paper, but nowadays everything is online. So classrooms are not, it's not like notebooks are just like flowing around, especially in some of our types of classroom settings. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yes, definitely. 

Caitlin Jensen: So, Heather, where can people find you to learn more about using Google Forms or maybe find a Google Form that they can start testing out with their classroom?

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, for sure. so, the best place to find me is at FullSpedAhead.com. And I do have a digital data collection mini course that kind of walks you through step by step how to set up your Google Forms if that's the way you want to go. But also that's not for everybody and I understand that. So, I do have some templates in my Teachers Pay Teachers store as well.

Caitlin Jensen: Oh, that's awesome. I love that you offer both. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, it is. And I do have a, just a free guide as well. If teachers just want the guide to set them up, versus, you know, buying anything, I totally get that. Teachers are always on a budget. So, I do have a free guide that I can send you as well. 

Audra Jensen: Very great. Maybe we could put that into our Facebook group. 

Caitlin Jensen: Awesome. We will put the guide in the Facebook group and then if people like it and they want to learn more and they want to revamp their classroom system to model yours, I'm sure they'll check out the course as well. 

Heather Cacioppo: Yeah, that'd be awesome.

Audra Jensen: Thank you so much for joining us today. I believe next week we are talking about some task analysis creations, so we will be doing that. So join us next week. Don't forget to check us out on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts, all the places. And go look in the Facebook group, Caitlin will post that free, what was it again?

Heather Cacioppo: Digital data collection guide. 

Audra Jensen: Digital data collection guide. So you will see that there. And we will see you next week. 

Thanks for listening to the Misfit Behaviorists. And be sure to tune in next week for more tips and tricks. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.