Application and Features

Typeform is a blend of Google Forms and interactive infographics like what you see on Canva.com. You can create surveys, forms, tests, polls, feedbacks, applications, and more. The transitions and animations blend in what you might be used to with Google Slides so that whatever the product, users are engaged throughout the experience. The results from the creation can be easily organized through Google Sheets and other applications. They offer a wealth of templates to use, or you can create your form from scratch. Typeform has also added products such as Videoask and Chat (a chatbot) as other solutions. Their idea is to collect information in a personalized, conversational way so that participants feel like they are having a real conversation rather than simply filling out one more basic form.

Integration Model

The Technology Integration Matrix is similar to the SAMR model in that there are multiple categories and levels for students to move through as it relates to enhancing learning through technology. The five categories are active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-directed. In each of these five categories, they can move through the levels of entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation. This category encourages students to actively use the technology rather than passively receive information from the technology. The technology should be used in a collaborative nature rather than as a stand-alone application. Similarly to the active level, students should be constructing new knowledge through the technology. The assignments should be contextualized, relevant, and authentic to connections outside of the classroom. Finally, students should be reflecting and assessing themselves throughout the process so that it aligns to their goal-directed measurable outcomes. Moving from the levels of entry to transformation requires more student choice, less teacher direction, and higher-order learning skills.

Technology Integration Matrix and Typeform

Typeform could be used in conjunction with the Technology Integration Matrix with the following ideas for instruction:

• Active: Because students are inputting information into the form, they are active in its use, but it would likely fall in the entry or adoption levels. Students could complete a quiz on this, for example, and choose how to complete it and therefore have more autonomy; however, they are not using the tool to create anything new (unless each student purchases a student plan which would get very costly, very quickly).
• Collaborative: If a Typeform was used for an activity like an escape room, where students have to work together to solve clues before moving on to another part of the form, that would be a great opportunity to fall in the infusion and transformation levels. In addition, students could work together to create interactive forms or quizzes for other students to take.
• Constructive: We do a unit on rhetorical appeals, and students have the opportunity to sell something. We could do a Shark Tank style activity in which students create something to sell and then survey the “Sharks” (the students) through a Typeform they create.
• Authentic: In our argumentative unit, students have to write a persuasive letter to a change-maker and argue why something should be changed. To collect authentic results, students could design and send out a Typeform to collect evidence and data for their letter.
• Goal-directed: Because students can download and organize results, students could set goals on how many responses they receive to a form. Students could choose how to process and reflect on these results to set more goals.

Typeform has a lot of great features for students to engage with, and the aesthetic value is very appealing.

Personal Use

I love using Google Forms to collect information that can be easily downloaded and organized; however, sometimes, Google Forms is limited in their presentation. While you can add visuals to spruce it up and change the background colors, you cannot change the fonts or add interactive materials. This is where I think Typeform could truly make a difference.  I could use these surveys for parental input, mental health check-ins with students, forms for learning needs, and more. The templates would be such a time-saving tool for me, especially this year when we are so inundated with daily tasks.

Because of the interactive nature, I could see this being so fun to use in mystery units and breakout room-style reviews. The way the words float onto the screen make it seem magical and intuitive, and I could see it being a great hook for student engagement.

The Videoask option is a fantastic tool for differentiation. Students can watch a video and choose how they want to respond to questions: through video, audio, or text. I’d love to explore that in an online audiobook video with comprehension questions built in. Students might feel more confident answering questions in certain manners, and it would also help provide equitable access for expression.

Limitations

Typeform has a free trial option, but it’s very limited in scope. Although you can create unlimited Typeforms, you can only have 10 questions per Typeform and receive only 10 responses per month. Immediately, that makes it inaccessible for classroom use because even our smallest classrooms are larger than 10 students. They do have a teacher price discount, and signing up for a yearly subscription saves even more. Teachers receive a 25% discount on monthly plans and a 40% discount on yearly plans. The cheapest plan starts at $25 per month before a discount, but that only allows for 100 responses a month. Overall, this limitation is difficult for a teacher to work with, especially with Google Forms, the competitor, available for free with unlimited responses.