App+14+AnswerGarden



=AnswerGarden is a minimal feedback tool. Ask a question and watch the word cloud grow as learners respond.=

The more frequently a word is used, the larger it grows in the word cloud. This is ideal for getting brief feedback from your learners. If you're after lengthy in-depth responses, you'd choose a different app.

Learners don't need a login to respond, and you don't need a password to create an AnswerGarden either. Having said that, if you do create a password (which is free), you'll be able to edit your AnswerGarden later. This includes switching it to locked mode when the activity has finished and you don't want any new responses to be added.

There are four different modes to choose from, and if you've created a password you can switch between these. The default is classroom mode, where learners can submit as many answers as they like, but can only submit each answer once. To find out about the other three modes, take a look at About AnswerGarden.

Responses can be between 20 and 40 characters. 20 is the default.

Try out this sample AnswerGarden. You can type in your own answer in the answer field, or click on an existing answer. Press Submit to add your answer to the word cloud. media type="custom" key="28689520"

Can AnswerGarden replace or amplify the learner experience?
Replacement As a poll it can be used to quickly ascertain the opinion of the learners about something. This could also be achieved through a discussion forum, although the visual style of AnswerGarden makes it easier to get a quick overview of responses.

Perhaps you want to create an icebreaker activity where you ask the question “What’s the first thing you think of when you hear XYZ?”. Unlike with a discussion, we have a clear visual representation of the popularity of responses.

How about using it to demonstrate how people's ideas are similar or vary a lot. This could be achieved through a discussion forum, however the visual representation of responses makes AnswerGarden clearer.

Finally, give your students the opportunity to feedback about topics that they need more support on.

Amplification The lecturer could use this as a brainstorming tool to 'ask the audience'. For example if the lecturer has a key point that the cohort need to grasp, they could ask the question and the learners could look to see what the strongest response would be.

It can be used to gauge the cohorts reaction to an image or quote. Perhaps you have been discussing businesses in the public sphere and the privacy of individuals. AnswerGarden could be used to capture the reaction of learners to the image of a burqa when considering the surveillance of our bodily selves and our digital selves.

Here's an example from a leadership course. Learners are asked to list the values of someone they admire. Using AnswerGarden they can see which values were most admired by their cohort. This could be followed up with a prompt to think about what values aren’t there, using the submit text or discussion activity.

How about learners using AnswerGarden to build up a vocabulary through a course. At certain points they are prompted to add this vocabulary to their AnswerGarden. Learners can share their AnswerGarden through the forums.

Now challenge yourself

 * 1) Decide on a question or topic for your AnswerGarden. Good questions to ask are open ones that require a one word answer, where the respondent may have more than one answer. For example "What native trees, ferns and flowing plants are found only in New Zealand?".
 * 2) Create an AnswerGarden. Set a password if you want to be able to edit your AnswerGarden in the future.
 * 3) Share your AnswerGarden with your colleagues using the embed link that appears under the Embed button at the bottom of your AnswerGarden.