AnswerGarden is an interesting site which you can use for collecting short pieces of data from your class, blog readers or from anyone with an internet connection.
You simply set up an answergarden page by asking a question. Visitors to that page can then enter a short (20 characters) response – which are then displayed on the page below the question. Admin tools let you limit how many posts can be made from any ip address at a time, and an admin password can be set up if you want to.
For an example, take a look at http://answergarden.ch/view/20438
This would be good for brainstorming in a class, collecting words for different themes for creative writing, or simple data collection. You could also use it for quick feedback on a session. You can’t write a lot, so answers need to be short – it wouldn’t be possible to collect things like weblinks via this site.
You can share your page via a link, automatically share on Twitter and Facebook or get an embed code to share on you rblog or VLE. The site will even generate a QR code for you which users can scan with their phones.
When you’ve finished, the collected words can be exported to wordle or tagxedo to create a wordcloud – a great idea.
Thanks to Chris Mason (@57Mason) for sharing this via Twitter during #asechat
It’s definitely an interesting site, and could be a useful alternative to sites like WallWisher if you just want something quick. And even better, it’s totally free!
Check it out at : http://answergarden.ch/
