Have you heard the saying, “If it’s too good to be true there must be a catch?” A couple of months ago I shared how easy it is to create online Quizzes using ProProfs QuizSchool. Imagine how thrilled I was to learn that ProProfs has now added a new function to their already outstanding academic line of FREE applications.

Some of the the things I really appreciate about this polling application…

• The product is user-friendly and intuitive to use.
• Polls can be customized using text, photographs, and/or videos uploaded from your computer or obtained via the web.
• Feedback & commentary is optional, but can be used to develop a dialog between poll creators and readers (teachers and students)
• It is very easy to establish a closing date for a poll.
• You have an option to block repeat voters with a cookie (in some schools this could be a problem…you may want to opt out of this option…check with your network manager before you publish a poll, particularly if the poll is an important one).
• Polls can be posted as public or private.
• Polls can be posted to a website, blog or social network and can be customized to match the theme of a site or blog.
• Votes can be visualized using Google Maps.
• Analytics are outstanding…votes can be analyzed right down to the last vote.
• There is not limit regarding the number of people who can vote.

ProProfs Polls is simply an outstanding educational (or business) application. I’ll be darned if I could figure out what the catch is! The developers at ProProfs do an outstanding job developing products that are robust and user friendly.

Here are a few school-related ideas for implementing polls…

• Poll students regarding preferences (Prom themes, funniest classmate, class officers, favorite library book, etc.)
• Pre-assess foundation understanding of a concept (what are the preconceptions or biases that might be present)
• Use polls to help make predictions (hypothesis)
• Use polls for marketing research prior to selecting a fundraiser
• Use a poll to create an awareness of an issue
• Engage readers as they take a poll to predict what will happen later in a story.
• Use polls to start a discussion
• Use polls for student or parent feedback regarding a school event or initiative.
• Conduct surveys that can be used in statistics classes.
• Etc….etc….etc…

Take the poll below to get a feel for what an embedded poll from ProProfs looks like. Then, go to the site and set up an account so you can start to create polls of your own!