Betterme.com is a Web 2.0 tool that allows anonymous feedback to be given. This tool can be used to get honest opinions from students or co-workers without them feeling like they will be scrutinized because of their opinion.
Betterme.com is very simple to use. You can give feedback, get feedback, or ask for feedback by simply filling out the forms under each category. Once the form as been completed, it is submitted via email to your intended audience. After the feedback has been submitted, a rating is given to the person who asked for feedback. This rating helps to identify the usefulness or ineffectiveness of what was being given feedback.
Perhaps the one thing I do not like about betterme.com is the delivery method. When asking for feedback, you are asked to submit email addresses to deliver the feedback form. I would prefer this form generates a link that could then posted on a website, or emailed out to people. Having to import individual emails addresses seems a bit primitive in a web 2.0 tool.
This tool could be very beneficial for my AR project if my surveys don’t get the results I am looking for. I could use this as a supplemental way to measure the successfulness of the video messages we are implementing as a form of communication. I am very interested to see the feedback that we will get using video messages as new forms of communication. We have too many people that will be viewing the video messages to get individual responses, so a tool like betterme.com could be just what we are looking for.
Oh, I think I like this idea better than just a general survey. It would be nice to have a place the kids in class could go and give feed back about the lessons they are working on. Then they could leave suggestions that might make the lesson better and I would know what wasn't working in the lesson. It seems like it would be a good tool to use with parent communication too.
ReplyDeleteGreat tool!
ReplyDeleteIt could also be used to teach students how to give constructive feedback. When working with blog postings, one thing I find is that many students do not know how to articulate their suggestions in a gentle way that clearly communicates the useful feedback. Also, it tends to be generic. Perhaps an anonymous forum like this would give them the safety they need to practice providing feedback.
While most colleges have their own anonymous feedback assessments of the college courses and instructors. This could be used for instructor use to gain feedback from students.
ReplyDeleteStudents could also use this format when they have to provide constructive feedback in an online or hybrid course around critiquing each others work or within in a team based project; based on each team players contributions to the project.
Jeffrey, thank you for your review of BetterMe. I have seen numerous Web 2.0 feedback tools in my searches. I am glad to see your comment about the primitive delivery method. That would be a concern for me as well. It just goes to show that just because it is posted somewhere, like Go2Web20.com, does not mean it is a good tool or that there are not better ones out there.
ReplyDeleteI have looked at several of these tools and have yet to find one the provides enough positives to gloss over the weaknesses. For me the usage of a tool like this would be two-fold. First as a graphic designer and working with clients and needing feedback on progress of a project, sometimes several peoples input is needed. Secondly, for my AR it would be more beneficial to get comments and input, rather than simply checking a box on a survey.
This looks like a good tool. Feedback is so important positive and negative and if this can help in AR or other projects I think you have a good choice here. The problem of having to load in emails is pretty web 1.0, but no tool is perfect. Good choice will check it out further.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeffery,
ReplyDeleteI'm head of products at BetterMe. Thanks for the write-up!
We love feedback from our users; many of the enhancements we've made to the site have been in response to requests from users. I've circulated all of the comments from you and your readers to the team. We're delighted that educators are finding value in our tools.
Please feel free to get in touch any time via email or BetterMe feedback: reed@betterme.com
Best,
Reed Kavner
Director, Product Betterment
BetterMe