Various Ways to Gather Input

I'm back!  The year got away from me, just as I had feared it would.  I learned a lot last year, and I hope to be able to find ways to share some of what I've learned in new ways.

Lately I have been researching ways to gather input during a learning experience. I'm leaving this broad because I want to include professional learning for teachers as well as models for teachers to use with students. Below are some of the main options I've found outside of standard places like Poll Everywhere, and I would love to hear your input and suggestions!

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Dot Voting - Dot voting presents participants the chance to vote anonymously on a particular topic. Unlike some other tools, Dot Voting gives participants a certain number of dots. The creator of  the dot vote determines the number of dots. The participant can administer the dots in a variety of ways, making it possible to show preferences by giving one option more dots than another. To try Dot Voting, click here to place dots about professional learning.

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Answer Garden - Answer Garden provides participants the opportunity to answer an open-ended question. All answer choices will be placed within the answer cloud below the question. In a format similar to Wordle, Answer Garden will enlarge the answer choices that become more and more popular.  In the example here, more respondents chose Twitter, so Twitter becomes bolder and larger with each entry. Answers are anonymous, and the Answer Garden question can be embedded into other sites easily. 

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 Tricider - Tricider also provides participants the opportunity t vote on and share ideas. Tricider this example, I entered pros and cons about my choice for a resource.
stands out from the other two in its ability to let participants weigh pros and cons, vote, and enter an open-ended response. Tricider also provides room to explain an idea and add an image. Unlike the above choices, Tricider is not anonymous. In