STOP! Before you do anything else, make sure have an app on your teacher iPad that will read QR codes. There are several free ones. Lately, I've been using i-nigma, and it seems to work pretty well. Feel free to start with it, or try another like QR Reader or Quickmark.
What is a QR code?
A QR code, or quick response code, is a much more sophisticated version of the barcode on your favorite candy bar. QR Codes are popping up everywhere and becoming a popular tool in education - especially at the primary level. So, I have spent the last week doing a little digging about QR codes and trying to find some resources so you can get started using them...
What can QR codes do?
A QR code creates a link between the code and some other bit of information. Typically in the primary classroom, teachers use them to either make a lesson more interactive or to take kids straight to a website without the hassle of typing in a long URL address.
Try it out!
Use the app that you downloaded and scan the code below. Every app is a little different so you might have to click around to find the scanner. The i-nigma app opens straight to it. Once you scan the code, the web address will show on the screen. Click on "Go Online" and it will take you to a website that I found that has QR code resources.
Some teachers create a ring of QR codes for students to use with their iPads to take them straight to websites that they want their students to use.
How do I create a QR code?
There are apps that will let you create QR codes from your ipad, but I find it easiest to create them on my desktop using qrstuff.com. Click here for a short video showing you how to use the website to create a QR code.
What else could we use QR codes for?
There are lots of ideas on the web for using QR codes in the classroom. If you are a Teachers Pay Teachers user, you should be able to find several resources ready to print and use. Click on the link below to see some examples that I've found. After you click on the link, the first three are samples of ideas you can buy on Teachers Pay Teachers or create yourself. The last link is a PowerPoint with other QR code ideas.
Your Turn!
Using the "How do I create a QR code" section above, create your own QR code. You do NOT have to create an elaborate center like the examples above...although you can if you want! Yours can simply be a QR code that links to a website that you use with your students. Share the QR code with the rest of us in resources. The easiest way to do that is to copy the code and paste it into a Word document. Then upload the word document to our group's resources like you did the last time. Click here for a video demonstration of the process from start to finish.
NOTE: If you choose at some point to make QR codes for your kids that link to videos, we are going to need to put those videos into MBC first. Our filter will not let kids access YouTube videos straight from YouTube. They can, however, watch the same video through a MBC link. I can help you get that going if you would like me to. For instance, it would be great if we could create a large bank of videos like this in MBC...
Kids can scan the code and watch a video of the book being read.
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