If you don't know, QR Codes are machine-readable codes that consist of several black and white squares. They can be found in so many places, but they're most often used for advertising. They are typically used to store URLs or other information, so they're a great way to easily access a website without having to type it all in. By just scanning the code, you're directly routed to the link, making it easy for teacher's to streamline and control Internet usage. That being said, to use them successfully, you have to have the right tools.
Back in the day, I remember classmates of mine would have Blackberrys, which included BBM (Blackberry Messenger). To add a friend on BBM, you simply scanned their personal QR Code with your phone. This was unprecedented and really awesome to me as a seventh grader. Now, almost eight years later, this capability has spread to almost all smartphone and tablet devices thanks to applications. To be capable of scanning a QR Code, all you have to do is download an app from your device's app store, and you're off!
I chose to download the application Qrafter. This is a unique QR code app, which includes both scanning and creating capabilities. This is great, especially in a classroom, because everything is in one place. Not only can students scan QR codes, but they can also create them if need be. Upon investigation, it felt like Qrafter was the most sophisticated of them all. I enjoyed the fact that although there were ads, they were limited and—most importantly—genuinely appropriate. This puts teachers and parents at ease, especially if students are using iPads or other devices at a young age.
To scan the code, simply open the app and ensure that you are in the "Scan" mode by checking that "Scan" is highlighted on the bottom of the screen. Click on "Scan with Camera" and hover your device's camera over the code. The app will quickly recognize the code and take you to a screen that gives you several options. You can do a variety of things with the information you receive from the code, including opening the link in a browser, sharing the link on Facebook or Twitter, copying the link to your clipboard, or sending it by Email.
If you're in a technologically advanced school, these codes can be easily incorporated into lessons, making them fun and interesting. So you may be asking, "How do I make a QR code?" Making the codes is just as simple as scanning them. Like the scanning app, there are so many different resources that make unique and customizable codes for free. Because Qrafter comes with a built in QR code creator, it made creating my codes really easy. By clicking on "Create" at the bottom of the screen, you can create a code that directs users to a URL, a location, a contact card, an calendar event, a phone call, text message, email, or tweet. I chose for my QR codes to direct users to a URL, so I selected that option.
After selecting "URL," you're directed to a page in which you can enter your desired URL. Once you've done that, the app does its magic and you can preview the QR code to make sure the link it follows is correct. The code can be saved as a photo, or shared to several forms of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
For my lesson plan using QR Codes, I decided to focus on the North Carolina Essential State Standard 2.L.1.2. This states that second grade students should be able to compare life cycles of different animals such as, but not limited to, mealworms, ladybugs, crickets, guppies or frogs. To do this, I've created several QR codes that quickly and easily direct students to
information about the life cycles of frogs and ladybugs. The codes direct students to all kinds of resources, but mainly YouTube videos and websites with clear information.
First, I will give a short lecture on the life cycles of animals in order to explain that different animals spend varying amounts of time in each stage of life—birth, developing into an adult, reproducing, and death. After my lecture, students will break into groups to fill out their worksheets. To prepare for this, I will have to laminate the QR codes and post them around the classroom in advance. If you do not have access to a laminating machine, hard cardstock and sturdy tape will do just fine!
Students will walk around the classroom, scanning codes with their devices and filling in the worksheet seen on the right. There are prompts so that they do not get confused or lost.
Once all of the information has been collected, students will discuss the similarities and differences between the life cycles of frogs and lady bugs with their groups. To solidify their comparison skills and meet the requirements of the standard, they will complete a Venn diagram on the life cycles of each of the animals.
To close the lesson, the groups will share two similarities and two differences that they found. For homework, students will have to so a similar activity, but with a few tweaks and different animals.
This isn't the only way that QR codes can be used in a classroom, though. In thinking about this project, I came up with a bunch of ways that teachers can incorporate them into lessons. One of these was using the codes to practice sight words with lower elementary students. The QR code and a picture of a sight word would be posted somewhere in the classroom and students would be required to scan the codes and write down the proper spelling of the word on a worksheet. Pinterest has a lot of other great ideas, some which incorporate utilizing the codes to help confirm solutions to math problems. Others were scavenger hunts for clues into the past.
The only issue that I found when working on my lesson was that some websites didn't properly load on my iPhone or iPad, but worked well on my computer. Unfortunately, a lot of the games and valuable websites that I wanted to include were not accessible with a QR code, simply because they won't load on those devices. This forced me to think of other websites and ideas that would both engage and teach the students what they needed to know.
Overall, though, I thought this project was incredibly cool! I can't wait to think up new ways to fit these codes into my lesson plans. I'll admit that it's a little difficult at first, but there is definitely a place for them in our classrooms, especially since it makes it so easy to keep students on track.
References
[Girl using iPad] Retrieved March 7, 2015, from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a4RkFq1EyIEHqcsZvBnZcwVTQG75zEaaW0l-nycHMn1yp019-ec4cwhiQEH475-F7yMfh8P28Atk0pBHyoK7FJC1cyNDfbP3kR7WcAvfo7EWO5rov6yg-zoy2gD9_rhBsdiOGd0GpGo/s1600/IMG_0657.JPG
