I was at a wedding the weekend gone. I arrived at my allotted seat and collected from the table the traditional wedding guest gift one generally receives from a bride and groom. I half expected to be given a package of those hideous sugar coated almonds, so imagine my surprise when all I received was a barcode. At first I was furious, believing that the bride and groom had the audacity to ask me to stick a barcode to myself to be scanned every time I visited the open bar. The MC settled our confusion when he asked us all to take out our smart phones and download a certain application. The groom is an Apple software engineer, so I should have expected an innovative, technological spin to their wedding; however, I didn’t for a moment think that it could lead my introduction to a mobile media resource with huge pedagogical potential. A What? QR Codes or Quick Response Codes are a small barcode-like images that can store information such as URLs, so that when the user ‘scans’ the barcode with a camera enabled mobile media device, they can be instantly taken to digital place the author wishes them to visit (Anderson, 2010). In the case of my friend’s wedding, their QR code took us to their wedding website. All their guests can now relive their special day over and over again... Well, all new technologies have their draw backs. So what does that mean for teachers? Educational bloggers Steve Anderson (2010) and Tom Barrett (2010) are among a huge number of online contributors listing resources available to teachers wishing to use QR codes in their classrooms. To list but a few: Replace book covers with QR codes; students would be taken to multimedia book trailers and online reviews. Instead of reading out answers to student inquiry questions, have them listed as QR Codes Use QR codes to communicate daily notices and upcoming school events Put QR codes in halls and corridors to include non-traditional learning environments with traditional ones I’m not so naive to believe that all schools and students have access to smartphones. Nor to the reality that teachers allowing their presence in classrooms wouldn’t be faced with behavioural and ethical challenges. However, these issues of unequal access and digital ethics surround all elements of mobile media and require consideration and trust in a student/parent/teacher partnership. Educators shouldn’t ignore potential resources, but rather seek ways to gradually include them into their teaching and learning experiences. Getting Started Creating a QR code is simple. One simply enters a URL, an image or a short amount of text (less than 4000 characters) into one of the many online, free QR Code generators. You are then able to save the code as a picture, and as such, copy and paste it wherever it’s needed. In fact, the QR code on this page is one I made myself. Visit the App store and download a free QR Code reader and see what webpage it takes you to. Oh alright, it’s just the home page of this blog! References Anderson, S. (2010). QR Codes in education. Retrieved from http://livebinders.com/play/play/51894 Barrett, T. (2010). 41 Interesting ways to use QR codes in the classroom. Retrieved From https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_765hsdw5xcr&revision=_latest&start=0&theme=blank&authkey=COX05IsF&cwj=trueSunday 9 October 2011
Scanning the room
I was at a wedding the weekend gone. I arrived at my allotted seat and collected from the table the traditional wedding guest gift one generally receives from a bride and groom. I half expected to be given a package of those hideous sugar coated almonds, so imagine my surprise when all I received was a barcode. At first I was furious, believing that the bride and groom had the audacity to ask me to stick a barcode to myself to be scanned every time I visited the open bar. The MC settled our confusion when he asked us all to take out our smart phones and download a certain application. The groom is an Apple software engineer, so I should have expected an innovative, technological spin to their wedding; however, I didn’t for a moment think that it could lead my introduction to a mobile media resource with huge pedagogical potential. A What? QR Codes or Quick Response Codes are a small barcode-like images that can store information such as URLs, so that when the user ‘scans’ the barcode with a camera enabled mobile media device, they can be instantly taken to digital place the author wishes them to visit (Anderson, 2010). In the case of my friend’s wedding, their QR code took us to their wedding website. All their guests can now relive their special day over and over again... Well, all new technologies have their draw backs. So what does that mean for teachers? Educational bloggers Steve Anderson (2010) and Tom Barrett (2010) are among a huge number of online contributors listing resources available to teachers wishing to use QR codes in their classrooms. To list but a few: Replace book covers with QR codes; students would be taken to multimedia book trailers and online reviews. Instead of reading out answers to student inquiry questions, have them listed as QR Codes Use QR codes to communicate daily notices and upcoming school events Put QR codes in halls and corridors to include non-traditional learning environments with traditional ones I’m not so naive to believe that all schools and students have access to smartphones. Nor to the reality that teachers allowing their presence in classrooms wouldn’t be faced with behavioural and ethical challenges. However, these issues of unequal access and digital ethics surround all elements of mobile media and require consideration and trust in a student/parent/teacher partnership. Educators shouldn’t ignore potential resources, but rather seek ways to gradually include them into their teaching and learning experiences. Getting Started Creating a QR code is simple. One simply enters a URL, an image or a short amount of text (less than 4000 characters) into one of the many online, free QR Code generators. You are then able to save the code as a picture, and as such, copy and paste it wherever it’s needed. In fact, the QR code on this page is one I made myself. Visit the App store and download a free QR Code reader and see what webpage it takes you to. Oh alright, it’s just the home page of this blog! References Anderson, S. (2010). QR Codes in education. Retrieved from http://livebinders.com/play/play/51894 Barrett, T. (2010). 41 Interesting ways to use QR codes in the classroom. Retrieved From https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_765hsdw5xcr&revision=_latest&start=0&theme=blank&authkey=COX05IsF&cwj=true
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I read with interest your article ‘Scanning the room’ as I had heard of QR codes but really didn’t know what they were. What an amazing tool they are! (provided you have a smart phone).
ReplyDeleteMy newly discovered knowledge was very useful when I attended a SLAQ (School Library Association of Queensland) Technology Roadshow at a Gold Coast P-12 school. As I walked into their fantastic new library QR codes greeted me at the door, they had been attached to newly released books. Just as Wendy had explained I used my phone to scan the codes and I (like the students) was able to view a book trailer telling me all about each new book.
This creative way of using QR codes was presented during one of the sessions at the Roadshow as were many of the other great ideas that Wendy had mentioned, such as:
Adding QR codes to Word documents for students to check their answers, these could be laminated and pinned around the classroom.
Creating QR codes to detail events that are happening at your school. These codes could then be placed around the school with headings ‘What’s happening in school this week???’ students then scan to find out. This would be much more effective than a newsletter or telling students at a weekly assembly.
At the Roadshow we were shown a great powerpoint presentation titled ‘40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom’ this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License, so can be accessed by all.
What a coincidence that I read your blog Wendy only a few days before going to the Roadshow so I was able to have some insight of the information being present – or maybe it was as Yoko Ichihara says ‘ There is no such thing as a coincidence in this world, there is only the inevitable’. In today’s participatory society I guess it was inevitable that I would learn more about QR codes but the timing of my finding out was indeed very useful.
I know Trish! Since going to this wedding/writing this article, I've been seeing QR codes EVERYWHERE. I was at the gym and I could scan a code to gain more info about the class they were offering; I was at the bus stop and saw a Commonwealth Bank home loan advert, I could scan the advertisement to be taken to their website.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of having them around the school for students to scan and find out more about school events. In one of the readings I did on QR codes, they were saying that by placing them around the school, they would serve as an easy way to 'liven up' dull hallways and corridors.
But yes, they (students) have to be able to bring these smart phones into school first...Unless of course the library had a collection of iTouches for a class to borrow; but this kind of defeats the purpose of interconnecting mobile media with all facets of education. Conundrum!
I found this piece extremely interesting. I had heard of QR codes in a previous unit, however I was unsure exactly how they worked and what they did. They ways they can be applied in society, for businesses and potentially for schools are amazing.
ReplyDeleteThese codes could have an enormous benefit in schools and libraries, with students being able to scan a code and finding out certain information on their smart phone. However, as has already been pointed out, with the current ban of mobiles in schools, the introduction of QR codes for general use by students seems a moot point.
I actually haven’t seen QR codes around, however now that I know what they look like I think I will keep my eyes open. In a school setting, they could be used by students to take tours of the library or the school. How much fun would museum or art gallery excursions be if QR codes were implemented there and students were able to scan for information and really engage with what they are seeing?! Or teachers could design information treasures hunts, and have students looking for clues regarding a particular topic. The uses are endless and exciting!
South Korea have the first virtual supermarket. There are no actual groceries on the shelves, just pictures of the groceries. You can scan the QR code into your phone and order the items to be delivered to your home. They also have virtual shelves at the train station, so that while you wait for your train you can do the shopping and the groceries will be waiting for you when you get home! Check out this article and the video at the end of the article: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/09/world-first-virtual-store-opens-in.html
ReplyDelete