QR CODES
This week, I read a short book an watched a few videos about QR codes and augmented reality. Taking in all of this information allowed me to see all of the endless possibilities for integrating technology into the classroom and using it as a tool to save instructional time, differentiate learning, engage students, involve families, and more. I have experienced QR codes before through advertisements and social media, but I never thought about the possibilities that they could bring to a classroom. Learning how to use QR codes was very quick and simple. All I needed to do was choose the free app I wanted to download and find a QR code to scan. Once I did that, the app did the rest and took me to the link that was attached to the QR code. To my surprise, creating QR codes was easy as well. Once I found the website I wanted to use to create my code, all I had to do was copy and paste it into the QR generator website and it developed a QR code for me that I could customize, download, and share. There are many different apps and websites out there for creating and scanning QR codes which is beneficial for teachers who may have different types of technology in their classroom. This way they are able to choose the app and website that best fits their needs along with the needs of their students. I see many benefits from using QR codes within education. One of the biggest benefits that I think QR codes could give teachers is the amount of instructional time that is saved. After student teaching in multiple grade levels and settings, I have noticed that it is very rare for all students to quickly and accurately get to the correct website, video, or other link. Usually, there are a few students who type in the link incorrectly which then takes up instructional time trying to fix these errors. With QR codes, teachers and students would no longer have to worry about getting to the wrong website or video because of a simple error in typing. Another major benefit that I see with QR codes is the ability to involve family members into the classroom. I loved the idea of having a weekly QR code attached to letters sent home that family members could. I really think this would allow family members to feel involved in their child's school life and the growing technological involvement that their child is experiencing. I believe I would use this tool any time I desired students to access a certain website or video and also to make deeper connections between home and school. However, I would also like to experiment using QR codes as a way of letting students know what to do next if they finish an activity or assignment early. This would allow for smoother transitions within the classroom without disturbing the students who are still working. In order to keep students engaged in using QR codes, I would like to show them how to create them on their own so that they would be able to use them as a way to communicate with others, show off any of their works or creations, and more. I believe this would give students a greater sense of ownership in their learning as well as excitement in utilizing the new technology.
I decided to create a QR code that takes students directly to IXL level D.16 which has them practice lattice multiplication. I chose this website and activity because many of my fourth graders from last semester struggled with lattice multiplication. I also was in a classroom that frequently used IXL and my mentor teacher would simply write the levels on the board that she wanted the students to do. However, many of the students would find themselves lost because they were on the Language Arts IXL or simply could not locate the levels on the board. I think using a QR code would greatly help to solve these issues and allow the students to have more time to work and practice on their math skills.
Standard: 4.1.1.3 Multiply multi-digit numbers, using efficient and generalizable procedures, based on knowledge of place value, including standard algorithms.
Below are some pictures that I took while experimenting with and exploring QR codes.
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ReplyDeleteAlisha,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea for using QR codes in the classroom. My class did tons of work on IXL this year and navigating the web can sometimes be a headache. I like how you use the QR code as a shortcut for students. I think this would be a good practice to get into whether you're assigning a newsela article, a RAZkids story, or using any other website that can be hard to navigate. I think your idea would help minimize wasted time in the classroom.
Bob Mueller