I’m
really excited about using QR codes in my classroom this year. Well, actually there isn’t too much that
doesn’t excite me when it comes to my classroom. We used QR codes in previous years, but I am
taking things up a notch this year. I
want the use of QR codes in my middle school classroom to become second
nature. While there are so many ways to
use QR codes in the classroom, there are the 4 ways I plan to use them in mine.
Daily Task Cards
So
last year, I decided to use daily task cards and they were really a success. It
cut down on the amount of time it took students to copy what they viewed on the
board in the first 5 minutes of class.
However, there were times when I needed to include more information and
unfortunately, I would have to play with the size of the font or printed copies
to make things work. I’m not quite sure
why I didn’t think of this sooner, but I’ve decided that I can link my daily
task cards (DTCs) to a QR code. Now it will take up less space in the notebook
and I can still incorporate all the information I need onto the DTC slide
(which by the way, is created in Google slides). To see an example DTC scan the
QR code below.
Each
DTC covers the standard, topic, date, essential question, lesson activities,
closing, and homework. This snapshot of
the day proved to be quite beneficial for parents who wanted to know what we
were working on everyday. To grab a copy of the DTC template, check out my TpT
store. To create the QR code simply upload the PowerPoint file to your
Google Drive account. Click the share button to get a URL. Copy and paste the
URL on your favorite QR code generation site.
Some of my favorites are the following:
Lab & Activity Videos
“I
just love repeating directions several times a period,” said no teacher ever! I
know how frustrating it is to repeat directions I like to make instructional
videos for my students on how to do labs, make foldables, or complete other
learning tasks. By uploading my videos to YouTube and SchoolTube, and then
linking them to a QR code helps students quickly get to the exact video that I
want them to view. Another perk is that students
can review the directions as many times as they need after I have given the
directions to the whole class. By doing so, it gives me an opportunity to move
around the classroom to address more specific needs with the learning
activities.
Scan-venger Hunts
Everyone
loves a good scavenger hunt. I don’t
know any student who wouldn’t leap at the opportunity at the opportunity to get
out of the classroom. My students love
when they get to go on scavenger hunts throughout the school building. One word of caution: I don’t recommend
sending students off on scavenger hunts until you have built strong rituals and
routines so that they know your expectations not just inside the classroom, but
outside of it as well. This year will be my first year that I spice things up
by using QR SCAN-venger hunts. All
students need to do is scan the QR, which are strategically placed in the
school building and answer the questions.
These hunts also work great when students are in pairs or teams just for
the sake of a little competition. At the
end of the hunt, students would bring their answers to me to check off. Oh and
you can have a little something for the winning individual or team. To make
your own QR Scan-venger hunt, check out this link.
Accessing Internet Links
I
can’t tell you how many times students raise their hand and tell me that I gave
them a link that didn’t work. Of course, by the time I would come around and
retype the link, the website always pulls up.
To avoid this snag while in the computer lab (or however you have
students access the Internet), link the website address to a QR code and let
the barcode do all the work for you.
How
will you use QR codes in your classroom this year?
