By: Susan Mohler
Student iPads are here!! Hoorah!! Northside has deployed over 8,000 iPads to our students. This is truly a milestone for NISD in the world of technology. These wonderful new devices will channel the excitement of technology with the purpose of effective instruction. Teachers may ask, “How do I begin integrating these new iPads into my curriculum?” A great way to get started is with QR Codes!
What in the world does QR even mean? It means “quick response” and you have probably seen them everywhere. Did you know you have a little “scanner” with you all the time--your mobile phone! All you need is a QR Reader app. I like the Inigma app. When scanned, students can quickly access websites, videos, plain text, and images. QR Codes can be used in every area of the curriculum, kindergarten through 5th grade. They provide a level of engagement that encourages enduring understanding and embedding learning in our students.
One way to get started is creating a QR Code Scavenger Hunt. This gets students up and moving around as they collaborate with each other. Create the codes and place them around the room, down the hall or around the school. Add possible answers to the questions and accompany each answer choice with a QR code that sends students to a new location. Only the correct answer will send them to a new question. Incorrect answers offer a hint and send them back to the question they missed.
QR Codes are especially great for differentiation and even the early finishers. Teachers can make matching games where students can self-check Place half of a QR code on the question and the other half on the matching answer. If the student successfully matches them, the QR code will respond with whatever positive message you created. If the student doesn’t have a match, there will be no message at all. Another idea is to use codes for flash cards—another great way to self-check.
The uses are endless: simplify research projects, take students on gallery walks, give tutorial help, create talking codes, and so much more. You can also create your own as parents. Use the website qrstuff.com, it’s simple and free. With the posting of a QR Code, teachers can lead students to a fun and exciting world of knowledge! YES, YOU SCAN!!!