Tuesday, March 19, 2013

QR Codes in the Elementary Classroom

I posted a flash freebie last weekend with QR codes and I had a few questions about how to use the cards. While this isn’t new to a lot of people, I wanted to share how I’ve used QR codes in my classroom.

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QRcode

When I first saw QR codes I was intrigued. I found some freebies on TpT that were worth trying. I’ve since become a big fan! Here are a some of the ways I’ve used them in the classroom.

Giving Praise

I found 75 Ways to Say Good Job on Teachers Pay Teachers. I downloaded this awesome freebie. I mounted the cards on construction paper, cut it out, and laminated it.

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This isn’t the best picture, but you can see my QR Tag Folder on the left under Celebrating Success. I will send a student over to scan a tag to celebrate positive behavior.

There are so many free and paid files like this. Once you get started it is easy to create your own!

Self Checking Centers
I have purchased and created several sets of task cards with QR codes built in. The students love them.

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Better yet, the cards provide instant feedback. I love the fact that students can check their answers without me standing right there.

This has become my favorite way to use QR codes. I’m working on a QR game for classifying triangles now.

Creating Our Own
Last year I had my students create word problems with the answer embedded in a QR code. There are multiple free websites for creating QR Codes. It was a project done at home, so most of my students created their codes at home. Those without access to a computer and printer could create and print the code at school.

I wasn’t blogging last year when we wrote our own, so I do not have pictures. We will be doing it again after our state testing.

How Do I Get Started?
To read QR codes, all you need is a smart phone/iPad/tablet with a camera and an app for reading QR Codes. There are many free apps for this! We have downloaded several on our school iPads.

For generating your own QR codes, I’ve been using http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ though there are many other websites. There are many options – try a few sites and see what you like best!

Some people may say QR codes are dying out, but they are still a great tool for an elementary classroom!

Want to try it out? 

Operation Snowball Fight

Time is GoldenTwo

I’m planning a 100 follower giveaway next week, but I wanted to try out the technology first. As a trial run giving away these two files from my TpT store.


I’m linking up:

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for explaining. I am late to the QR code party!!

    Hokie Teach

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  2. This looks like fun. I must give it a closer look. Thanks.

    Charlene/Diamond Mom

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  3. I've never used QR codes and was intrigued. Thanks for explaining!

    Rae
    Mindful Rambles
    rachaelaschauer@gmail.com

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  4. Congratulations on 100 followers! :)

    I love how you broke down QR codes-so easy to follow!! What a great idea to have your kids help in creating the QR codes!! Definitely want to give that a try this year-thanks for the idea!

    Amanda
    Learning to the Core

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  5. Jenny! Thanks so much for letting me know that you had just written about QR codes - how perfect. I love your idea for self-checking centers. I am so excited to try and incorporate this in my next set! :) You mentioned you purchased some good resources on TPT. Which ones have worked best for you?

    -Catherine
    The Brown-Bag Teacher

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  6. Jenny...thanks for stopping by my blog. I've been following yours for a few weeks now and love it as well! I know nothing about qr codes...but I'd like to learn b/c it looks fun. We could even make QR task cards since we both love our task cards :) I look forward to getting to know you better!

    Stephanie Ann
    Sparkling in Third Grade

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  7. Sounds about right...the trend is over before I've figured it out! Oh, well...it will be new to us!

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  8. Great post Jenny! :) No doubt that QR codes are smart and can be used for many purposes. I just created a business account on http://www.zumoqr.com/ which I had recommended by a friend. I'm really exited to get started, and will definently use some of your ideas.

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