The power of QR codes in the elementary classroom

QR Codes are simple, motivating, cool, engaging, and will change your classroom environment forever. I know...a bold statement, but that was my experience using them in my 3rd grade classroom. One of the purposes of this blog is to share small and simple ways to implement technology into your classroom. Sometimes folks don't know where to start, hopefully, this will start you off on the right foot.

First, a little background knowledge. QR stands for "Quick Response" Code. A QR Code is a direct link to a specific place on the internet. They are used by cameras and mobile devices. You may have seen them at restaurants, department stores, city streets, or even in your school. They are everywhere! They look like this:

The Basics of Blended Learning

Now, how do you create one of these bad boys? It's pretty simple. My favorite site to create QR Codes is the website qrstuff.com. This short video shows you how to create a simple QR Code.

Now that you know what QR Codes are and how to make them it is time to share simple and effective ways to implement these cool codes into your classroom.

A Cool Way To Use QR Codes

Scan Me!

Expand your word study program. As a teacher I struggled to nicely fit all of my spellers into 3 groups. (Can you hear my sarcasm?) I wanted to expand a bit but I didn't have the time so, I used QR codes to help me. Here's what I did: Prior to the week I was delivering word study instruction I would prepare a YouTube video for my highest group. These students were stronger spellers and they didn't need as much support, however, they still needed to grow, learn, and build their vocabulary. I attached the video to a QR Code and gave it to them with a copy of their words. Using the iPads or other mobile devices the kids watched the video while I was meeting with my other groups. An added bonus was if the kids forgot how to sort their words they could return to the video at anytime.

More to come...