QR Codes are popping up all over the place.  Even my blog has one!  (sidebar under Creative Commons info).  Many of you may already know what they are for and might even have a scanner on your smartphone.  If you don’t know what they are, there is great information available online.

http://www.google.com.hk/search?ix=sea&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=QR+codes

What this post is really about, is how these cool little square things can be used in the educational environment.  To find out more, have a look at this.

If you don’t have a smartphone or a tablet, you won’t be able to see what this is.  If you do have a smartphone, but don’t have a scanner here are a few I recommend listed below based on OS.

Android

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who don’t have a handheld or portable device with QR Code scanning capabilities, here is a Pearltree to links pertaining to the use of these codes in an educational setting.

 

So what is the relative advantage to using these codes with your students?  Well this one is mainly based on the motivational factor they bring to the lesson.  A once boring lesson is now interesting and relevant.  Integrating this technology into the learning environment probably won’t increase test scores, but what does a test really measure?  If the student is interested because of the tool and the tools is utilized properly making sure the focus remains on the content then the tool improves the lesson thus making it more authentic.  This type of learning is far superior to memorizing facts for a test.

As always thanks for reading.

 

Shannon Doak