Crazy Fast QR Codes
By now, many of you are probably familiar with QR Codes. They’re everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
QR Codes, Quick Response Codes, are simply bar codes within which you can embed media, links, text, songs, videos, and more.
Using a QR Scanner (there are hundreds of these apps available on both Android and iOS platforms), one can scan the code and retrieve the embedded information.
The opportunities for classroom integration are truly endless. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Worksheets
- Answer keys
- Tutorial videos for students or parents
- Sharing your contact information
- Scavenger Hunts
- Sharing videos or digital creations from the classroom
- Classroom library book review videos
If you hop on Pinterest and search QR codes, you will find thousands of ideas to try!
Would you like premade posters to inspire your students?
This pack of 25 colorful watercolor posters includes quotes from famous athletes.
Click HERE to grab them and save yourself time!
Typically, to make a QR code, one would need to utilize a site like QR Stuff. Using that site, you can add the link or information from a website or your computer and it will generate a code for you.
Each code is a separate image file that you will need to download to your computer.
This can be a bit of a hassle for a few reasons….
- It is a pain to navigate to a different website.
- The codes generally download with long, random names and can be hard to organize.
- It can be time consuming.
I am excited to share one of my favorite techie finds with you today.
It’s a Chrome browser extension called ShortenMe.
To use this tool, you must use the Chrome browser. Similar to an app, you can install the extension on your browser. Once you have done so, you can simply right click on any webpage, link, URL, or even selected text and create a QR Code on the spot.
The best part?
You can rename and save your newly generated QR code directly to your Google Drive account. For those of you who have spent time creating QR codes from YouTube videos or other web content, you know what a huge time saver this is!
Happy QR-Coding!
Kate Peila is a third grade teacher from Montana. She is passionate about integrating technology in the classroom to increase student engagement, improve lesson efficacy, and enhance classroom management. She is a content expert for Appolearning and she blogs over at Purely Paperless.
