QR Codes in Education
So now that these QR codes are becoming more and more popular, they have filtered their way into the realms of education, marketing, libraries, grocery stores and so on. QR codes in the education field are becoming huge! They can be used to take online polls in class, used in textbooks to link to videos and other resourceful information, quizzes, tutorials and the list goes on!
For students in the animation and design field, you can create your own QR codes and submit animation or ringtones, links to equipment video that shows how to use it, and QR codes that link to a document that takes them back to where it was downloaded.
As far as QR codes in the classroom, there are a lot of teachers that are starting to use them. Of course, for schools that are not as well-off or in a low socio-economic area, it may be difficult for teachers to take advantage of these little black squares, however, they are faring quite well in the areas where kids have smartphones.
Interjection: OKAY, not for anything, I get the fact that they are useful in schools but what is a twelve year old doing walking around with a $200 phone, sorry Verizon, but you have seriously infested the children of America with phones that they do not need, but rather, WANT! Hell, I didn’t even have a cell phone until I was thirty five!
Alright, back to QR codes in education. So, what are these little squares being used for in the classroom…let’s find out!
- Scavenger Hunts – They are set up with QR codes to scan and get the next hint or clue. Problem: not everyone has a smartphone. Solution: Flash cards are cheaper J
- Flash Cards – Some teachers are replacing the idea of flashcards with QR codes.
- Assigning Homework
- Links to forms for school
- Feedback from a teacher – Problem: anyone can come by and scan it, not confidential.
- Polling
Libraries are also using QR codes to their advantage. They use them to link to their twitter, facebook, blog or school website. They also use them to text message or contact the library, check their database for a certain book they might need, search for links, videos, and websites in their electronic catalog and much more! Linking to mobile library guides is also another feature that some libraries are offering.
I think that having QR codes in the education field will eventually be a great thing once they find more and more uses for them. I think right now, until Verizon can lower their costs to have one of these ‘smartphones,’ some middle and lower class kids will not be able to take advantage of some of these things, making them feel left out and isolated from the rest of the class that have parents who can afford a smartphone for a child. And with that being said, we already have a huge problem in our education system with children that are being bullied and feel isolated from cliques and so on in school, so maybe something that only some children have would not be a good idea to push in the classroom to further those feelings of isolation. Just my personal opinion, but coming from a person who got picked on in school, I know what it is like to feel that way.
Resources on QR Codes in Education