Teaching is one of our most respected, yet most difficult occupations in the modern day. Teachers often have to balance lessons, maintaining a safe environment, and being there for our students, all within a relatively short work day. If you are a teacher, then you can use all the help you can get to make sure your classroom is run efficiently and effectively.
This is why introducing QR codes into the classroom can be greatly beneficial to teachers. QR codes make it so that you and your students don’t have to copy or remember long URLs, and will allow you to do all sorts of classroom activities with the utmost ease. In this piece I will go over some of the ways you can use QR codes in the classroom, as well as some general tips on how to use them.
General Tips
Effortlessly create, customize, and monitor dynamic QR codes.
One of the ways you can use QR codes in the classroom is as an easy way for students and faculty to log into the school’s Wi-Fi. QR codes provide the easiest way to connect to a specific internet connection, as you don’t have to look for the right network or enter the correct password. All you and your students have to do is scan the code, and you’re in! This can work on both mobile phones with cameras or tablets, like iPads and Surface tablets. This will cut down on your students’ frustration in getting connected and allow you to move on with lessons quicker.
Kahoot is a website that allows users to create interactive mini quizzes that the test takers can link to on their phones, laptops, or other devices, and answer the questions that appear on the main screen. The test takers can then see their results in real time. Kahoot, and other online quizzes like it, have become a staple of classrooms in recent years.
While quizzes are easy to set up and participate in, some students can have trouble accessing the quiz through the provided link. However, if you make the quiz ahead of time, you can copy the join link and make it into a QR code. That way, all students have to do is scan the code, and they’ll be ready to participate in the quiz.
Taking attendance for each class can take up valuable teaching time, especially if you are a middle or high school teacher with multiple classes a day. However, if you set up a web page that allows students to check themselves, then you can place a QR code for said site on each desk, which would dramatically cut down on the time spent taking attendance. It should be noted, however, that this should only really be done with middle, high school, or college students, as many elementary school students may not have mobile phones. This goes for anything regarding QR codes in the classroom.
Letting your students communicate with you outside of class is an important aspect of being any kind of instructor. This is why you want to have your contact information and office hours available to all students who may want to take advantage of them. A QR code is a great and easy way to provide said information to your students. You can also make a code that links to a site that allows students to sign up for specific times during your office hours to meet.
Sometimes, the information presented in class isn’t enough. That’s why you may want to provide your students with additional information. Things like videos, activities, and websites can really help some students learn more and stay engaged. You can create QR codes that link to materials like these and scatter them throughout the classroom, or in a paper handout, for students to access as they wish. A good example would be; if you have a class pet, you can put a code next to their enclosure that provides additional information on the particular species.
As time goes on, more and more online opportunities for homework assignments are becoming available online. To prevent confusion by both students and parents when trying to access online activities, you can provide QR codes that link to assignments that can easily be scanned by whoever is doing the assignment.
Some students may need extra help with their assignments. That’s why it’s a good idea to make tutoring information available to those who may need it. This can be distributed via a QR code placed on the syllabus or on a flier somewhere within the classroom.
Whether it be the one in the school or a local facility, libraries can be an invaluable resource for both students and faculty. Providing extra information on the nearest library, whether it be the official website or otherwise, would be a good thing to make available to students at a moment’s notice via a QR code.
As stated in the beginning of this piece, teaching is one of the most difficult and important occupations in modern society, and teachers need all the help they can get. This is why integrating QR codes into the classroom is an excellent idea that can save you and your students precious learning time. QR codes are easy to make, so give it a shot and see just how easy it is to make these codes.
Effortlessly create, customize, and monitor dynamic QR codes.
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