Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1291735
QR Codes for Younger Students Set up easy access to digital content with handy quick response codes By Justine Bruyère T E A C H I N G C A N B E like driving on a highway: We want to make sure that everyone gets where they need to go safely without wast- ing valuable time. Just like on a highway, learners should have user-friendly entrance and exit ramps, highway signs of what's to come, and lots of choice. Getting all your students to the desired links, videos and pages can sometimes be tricky, but using QR codes is one possible route. They are a big help in the classroom and can work in remote learning as well when schools or teachers are sending any paper- work home. QR (quick response) codes offer one way of linking to videos, blogs, polls, articles, discussion boards and websites. As a class- room teacher, I often included QRs in my PowerPoint and Google Slides presentations, on premade cards placed in small groups, and on keyrings to help students with specific learning goals (such as adding details to writing). When my students saw QR codes, they knew to scan the code. There was no need for copying and pasting, no worries about students ending up on the wrong website, and no wasted time searching for the correct site. Courtesy Justine Bruyère How to make a QR code S T E P 1 : Decide where (site, link or video) you would like to direct your students. Copy the link address. S T E P 2 : Download and then open a QR code generator (I like to use QR Code Generator) and paste the link from step 1 into the box that says "Enter your website." S T E P 3 : Download the QR code and post it for your students. How to scan a QR code S T E P 1 : On an iPad or iPhone, select and open the camera app. For Android phones, you'll have to download a QR scanner app. S T E P 2 : Hover your phone over the QR code so that the image of the QR appears in the viewfinder. S T E P 3 : Click the link that appears at the top of your device. 52 cta.org Teaching & Learning