QR Code Activities and Resources
“The whole art of teaching is the only art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards” - Anatole France
QR codes, Quick Response barcodes, inspire curiosity in our learners. QR codes get learners out of their seat scanning to discover what the knowledge they will uncover with their mobile devices. QR codes are mostly attached to websites or text, but we can also attach QR codes to audio, video, games, polls, or multimedia presentations. Below are a few ideas on how to make your QR codes more interactive. Once you are comfortable implementing a QR code activity, try getting your learners to create their own QR codes. Below are a few tips and resources to get your students started with learning with QR codes.
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Scan and Create
Recommended Web Tools
The following web tools allow you to create QR codes that go beyond text and get learners to do more with the learning:
Suggested Activities
- You can quickly and easily scan QR codes with an iPhone camera. Just hold up the camera to the QR code like you are taking a picture and a notification will pop up with the information attached to that QR code.
- Scan and also create QR codes on your mobile device with the Quickmark iOS and Android app.
- Scan QR codes with the I-nigma iOS and Android app. Create QR codes on the website.
- Make colorful QR codes with images with Qrcode-monkey, QRstuff, and Visualead.
- The QR Code Treasure Hunt generator by Classtools will help you easily create a series of QR codes for assessments, scavenger hunts, and treasure hunts.
- Install the QR Code Bookmarklet to easily and quickly create a QR code attached to the url you are visiting.
Recommended Web Tools
The following web tools allow you to create QR codes that go beyond text and get learners to do more with the learning:
- Use Vocaroo to create a QR code attached to a listening or recorded audio. First, record the audio of any length then click QR code on the bottom. Print the generated QR code for your learners to scan and listen.
- Padlet allows teachers to create a QR code attached to a web wall where students add links, thoughts, images, and videos about any topic.
- Buncee lets you create QR codes embedded into a digital poster with videos, images, stickers, and audio.
- PollsToGo is a site for creating a polls attached to a QR code.
- Create your own scavenger hunt with QRWild.
Suggested Activities
- A good way to introduce students to QR codes is to get them to notice the QR codes around them.
- Students collect QR codes they see outside of class on cereal boxes, coupons, the mail, or pamphlets.
- In small groups, students share these examples with their peers to scan and discuss the following: What did the QR code link to? Where was the QR code found? How would you make the QR code more engaging or interesting?
- Student can jigsaw with QR codes. One student's QR code has the information matched to another student's QR code. In Learning to Go, I provide a lesson plan and template where one student has a joke and the other has the answer to the joke.
- One student can have a question and another peer have the answer.
- One student can have a vocabulary word and search for the peer with the definition.
- One student can have a character description and search for the peer with the character's name.
- Put QR codes on objects to get students out of their desks moving and engaging with the objects.
- Students can create QR codes for the library.
- QR codes can be to their own book trailers of various books.
- QR codes can be next to a book to offer recommendations of other books their peers might enjoy. For example, a recommendation for someone who enjoyed the Twilight series might be books by Anne Rice.
- Students can create QR codes for science fair or poster projects.
- The QR codes can direct the audience to a Works Cited or Reference list.
- The QR codes can be attached to interactives or multimedia that supports the research topic.
- Work with a national or state park or other landmarks or museums to create QR codes of exhibits which do not currently have QR codes.