Day Fifteen: QR Codes

You are starting to see them everywhere:  those odd-looking black and white squares included in everything from advertisements in magazines to posters in store windows to bananas (yes, you read that correctly).  That odd combination of pixels is actually information that can be displayed using your smartphone's browser.  The code can contain a website, your contact information, a picture, link to a YouTube video and so much more. Before we get into how QR Codes can be used in the classroom, let's take a look where QR codes come from.

Now that we understand where they came from, let's learn how to create our own.  There are a couple of options available depending on your level of technology.  The QR code scanner in the app store for the iPhone comes with an option to create your own code right on the phone (I believe there is also one for Android, but neither are really reliable).  If you are a Chrome user (and if you aren't we need to have a talk about that), there is an app in the Chrome Web Store called "The QR Code Generator" which will generate your code right in your browser.  However, if none of those options are to your liking, the favorite web site for creating codes is Kaywa.

So you have your generator and now you need something to create your code for.  QR Codes are a great way to direct users to view simple information like your class website or a video from YouTube that you want them to watch.  Go to that location and grab the url from the address bar (or in the case of YouTube videos, click the SHARE button and copy the url given there), and paste the url into the generator.  For example, one of my favorite videos to share with my students is the MHS Lip Dub.  After copying the url (ctrl+C), I can go to my Chrome app, paste in the url and generate my code as seen below.

The code can now be copied or saved as an image and put in any number of different places.  One word of advice:  the purpose of a QR Code is to direct a user to a location on the web when they are not currently sitting in front of a computer so putting one on your website is a bit of a waste.  I want to provide one other tip about QR Codes:  the longer the url, the more complicated the QR Code becomes which makes it look garbled.  You will want to use a url shortener to make it more manageable and therefore a nicer looking code.  Personal preference is for all things Google so try goo.gl, however bit.ly and tinyurl.com are also popular.  If you use the Chrome QR Code app, it already contains a "Shorten url" button so there is no need to copy from the external site.

After a short discussion at lunch, we came up with the following list of possible ways to use QR Codes in the classroom.

1. QR code on the syllabus given on the 1st day of class to direct students to the class website.  Can also be put on the sign on the door to the classroom.
2. QR Code scavenger hunt.  A great to connect your subject to different areas of the school is a scavenger hunt.  But, instead of simply finding a clue, the students find a QR code with it that directs them to a website to help them answer a specific question.
3. QR Codes in books in the media center.  The code could contain a link to the author's website, an Amazon book review, or a preview of the movie based on the book.
4. Links to YouTube videos.  This could be like the lip dub above or to podcasts that were created using JING about classroom content to be watched outside of class.  It could even go to a TED talk if you can't find what you are looking for on YouTube (is that even possible?).

So you have your QR code, now what?  Well you want to scan it with your smartphone to see if it works (always make sure it works before posting it!!).  Each company has their own free app that can be downloaded from their particular web store.  I am a Blackberry user (hey they used to be good), so QR Code Scanner Pro is the best app.  As for Android and iPhone you will need to consult someone lucky enough to have that device (just ask your students.  They know the best apps to use).  Once you open the app it will access your camera to scan the code and Voila!

The above were created in a five minute brainstorming session over lunch.  How can you see QR codes being used in your classroom?

Here are some other resources for your consideration:

• QR Codes in Education Livebinder--by Steven W. Anderson
• QR Codes in the Library
• QR Codes T-Shirts
• QR Codes in the Classroom--Kathy Schrock
• Periodic Table of QR Codes
• QR Voice

Day Seven: Youtube

Today we will look at an old favorite, youtube, in a new light.  Over the years youtube has grown to be more than just a place for teachers to go and get video clips to show in class; there are many more options available for educators to use and integrate this resource into their curriculum. So let's look at some of the advantages of the new youtube, that we will call youtube 2.0.

Besides getting video clips, you can set up a youtube channel for your class. This can be a place to house all of the videos you show and showcase the videos your students create.  You can create playlists (groups of specific videos) for your different units, just for student videos, or class favorites. It can serve as a multimedia portal for the teacher, students and parents alike, as you can embed your channel onto your website or blog.   Here is one Middletown teacher's youtube channel. Maybe Middletown will have its own district channel on youtube soon with professional development videos for teachers, or maybe your school will have a channel highlighting events for parents and the community to share.


Over the years youtube has evolved and grown into a place where every facet of society is represented with a channel. There are major universities (go on and find your alma mater, I found mine) , established news outlets, traditional educational organizations, even youtube itself has it own channel where you can rent full length movies and one that highlights news (be sure to check out their blog that keeps readers up to date with youtube). Think of your go to website, education or content area resource, they most likely have a channel on youtube with video content for the public's use that you can subscribe to and receive notifications as they update their channel with new content. I recently found a substantial list of "intelligent youtube channels" (you be the judge), as well as, the 100 must see youtube channels for teachers.

One of the newest resources is the youtube teacher's channel, it has k-12 content area categories with preselected videos for educational use. Disclaimer: I am not sure who is curating the content and if they align with state or national standards. I will say I have noticed they have chosen a few videos that I have for my students. Being able to go to this page will save time and energy in your future video collecting.


If you venture over to youtube's EDU page you will find a smorgasbord of education related content. There are full university lectures and courses as well as content for the lifelong learner. The level of material found here is ideal for high school teachers.

                                                                       
For some inspiration, try RSA's animate page, which has Sir Ken Robinson's wildly popular animation video talk.

Youtube is still the number one go to site to learn how to do practically anything! I use it to learn how to do everything from an e-portfolio to how to use the latest technology.  You can create a playlist with "how to" videos for a specific unit or to reinforce skills used all school year, like this one on English grammar rules. You can search for playlists that other users have created by using the search box and filtering for playlist.

Are you looking at youtube differently yet? Well here are some tools to help with your youtube experience:


There are two sites that allows you to collaboratively watch youtube videos. Groups of students can watch videos together and have an online discussion.
There is a technique to create an "Adventure Story" where the viewer decides what will happen during different parts in the video.
Don't want to show the entire video? Now you can show a portion of it using Tubechop.
With Dragontape you can create a "mix tape"video using a series of video sections you string together.
We have all experienced the internet slow down from time to time, with Saveyoutube you can download a video for offline use.
Overstream allows you to add subtitles to videos and youtube now allows auto captioning for all videos.
If you want to browse youtube without all of the visual clutter, try Clea.nr, it is an extension for chrome, firefox and safari that cleans up your visual space on youtube.
Finally, if you want to edit your own video, you can do it right on your own channel. Youtube has its own video editor, that has a low learning curve and is extremely convenient.

We hope we gave you some ideas to use youtube in your 21st century classroom!
There are so many other ways to use youtube, please share yours with us.......