QR Codes in the Classroom

Reading QR Codes:
To read QR codes your device needs a scanning app such as Scan. There are many free apps to choose from:

• SCAN: QR Code and Barcode Reader
• ScanLife: Barcode Scanner & QR Code ReaderYou can also add a barcode generator app to your Google homepage so you can read QR codes with a laptop with built-in camera. Try:

            Free QR Code Generator
When you have the app installed, simply open it, aim the camera at the QR code, and the app will do the rest.
Additional information on using QR codes in the classroom can be found on Kathy Schrock’s webpage at: http://www.schrockguide.net/qr-codes-in-the-classroom.html

Creating QR Codes:
To create QR codes you need either a QR code generating app or webpage. I recommend: GOQR ME! http://goqr.me
You can create a QR code that points to a URL (web address), a box of text, a call, text message or contact information.
Usually you will be using your QR code to link to a website (URL), which could include a link to a youtube video as well.
Steps for linking to a URL:

1. Go to the website you want to create the QR code to link to. As an example, I want to link to the ELM database Kids Infobits, which is great for elementary student research (but the URL is very long and it is hard for students to key in).

2. Go directly to the page you want students to land on, or access first. You’ll create your QR code to link directly here. Copy this URL by highlighting it and pressing Ctrl-C on your computer (or bypressing the word “copy” on your iPad.

3. Now open the website http://goqr.me or open your app if you have a QR code generator app.
Click to the URL tab and paste the address you just copied into the URL box. You can do this by pressing Ctrl-V.

4. The QR code will automatically generate in the box to the right.
Now you can download the QR code to your own computer. [If you are using an iPad you can paste the image of the QR code directly into your document, email it or save it in your images.]

1. Select the Open button.
2. The QR code will open in a new window
3. Right-click on the QR code and select “Save this image as...”
4. Choose the location to save the QR code. Be sure to give it a recognizable name so you can use it again.

5. Once you have saved a QR code you can use it in any word document (or simply print it from the page you created it on). To do this:

1. Open a word document.
2. Type in your title, heading, or anything else you’d like to have printed on the page
3. Insert the QR code as a regular picture
4. Print out your page and post it in a logical location

What can you use QR codes for?

To play a Youtube video To ease installing an app from the App Store or Android Market To send a predefined short message To call a phone number To show contact data as a vCard/meCard To show your branding on textiles (T-shirts, bags) and other articles like mugs  To link to blogs or on websites of your own To share a shortcut to a website To post a link to an activity/link for the iPads To post larger amounts of content to support an image or poster My favorite QR code video:

Thing 18: Education

These are some of the educational apps I recommend to teachers in different areas:

Math

Questimate: A fun app that really makes you think about sizes and weights. Answer questions like: "How many yoga mats would be as long as a minivan?" and then you make your guess and find out how close you are. You gain lives by making good guesses, and lose lives when you guess is too far off.

Geoboard: Remember the geoboards we used to use to illustrate shapes and lines by hooking rubberbands around the pegs? This is the same type of geoboard, but you never have to worry about your rubberbands breaking or flying across the room!

Flash to Pass: This is a flashcard practice app that allows you to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

Number Pieces: A great app for visualizing place value. You can break your ten sticks into ones, or hundreds into tens. When you create a new grouping of ten you can snap the ten ones together into a ten stick, or snap a grouping of ten tens into a hundred block.

BupplePop: See how many bubbles you can pop by selecting the products. Although the free version only has multiplication, this can be a fun way to get your practice in.

Chicken Coop Fractions: Move the nest to the correct spot on the line to catch the eggs. This activity really helps students feel comfortable with different size fractions.

Reading and Writing

Kidblog: Create a class blog and set up blogs for your students that are secure and kid-friendly.

Timed Reading: Select a story and have your students read orally. This app times how long it takes them to read the story and keeps track of their progress.

Spelling City: One of the best apps for practicing spelling words. Teachers can input their spelling lists and make them available for students to practice, either on an iPad or on a computer at the Spelling City website.

Science

Heart Decide: An app that allows you to open up the heart and explore every part. There are also "Decide" apps for the hand, the eye, the knee, and more! 

Social Studies

50 State Info: Provides detailed information about each state's facts, information and symbols. Excellent resource for those state projects!

All subject areas

Brainpop & Brainpop Jr: Short video clips that explain concepts in every subject area. These are a great way to introduce a new unit or theme.

ClassDojo: A behavior management app that allows you to reward good behavior. Children can edit their own charactrers and participate in the classroom behavior program.

TooNoisy: This app shows a smiley face as long as the room is quiet. Too much noise and the meter rises. You can adjust the sensitivity and use the app to help your students monitor their own noise level.

Sharing Resources with Symbaloo

Symbaloo is my favorite tool for organizing and sharing websites. It allows you to create tiles in a format that is easily shared and embedded into a website. The tiles are easy to sort, create, and edit, and creating multiple Symbaloo webmixes is quick and logical.

I have created Symbaloo webmixes for my high school library, and for most grade levels in the district. It is my hope that these are used extensively by students and staff. You can view my webmixes here:

 Park Rapids High School

Grades 7-8

Grades 5-6

Grade 4

Grade 3

Grade 2

Grade 1

Kindergarten

Peg's Pals (Preschool)

To create your own Symbaloo webmix, visit www.symbalooedu.com and create an account.

Once you've created your account you are ready to start your first webmix. Start by naming your webmix and adding a tile. You can search for a tile or create your own by selecting a image to use. In this example I searched for CNN. 

I simply choose the style I like for my tile and click on it. The tile immediately jumps into the first open space in my webmix. 

I can continue to add tiles this way, filling in each space.

If you've added a tile, but want to organize the mix, you can drag the tiles around into any empty space, so you can create areas on your webmix for different types of resources.

There are also options to change the background image on your webmix, personalizing it to your situation.

When you've created a webmix you like, click "share" and you can share your webmix with the world (or with just those you choose. Webmixes make great additions to your website or blog. Here is a look at the options for your webmix:

Any time you want to update your webmix, log in and make those changes. Then click "update" from the top menu bar and you're set. Note that changes will not take effect until you update them this way.

A great handout is this PDF that comes from Symbaloo: http://www.symbalooedu.com/wp-content/uploads/Symbaloo-user-guide.pdf

Thing 16: Audio

There are millions of reasons a teacher would want to be able to record audio on his/her iPad! These include simple things like recording directions for using a center or completing an activity, recording your read-alouds for children who are absent (or just for continued enjoyment), having students record themselves reading for evaluation of fluency or reading with expression, and so much more.

My three quick and easy apps for recording audio are:

QuickVoice:

iTalk:

WavePad:

I have used and recommend all three. They all work in similar ways. Click the record button, use pause when you need to, name your recording, and share it via email or through a wireless transfer to your PC or Mac. Recordings can be stored on your computer and shared in any way you share MP3s, including your own iTunes account. They all work great!

I also tried out Audioboo, and I can see that this will be a great app as well. I have worked with some friends who have recorded books for Minnesota's library for the blind and I think Audioboo would be a great tool to use for that.

I think it's important to remember that the iPad has some great accessibility options for those who need visual assistance through audio cues. Siri is a wonderful option, and great timesaver. The recording button on the keyboard is very helpful. If you have your settings set you can have the iPad read selected text in almost any app. Finally, using a dictionary app students can speak a word into the microphone and the dictionary will locate the word, show definition and uses, and can speak the word back. It certainly makes using a dictionary easier, more efficient and more effective! Try it out today!

Thing 17: Connecting to Community

So many, many apps and websites have built-in communities that I find myself avoiding that part. Particularly when the app is just for fun, and not to support my PLN, I generally don't get involved in the back channel discussions and chatter. I just don't feel that I have the time.

My attitude is different, however, with the app Houzz. This app is unbelievable! If you love your home and dream of remodeling, adding on, or building new, this is the perfect resource and the perfect community!

With Houzz you can discuss any number of decorating and design questions and can answer or ask your own questions. You can post before and after photos, get color opinions, and much, much more!

You can also view ideabooks that various companies have created. In addition, you can find pros in your area for contracting, flooring, lighting, and everything else related to houses. Products are also clearly listed, so just about any item presented in the app can be available to you.

And then there are the photos: 2,916,619 at last count! Interested in creating a new kitchen space? Over 500 thousand pictures can guide your search! Home office? Over 40,000. There are over 155000 pictures of landscapes, 20,000 of closets, and almost 60,000 stairway photos! If you need images to help you with your house, Houzz is the place to look. 

Just for fun I'll share a bunch of screenshots that I took today. But for best results, download this app and join the community today!

Houzz app for iPad:

Thing 15: Infographics

I love infographics, and find them to be really helpful in understanding information. Using the apps Infographics and info.Graphic on my iPad was a great way to locate infographics. There are so many wonderful ones here, so if you're looking for samples these apps can be very helpful.

I especially liked these two infographics on plagiarism, which is a topic I'm continually coming back to in my library:

This first one, a Magical Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism, comes from Kate Hart (at KateHart.net). Kate is a young adult writer from Arkansas. 

And this one was created by EasyBib. I like the simplicity of it!

As far as creating infographics, (which is what I really want to be able to do - and have students do!) I am more frustrated. I've downloaded and tried every infographics app I can find and I really have not been able to locate one that is easy enough to create that it tells a good story. 

It is my belief that having students create an infographic would be a fantastic way of evaluating their understanding. In fact, I think it would be so good in social studies and English classes, especially, and would be a wonderful change from the typical PowerPoint presentation.

I found this incredible resource http://sdst.libguides.com/infographicslesson that would make creating an infographic assignment easy! It appears to have been created by Joyce Valenza - which makes total sense to me, since she is AWESOME! The libguide on infographics includes sample projects, creation tools, assessment rubrics, templates, and an amazing assortment of supporting resources. This is a site you will want to make note of if you are considering working with infographics. Thanks Joyce!!

Thing 14: Videos!!

Having instant access to a huge variety of videos is what digital devices are all about! I've enjoyed the huge assortment of educational video resources - like Vimeo, SchoolTube, TeacherTube, Ted, WatchKnowLearn, and so on - and even the wide range of great videos you can find in Youtube. However, I have not taken a close look at some of the social tools like Vine and SocialCam, so this will be a great lesson.

On first view, it's hard for me to see how these can be very educational. As an old lady I have to admit that they make me awfully nervous as I consider the safety of all this posting. And so many of these sites "require" age minimums, and yet are being downloaded by children of all ages. Having video recorders in places like locker rooms and bedrooms is a huge concern to me, so although it terrifies me to have all of these apps I think it is crucial that we not close our eyes to them but instead embrace them and use them. How else will children learn appropriate use.

And since I've stated that I guess I'd better get busy trying them out. Just this week Edutopia published an article on educational uses of Vine (and Instagram, which just announced a new feature in which you can publish 15 seconds videos). You can read it here: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-vine-instagram-video-education. There were some great suggestions here, so I'm ready to jump in further. TeachThought was saying the same thing here: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/what-is-vine-and-whats-it-doing-in-my-classroom/.

I'm stealing from the ASIDE (Innovation Design in Education) blog here, http://theasideblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/20-ways-to-use-twitters-vine-in.html, when I list their uses for Vine:

Applications:

1. Pair with information on a class website or blog
2. Announce homework to students and parents
3. Model how students should execute a task
4. Market a school's upcoming events to followers
5. "Tease" new units for kids and families
6. Record student reactions to texts
7. Think-pair-share in a virtual field
8. Grab "preview" or "exit interview" understandings
9. Offer parent testimonials for admissions
10. Build advisory or homeroom unity

Projects:

1. Design mini-book trailers
2. Film solutions to math problems
3. Identify symbols and silent metaphors
4. Recreate drawing or painting methods
5. Document science labs
6. Capture instructions for computer tools
7. Create "real-life" Vokis
8. Animate stop-motion characters
9. Recite famous quotations
10. Impersonate historical figures

Looks good, right? I have to admit that there are lots of reasons to use Vine and Instagram. Here are a few of my favorite examples:

Missing:

Just as an additional video note, iMovie now comes as a free app on every new iPad. The iPad version is wonderful and allows you to create fantastic videos!! Videos can easily be shared and uploaded to Youtube. If you create videos that are longer, note that you can request longer uploads with your account at Youtube. I was given that and have posted videos that are well over an hour long.