I hate to sound pompous, but this week's small activity were a blast from the past for me. We were tasked with learning / applying URL shorteners, QR codes, and Bookmarklets. I was first introduced to QR codes in 9th grade (they were established in 1994). I used QR codes with a cardboard robot I built in high school. Our teacher placed QR codes on the wall of a maze he built for our robots. The robots used the QR codes as programming knowledge. Basically we created small websites that acted as coding (turn right 90 degrees or turn left 90 degrees). The robot was programmed to continue straight until it was told otherwise. It rolled down the track of the maze until it got close enough to read the QR code. Then turned right or left depending on the QR code, all the way until the end of the maze.
Coming back from that tangent, QR codes are extremely helpful and unique still today. The problem is, our youngsters don't use them too much. I use them within my class for several things. The first is a digital scavenger hunt that I set up the first week of school for them to learn about different aspects of the class / where things are in the room. I also use them for quick links to bits of information on my website like homework postings, interesting article, competitions, etc. An example of this can be seen in the picture below. Another really cool way to use them that my wife does with her Elementary students is called Plickers. Basically, she programs the app, prints out a QR code for each of her students that reads "A" when it is rotated one way, "B" the next, "C" the next, and "D" the last way, and gives it to the students. She then plays a review game with them that they hold up the QR code in with it rotated to what they think the answer is. While they are doing this, she stands up front and quickly scans the room with her iPad's camera to collect all of their answers. Talk about a cool way to use them in school.
Another tangent, but awesome enrichment project I tried to do with a group of gifted students the other year. They not only were smart kids, they also were the type of kids that wanted to give back to their peers. Coming from Middle School to High School can be very overwhelming, especially when you have to travel between two buildings like my students do at the High School. The project I tasked them with was figuring out some way of helping students who were lost in the building, new to the district or school navigate their way from where they are to where they want to go. This was a tough one for them to tackle for a while. Finally, they figured that most students have a cell phone with our Wifi on it. How could they use that to their advantage? I introduced them to QR codes. So what they did was found the fire escape routes of the building online, placed markers or checkpoints within the map, and boundaries where the walls were. They then created a QR code for each checkpoint, printed it, and hung it on the wall at that location in the school. Once you scanned a QR code, it would open up the Google Maps map they created of our school with your location as the start point. There was an option then for the destination being the room or hallway you wanted to get to. The person would enter that room or hallway, and it would navigate them to it. Awesome concept right? Well the students got half way done and then senioritis kicked in. They graduated without it finished.
As far as URL Shorteners go, I use them all the time. I use them for 3 main reasons. The first being that any website I make for school has the URL of site.google.com/share.wilsonsd.__________. It is way too long to have written or posted somewhere. The second is when I teach in-service meetings to other teachers. I project the shortened URL as they walk in so they can get to the presentation or resource I am showing them. For this I use Google's shortener because you can set a time frame for the shortener to work for. Last but more important, I use URL shorteners for my online tests that I give through Google Forms. This way students can access the test quickly without many directions and it isn't emailed to them. Of course they can bookmark it, but nothing is perfect.
The Bookmarklet that I added was Keepvid so I can "borrow" YouTube videos. It's funny that we had a project about Creative Commons and correct sharing, yet this was a recommended thing to try out. Kind of ironic, but useful non-the-less. I liked the Bookmarklet because it allowed me get the segments of a video I wanted while keeping the quality. The old app I used for this stopped working with the new HTML coding Google Chrome uses, so this is helpful.
Below is a picture of how I use / have posted on a whiteboard in my classroom, my URL shortner and QR codes for one of my classes.
You are definitely ahead of the curve and well schooled in these tools -- I do appreciate how you have given some creative ideas how to use them in the classroom-- I like the idea of Plickers and how your students used them to create a fun and easy transitional environment for those coming into high school. Thank you for sharing!
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