Thinking Outside-the-Box With QR Codes

by Noah Geisel

I was introduced to QR Codes by Kevin Gaugler's presentation at the 2009 ACTFL convention, when he showed off the Robert Downey Jr. cover of Esquire magazine that employed QR Codes. Simply put, I was wowed. Since then, I've seen a dramatic rise in the use of QR Codes in magazines, on busses and in classrooms but often find the application of the tool to be uninspiring. Marketers (and we educators are in the business of marketing knowledge and skills) employing QR Codes are limited only by their creativity in the uses of this tool and I, for one, would like to see people thinking more outside-the-box.

For example, I recently attended an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum and saw that in addition to descriptions of the art and artists on the placards of each piece in the show, there were QR Codes. Excited for a socially appropriate opportunity to break out my smart phone at the museum, I scanned the code and voila: the same information that was on the placard now appeared on my phone's screen, only many times smaller. Value added: zero.

Last week, I went to what was billed as a QR Code art show. More than 20 QR Codes had been enlarged and hung on the walls. When scanned, the codes linked to a cell phone screen-sized picture of each artist's work. Somewhat snazzy, but again there was no value added. Personally, I'd rather see the full-sized works.

An example of an inspired, outside-the-box approach to using QR Codes is in the photography show of Denver math teacher and travel photographer Paul Knickerbocker. Each picture in his show is named after the town and country where it was taken. Additionally, each picture's placard features a QR Code that, when scanned, links to a Google Map that Mr. Knickerbocker created on which the pictures have been geo tagged and annotated with brief descriptions of the shots. This is a use that adds value! It allows people to learn more about each picture and have multiple ways to connect with them. It opens the door to art patrons conversing with the artist without his having to be at the gallery every day. The QR Codes are used in order to bring something new to the table, not just recycle the same content to a mobile device.

As we seek out ways to engage our 21st Century learners, QR Codes are an attractive option. The challenge is not to find opportunities to integrate them but to do so in ways that, like Mr. Knickerbocker's travel photography show, enhance content and users' experiences. Failure to think outside-the-box can lead to presenting the same information on a smaller screen and that is a tough sell for the learners in our target market.

_____________________________________________________

**Cybraryman's resource page is a great starting place for educators to explore ways to utilize QR Codes in the classroom**

[Shape]SHIFT HAPPENS?

Slashdot's got an article on shape-shifting SmartPhones.

How about shape-shifting schooldesks fit with monitors and headphones and wired for the future? I could see it know: "Ok, children... make your desk into whatever shape you want, get in, and let's see where we can take these things!"

Will SmartPhones be a viable alternative to Laptops for school and work?

Here the early results from my recent ask500people poll:



17% Very Unlikely
29% Unlikely
19% Not Sure
29% Likely
6% Very Likely

SmartPhones and SmartDesks meet SmartKeyboards

Now Reader Knaus is excited about the SmartPhone/SmartDesk combo:

I want in! Thanks for clarifying. So basically, each student gets a Palm Centro, Blackberry, or other Smartphone loaded with education "stuff." Love it. The only drawback is the keyboard but that shouldn't be too complicated.

Your keyboard worries aren't worries anymore: check out these portable PDA keyboards.

SmartPhones + SmartDesks =

Reader Knaus has some questions regarding my SmartDesk post:

What are we talking here? Using student supplied cell phones as modems for internet access?

My wife's business has thin clients. Nothing is actually stored on the desktop machine. Everything is done from a server? Is that what we're talking about?

I think we might be talking about something like this:

Educational software for cell phones, a suite of tools developed at the University of Michigan, is being used to turn smart phones into personal computers for students in two Texas classrooms.

Yup. SmartPhones. Just run 'em into monitors. And voilà: SmartDesks.

"This is the beginning of the future," Soloway said. "The future is mobile devices that are connected. They're going to be the new paper and pencil."

Cell phones can be powerful computers, Soloway says. They can do just about everything laptops can do for a fraction of the price. And many students are bringing them to school anyway.

Read the whole article here on Physorg.

SmartPhones

Interesting article at eSchool:

"Year after year, when students are asked on our Speak Up Survey what they'd most like to have, I get the same answer," said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, a national education group that publishes the largest annual survey of student, parent, teacher, and administrator attitudes toward school technology.

"I hear: I want a laptop," Evans said.

But it's not the specific nature of the device itself that kids desire, she explained; instead, it's what a laptop gives them: the ability to control their own knowledge. According to Evans, a laptop serves as a proxy for intellectual freedom--and with recent advancements in handheld and smart-phone devices, these technologies can offer much of the same experience, at a typically lower cost.

There's been a bit of talk about this in comments as well as emails I've received related to earlier posts. So, what do you all think? Let's take a poll on ask500people: Will SmartPhones be a viable alternative to Laptops for school and work?