When considering the options for my final tech tutorial, QR codes are what stood out to me! I have previously thought about QR codes and how they may be helpful in an art, English and textiles class. But first, what is a QR code?!?

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) are two-dimensional codes that you can scan with a smartphone. The code contains information, usually a site address, and once you scan it, the code connects you with a resource on the web.

https://digital.gov/resources/introduction-to-qr-codes/

QR codes can be found in many places serving a variety of purposes as a quick and easy way to connect people to sites online. I can imaging that QR codes in the classroom can be a helpful tool for directing students towards online resources.

8 ways to use QR codes in the classroom” from the Norther Illinois University Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning outlines a variety of ways QR codes can be used in the class. The article helped me come up with a few ways that I could use QR codes in English, art and textiles class:

  • in a slideshow to connect students to the resource, text, activity, google form etc. within a lesson
  • connect students to a google doc for a collaborative activity
  • engage students in tools such as kahoot, mentimeter, poll, padlet etc.
  • connect students to resources and tutorials (e.g. in textiles class, a QR code on a sewing machine could help students remember how to thread a bobbin)
  • interactive learning, such as a gallery walk activity

Example:

Picture a textiles classroom where QR codes can be found around the room. For example, there are codes on the sewing machines which link to tutorial for winding a bobbin, threading the machine or adjusting the tension. At the cutting table, a QR codes links to a video on cutting out sewing patters.

In this example, QR codes in a textiles class could support students’ by directing them towards helpful resources.

link to a sewing machine tutorial, generated with https://www.qr-code-generator.com/