Using QR Codes for Adult Literacy Lessons

Group: Technology and Learning Discussion Topic: Social Media Webinar Series: Part 2 - QR Codes Nell Eckersley's comment on the Discussion Lesson ideas using QR Codes Hi all, One of the lesson ideas I shared on the webinar comes from a culminating lesson I used to do with my ESOL students.  Students would make or find a picture or photo and then write a description of the picture or describe the story behind the image. We would work on the vocabulary and grammar and student s would practice reading their short essays to one another, and eventually in front of the whole class. QR Codes inspired a new component to this lesson.  Students would complete the steps listed above, but now they would use their cell phones to call my Google voice number to record themselves on my voicemail reading their essays.  I could then download their voicemail as a sound file that I would upload to Vimeo (easier than YouTube for some reason).  I would take the links to the sound clips on Vimeo and create short links using Bitly.  Then I would create QR Codes from the Bitly links. This all sounds more complicated than it really is, I promise. Finally we could display the pictures on the wall of our classroom accompanied by the QR Code and we would invite neighboring classes to come in to our “gallery” and use their smart phones to scan the QR codes beside each picture to hear the students describing their pictures.    With the addition of the QR codes to the lesson, I found that students worked harder, knowing that the audience was going to be more than just me or their classmates.  There is also a mysterious and magical aspect to how a black and white square can somehow take you to a recording of a voice of someone you know which made the students from the other classes eager to try out this lesson in their classes.  Students could easily learn how to upload the sound files themselves and make their own QR codes with just a little direction and practice. Here's an example of a picture and narration I did--you can go to it from clicking on this link http://bit.ly/1pw0sTs or by scanning the QR Code at this link http://bit.ly/1pw0sTs.qr (come on, try scanning the QR Code....) I'd love to hear form anyone else who has tried using QR Codes with their students or colleagues.  Success first time out?  Lessons learned? best, Nell - Nell Eckersley Reply to this comment Original text from the Discussion: Social Media Webinar Series: Part 2 - QR Codes Hi all, We had our webinar on QR Codes on February 13th.  I will share the link to the recording once it is available.  You can see the PowerPoint on Slideshare at this link slidesha.re/15Nu9av For those of you who participated in the webinar, what are some things you learned or what questions did you come away with?  Do QR Codes seem useful as a way to help all your students get to the same place online at the same time--particularly when using mobile devices?  Can you suggest some ways to use it with students or colleagues?  What tools do you use to make and scan QR Codes? best, Nell --