1. Technology Mediated Learning Case Study
QR Codes in the Classroom
Creator: Emily Ward
Sep 11, 2012
Definition and Background
A QR code (short for Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional bar code. Like the more
traditional UPC bar codes you see on most products, a QR code contains information that can
be read when scanned. However, unlike traditional UPC bar codes, QR codes can include much
more information, such as images, website links, and longer messages. In fact, a QR code can
contain 7,089 numerical characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters compared to the 12
characters available in a UPC code. What's more, QR codes can be scanned by bar code readers
as well as smart phones and other smart devices, making them more accessible to the average
person (Jones, QR Codes).
The QR code developed as a result of the driving popularity of UPC codes in commercial realms.
Users recognized the extreme ease of using bar codes to store information, but -- as is the case
with many developments -- the market wanted more information to be stored in a smaller area.
From this desire, a subsidiary of Toyota, DENSO WAVE in Japan, developed a bar code in 1994
that could be read in two directions and termed it the Quick Response Code. For several years,
QR codes were most popular in the vehicle industry, eventually branching out to other
commercial and industrial enterprises. In more recent years, they have become increasingly
popular with the average smart phone owner as well. Now, with free online applications,
anyone can create a QR code, and anyone with a smart device or bar code scanner can access

2. the information hidden within the code (LedoWorks). Because of the ease of use, educators
have begun to pick up on this technology and have started using it with students. This wiki will
explore how educators can use QR codes with students and whether they are valuable tools to
increase student success.
What Educators Need to Know
As explained above, a QR code is a simple way to put a lot of information in a small space. QR
codes can embed website links, videos, audio, text messages, phone numbers, and more into a
square inch or two. Because the code is embedded in a matrix design, both vertically and
horizontally (as opposed to only vertically as in UPC codes), much more information can be
encoded. Fortunately for educators, creating a QR code is free and easy. Middle school teacher
librarian, Gwenyth Ann Bronwynne Jones (a.k.a. The Daring Librarian), developed this simple
comic tutorial for how to create QR codes using online resources:
How to Create a QR Code in 3 Easy Steps

3. In this comic, Jones suggests using Bit.ly to create QR codes for embedding URLs of websites,
videos, or audio content, but sites such as Goo.gl, Push QR, and SnapVu work as well. Each of
these online QR generators can also be used to track the use of the code to see how many
people have used it to access your content. Additionally, there are QR code generators for text,
phone numbers, SMS, and more, including Kaywaand BeQRious. Once generated, QR codes can
be printed and posted anywhere, such as on posters, bulletin boards, products, devices,
pamphlets, etc.
To read a QR code, the user needs a QR scanner, which can easily be downloaded as a free app
on any smart phone or device. While Jones suggests i-nigma, there are many others such as
Kaywa Reader, QuickMark, and Lynkee. This website features a tool that allows you to input
your device and it will tell you which QR readers are compatible.
For further guidance to preparing QR codes, check out blogger Vicki Davis' QR Code Classroom
Implementation Guide, in which she carefully explains the process of integrating QR code
technology into your classroom step by step.
How Can QR Codes Be Used?
QR codes can be incorporated into the learning environment incredibly easily.
School libraries are a great place to integrate QR codes to bolster reading programs or
encourage further exploration. In one middle school library in Chapel Hill, NC, teacher librarian
Natalie Sapkarov is starting the school year off by incorporating QR codes into displays and into
communications with the school community. The picture of the display below shows how
Sapkarov included QR codes on book covers of new books in the library. When students scan
the QR codes using their own devices, they will be linked to a YouTube video book trailer for
the book. This display, although just 2D in formation, gets students actively involved and
increases the chance they might select one of these books to read. Similarly, Sapkarov posted a
note with QR codes on the library door during Open House. These codes connected friends and
family to the library website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed (N. Sapkarov, personal
communication, August 23, 2012).

4. Photo by Natalie Sapkarov
McGuffey School District in Claysville, PA, has integrated the use of QR codes throughout the
school, including in the library, music classes, language classes, history classes, home economics
classes, and more. According to Laura Jacob, McGuffey's Instructional Technology Coach, "QR
codes in our school district have extended learning opportunities, provided remediation, and
connected our community beyond the school walls." Watch this video to learn more about how
McGuffey has used QR codes in their school.
Further ideas for incorporating QR codes into the classroom or school community include:
As primary school work:
Have students record themselves reading stories. Post QR codes linking to the audio on
each page of the book. Students can listen to themselves and each other while reading
along.
Create a scavenger hunt, with QR codes providing the next clue for students.
On a field trip to a museum, gallery, or botanical garden, post QR codes at various points
around the location or on worksheets to provide students with a guided tour of the
environment.
In music class, post QR codes on sheet music linking to audio files of the piece.

5. To supplement school work:
Post QR codes within classroom library books that link to a book trailer, comprehension
questions, or reader responses.
Include QR codes on homework sheets that give students helpful reminders of how to
solve various types of problems.
Record lessons using an interactive whiteboard and post QR codes to assignment sheets
or study guides that link to the lesson, so students can refresh their memories of the
lesson at home.
Create QR codes that link to the homework page on the classroom website and have
students post these in their student assignment book/planner.
Post QR codes that link to supplemental resources within your teacher textbook. This
way resources are not lost over the years.
Have students vote on classroom decisions using a QR code as each choice.
To communicate with family/community:
Post a QR code at the top of all letters sent home, linking to the school or classroom
website.
For Open House nights, have teachers record short videos introducing themselves. Post
QR codes that link to these videos outside teacher classrooms, so parents and families
can have an interactive tour of the school.
The above suggestions came from Andrew Miller, John Mikulski, and Jill Thompson.
Before QR Codes can be used within your classroom or library effectively, students will need to
know how to access and use them. International ICT educator Clive Roberts has developed a
lesson plan that introduces students to QR code technology and explains how it can be used
within other educational activities. Although he suggests this lesson for 7th grade and above, it
could easily be adjusted to work well with younger students.
Additionally, in order for students to participate in activities using QR codes, they must have
access to mobile technology, such as personal smart phones or iPads. More schools are getting
iPads to be used in the classroom, whether that be a few that can be checked out for use, or a
complete classroom set. If this is the case, they can serve as the technology device, and there is
no need for students to use personal devices. However, if the school is without such devices,
teachers may need to consider getting permission from parents for students to bring and use
their personal devices in the classroom for educational activities. This can be in the form of a
letter or email sent home at least two weeks prior to the planned activity, so as to have time to
make other arrangements if enough devices can not be allocated. Depending on the school's
cell phone policy, teachers may also need to seek permission from administration for these
activities. Knowing that not all students will have smart phones or smart devices, educators
should plan activities that can be completed in groups or partners, so that no one is left without
access to a device.

6. Should Educators Use QR Codes?
Just because QR codes have a wide range of possible uses in the K-16 classroom doesn't
necessarily mean they are worthwhile. In fact, many educators have valid hesitations and
criticisms of the popular technology. For example, because QR codes are reliant on mobile
technology to be of significant use, incorporating them into the classroom assumes that
students have access to smart devices. While many students do have access to these devices,
many also do not, and unless the teacher provides access to these students, it is unfair to
heavily rely on QR codes to support curricular uses (Educause, p. 2). Others argue that while QR
codes are appealing, similar objectives can be accomplished with other applications or
techniques that do not rely on mobile devices. Although a little tongue in cheek, blogger Patrick
Cauley suggests index cards as a much cheaper option for a scavenger hunt activity. Similarly,
he mentions using the expansive choice of free polling websites to conduct classroom surveys.
Cauley also mentions that asking students to use their mobile devices in school is asking for
them to become distracted with other online networks, such as Facebook, email, and Twitter.
However, others feel that using QR codes in classrooms can be an effective way to connect with
and push today's modern students. In a screen-oriented culture where many of our students
spend hours a day sitting inside in front of TV and computer screens, QR codes can "link the
physical world with the virtual by providing on-the-spot access to descriptive language and
online resources for objects and locations. In this way, the codes support experiential learning,
bringing scholarship out of the classroom and into physical experience" (Educause, p.2).
This idea of experiential learning is supported by various learning theorists, including John
Dewey and Noam Chomsky. Dewey professed that the greatest way of learning was by doing,
and QR codes can support this idea by getting students connecting with information in a more
active way. He argued that students "progress fastest in learning, not through being
mechanically drilled in prefabricated material, but by doing work, experimenting with things,
changing them in purposive ways" (qtd. in Wenger). Similarly, Chomsky advocates that students
need a "stimulating environment ... to enable natural curiosity, intelligence, and creativity to
develop, and to enable our biological capacities to unfold" (Putnam). QR codes can provide that
stimulating environment to today's students, by giving them access to more information in an
easily accessible and mobile way. Students are no longer tied to stationary machines or heavy
textbooks to access information. Instead, mobile devices are allowing ubiquitous learning,
granting students access to helpful information anytime, anywhere.
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences also supports the use of QR codes in the
classroom. QR codes offer different avenues for learning that appeal to students of varying
intelligences. For students with musical intelligence, hearing audio clips of relevant music
associated with a particular time period in history may help deepen understanding. Students
with spatial intelligence may find it particularly engaging to have links to virtual tours of places
they are learning about. Similar activities and resources can be applied to each of the different
intelligences using QR codes as easily accessible portals to information.

7. Conclusion
Quick Response (QR) codes offer a fun, engaging way to connect students to information
quickly and easily. They support student-directed learning and exploration and differentiation
to unique student abilities. However, for most applications described here, students need
access to smart mobile devices to make the most of QR codes, and many families and school
districts do not have the means of providing these for students. Until all students have access to
smart mobile devices, teachers cannot afford to rely on QR codes as primary means of
communicating or distributing information. However, until that point, QR codes can still be
used as an additional access point that may appeal to many students and families due to their
quick, simple, and mobile features.
References
Cauley, P. (2011, September 3). QR codes and education [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://itbabble.com/2011/09/03/qr-codes-and-education/
Davis, V. (2011, May 5). QR code classroom implementation guide [Web log post]. Retrieved
from http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2011/05/qr-code-classroom-implementation-
guide.html
Educational Resources PBS. (n.d) Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory. Retrieved
from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/ed_mi_overview.html
Educause Learning Initiative. (2009). 7 things you should know about QR codes. Retrieved from
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7046.pdf
Jones, G. A. B. (2010). QR codes at-a-glance comic tutorial. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/5281436894/in/set-72157625298744518/
Jones, G. A. B. (2011). How to create a QR code in 3 easy steps. Retrieved from
http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2011/10/how-to-create-qr-code-in-3-easy-steps.html
LedoWorks, Inc. (n.d.) QR codes: History and technical background. Retrieved from
http://qrcodeguide.org/14/qr-codes-%E2%80%93-history-and-technical-background/
Mikulski, J. (2011, June 2). 10 ways to use QR codes in the classroom.[Web log post]. Retrieved
from http://www.classroominthecloud.net/2011/06/10-ways-to-use-qr-codes-in-
classroom.html
Miller, A. (2011, December 5). Twelve ideas for teaching with QR codes.[Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

8. Putnam, L.J. (Interviewer) & Chomsky, N. (Interviewee).(1987). Language, Language
Development, and Reading [Interview transcripts]. Retrieved from Chomsky.Info: The Noam
Chomsky Website: http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/1987----.htm
Roberts, C. (2011). QR codes - Lessons and resources. Retrieved from
http://digitallearningworld.com/qr-codes-lesson-and-resources
Thompson, J. (2012, April 8). Ways to use QR codes in the elementary classroom and using
Google Docs to create them. [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://insidetheclassroomoutsidethebox.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/ways-to-use-qr-codes-in-
the-elementary-classroom-and-using-google-docs-to-create-them/
Wenger, P. (2011). QR codes: Implications for education. Retrieved from http://pwenger-
qrcodes.wikispaces.com/Implications+for+Education