I have recently been investigating the concept of QR codes in teaching and learning. A QR code is a 2-dimensional image with information encoded in it. Below is an example of a QR code for anyone who may not know what a QR code is
The code can be decoded by QR code readers that are usually found on mobile phones and are read using an image of the code taken by the mobile phone’s camera. The code above is a link to Wikipedia’s English mobile website found at http://en.m.wikipedia.org. While QR codes have been in existence for quite some time in business (used initially to track product parts), I have only recently come across the concept. I recently installed a QR reader on my iPhone and made use of QR codes at #ECOO2010 as each of the conference’s sessions had a QR code. The codes were used to allow conference participants to connect to session information on the ECOO website in order to learn more about the sessions.
I was recently reading an Educase article titled “7 Things You Should Know About QR Codes” to learn more about QR codes and their application in education. Some interesting implications for teaching and learning that are mentioned in the article include:
- QR codes can link the physical and virtual worlds by allowing students to link to more information about an object or historically significant building or area
- Bringing learning into the physical world and out of the classroom
- Allowing students whose native language is one other than the dominant language of their school to connect to information about objects or ideas in their native languages
Essentially, the power of QR codes is in their ability to allow learners to use their mobile devices to link to specific information on the internet quickly and easily. It’s connection to mobile learning appears to be a natural one as it’s often a mobile device that is used to decode the QR codes and to access the information provided through the QR code on the Internet. Using QR codes in education is still very new and much more learning and experimentation is required. If anyone has any further information on QR codes in education or can share links to projects/experiments in their use in education, please share in the comment field.
Hey there,
I have been interested in OR codes impact on education. Can u contact with me via email i have some questions to ask you? We had a chance to discusss whats going on in the field. Thank you.
Best regards.
Specialist Ahmet Celik
Very serendipitous. Yesterday I downloaded an app for reading QR codes after reading about them in the London Evening (Low) Standard and here they are again. There seems to be something temptingly subversive about them to me. So much information in a tiny little square that can be stuck anywhere. Apparently bit.ly has a QR converter so you can produce your own.
I experimented with QR codes in the context of Research2.0, here a link describing my project: http://sites.google.com/site/kulmoreapp/
QR are a really interesting technology, but applicable only on specific situations.
I have examine your work. It is amazing i think.
I blogged about a few educational uses of QR codes a few months back (http://www.emoderationskills.com/?p=278). But coincidentally just today I came across a great blog post on the Mobile Learning blog about how QR codes will inevitably be replaced by image/text recognition software – read the blog post here: http://mlearning.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/qr-codes-here-today-but-gone-tomorrow… Interesting reading, and it makes quite a convincing case, I think. But hey, QR codes are fun to play around with in the meantime!
Great post, here are links to all of my posts detailing use of QR Codes within my classroom. http://thepegeek.com/category/qrcode/
[...] provided through the QR code on the Internet.” (Rob De Lorenzo, The Mobile Learner: QR Codes and Mobile Learning, Nov. 17, [...]
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I wish for more info on this QR code reader.br an educator in a 3world country i have come to realise the importance of e-learning.i would like to know more about the workings of the QR codes as they apply to education
Hi Omiete,
Thanks for your comment. One place you can start is with this Educase article title, “7 Things You Should Know About QR Codes” – http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7046.pdf. You can also follow by online bookmarks concerning qr codes by clicking here: http://www.delicious.com/rdelorenzo/qrcodes.
I hope this helps.
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