QR READER USES IN THE CLASSROOM

QR reader apps are such a quick and fun way to inject some technology integration into your tried and true favorite activities.  I have gone a little QR crazy and I thought I would share some of the other ways generating QR codes and using the QR reader app on the iPad has made learning interactive, motivating, and streamlined in my classroom.

More ways to use QR reader apps in the elementary classroom.  Some of these you may not have tried before!

1. QR iPad Video Station

I have generated QR codes that take students to a video that directly relates to a math concept we have learned.  I source my videos from Teacher Tube and Khan Academy mostly.  I use those sites because they both will play on an iPad.

I set up 1 iPad in the back of the classroom with a binder of the QR codes organized by lesson and subject.  I use a Belkin Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter.  It is one of my top recommended accessories for iPads in the classroom.  At under $15.00 it is a steal since it basically turns a single iPad into a collaborative station.

How? The splitter plugs into the headphone jack of the iPad and converts a single jack into 5 so 5 students can plug headphones into the iPad to listen.  Students are then able to access the videos during math for reteaching or previewing upcoming concepts.

2. QR codes that link to an Author’s Purpose Wall

This is another Padlet / QR code mashup.  First I made a Padlet wall for each of the three main purposes: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain.  Padlet will auto generate codes for you that link to the Padlet you made.  I attached the codes to posters I made for each purpose.  Now during Reading Workshop, students can determine the author’s purpose of a book read then add it to the Padlet wall via the QR code.

3.  QR Scavenger Hunts and Task Cards for Centers

Well, I do not exactly make these, but I use these frequently so I figured I would share.  I search Teachers Pay Teachers for the above terms and many types come up.  In math, I really like the ones by Flapjack Educational Resources and Kristin-Kennedy.

If you wanted to make your own task cards, you would use a site like QR Code Generator.  Instead of choosing URL, you would select “text” and type in the answer to the problem you have typed on your task card.  Since Teachers Pay Teachers has so many already made for fair prices, I end up just purchasing packs ready made.

4. QR interactive posters, anchor charts, or word walls

If there is a song or video we watched while creating an anchor chart or to help us remember a concept or strategy, I make a QR code of the website hosting the song or video and attach it to the anchor chart.  For example, we used Have Fun Teaching’s excellent Noun song when reviewing nouns so I created a QR code for the web address of the video, printed it, and placed it on the corresponding anchor chart.  Now students can hover QR reader over it and listen to the song.

5. QR Website Shortcut Sheets for Students

I made a worksheet with QR codes for all of our most frequently used websites.  Students keep this in their desk to pull out whenever we use iPads.  For third graders, this saves A LOT of time! You could also keep all of your links on Symbaloo and make a QR code that opens it.  This saves a step from having students type it web addresses.  You may need to teach them to use the “Open In” Chrome or Safari feature after scanning since many sites will not work as well when opened and displayed in the QR reader app.


I pin many QR reader ideas for the classroom on my iPad Activities Pinterest board.  Follow it here:

Follow Technology Erintegration’s board iPad Activities on Pinterest.
These are some of the ways I use QR codes and QR reader in my room.  Since we do not have a class set of iPads in the room all day, I leave my iPad out and students are still able to “read the room” when finished work early or work in teams.  We also use QR codes for writing and reading response! QR codes have made my classroom more interactive and also more efficient!

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