QR Codes and Orientation

There really isn't anything better than hearing a thirteen-year-old whisper to his friend, "This is the coolest library ever!" I can't help but grin when students get excited about lessons.

Happily, it's almost a guarantee that they'll dig anything involving the iPads -- library orientation is no exception. I've talked before about creating videos about each section of the library for my orientation lesson. In the past, I've asked students to choose the appropriate video from a list on their iPad's camera roll that corresponds to the stop number. Inevitably, some kids select the wrong video, or get horribly lost.

This year, to combat that problem, and also up our cool quotient, I've added QR codes. I'm using the free app "Scan," which worked perfectly on our iPads to display both text and open URLs.

In class, I explained QR codes, and then students practiced using the app by scanning a handout at their table. Each table featured a different (lame) library joke. To get the punch line, they had to scan the QR code.

Above: QR practice codes feature lame jokes.


Once students had the hang of it, we set them loose to complete the library orientation. I set-up signs at each location featuring a QR code. When students scanned the code, it opened a URL containing the appropirate video.

Above: Boys scanning a QR code at stop #4. 

The new QR codes worked so well - students always watched the appropriate video and got a kick of out of scanning the codes. A win-win for all!


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