Tech Tac Toe Web 2.0 Tools #3: QR Codes

After the incredibly time consuming process of making an infographic, constructing an assignment around QR codes was a relative breeze. Working within the same Russian Civil War unit as my last two Web 2.0 tools (see the last two posts on this blog), I decided to make a reading response assignment that would have students work on their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

I found two short articles on communism. The first, from Ducksters, is expressly written for middle school students, and gives a very brief overview of communism and its implementation in Russia and China (for the purposes of this assignment, students will ignore the part on China). The second, from How Stuff Works, is longer and slightly more difficult, but provides significantly more information for the students. I made QR codes for each on qrstuff.com, and put them together on one document, along with a QR code for a Google form. This Google form asks the student to fill in their name and the class period, and respond to the following prompt: explain in your own words the basic ideas of Communism and how it might have worked in the Soviet Union. This document could be projected on the board and students could use iPads to access the QR codes and complete the response assignment.

Having worked in a school where I am constantly fishing paper out of the trash and moving it to recycling bins, I am distressed by the amount of paper used in schools. While much of this paper is necessary, there are many ways in which we can reduce the amount of paper used in the classroom. QR codes are a tremendous asset on this front. Readings and response sheets will no longer need to be printed out, saving hundreds of sheets of paper per response assignment. If no other reason than how green QR codes are, I plan to use them frequently in my own classroom.