Hi-tech engagement
QR Codes
Quick Response Codes or QR Codes were first created in 1994 for an automotive company in Japan to keep track of their vehicles during manufacturing. QR Codes were created as another way to store information just like the popular barcode. Over 10 years later, one can find QR Codes on advertisements, products, price tags (Best Buy), handouts, invitations, receipts, and so much more for companies and individuals to share information.
When I was at social justice curriculum fair last year in Chicago, IL, to save paper, one of the tables had QR Codes to scan to be able to access the documents they created. This was very useful because I was able to save it electronically and print if I needed and not have to remember where I stored all my handouts from that conference.
QR Codes can be a benefit in the classroom because it can increase student engagement and allow for higher level thinking (Blooms). If your school has a limit on how much paper is allowed to print, well, here is your solution!!! They are quick and easy to create and fit aspects of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) especially with engagement and representation. Please visit Cast.org if you are not familiar with UDL.
QR Codes can be created for students learn more about any topic that the teacher wants to have them engage in. Video, pictures, sounds, documents, websites, numbers, and more can be turned into a QR Code. QR Codes can bring the classroom to life by having students engage in a scavenger hunt, have an interactive journey to any place, serve as how-to guides to help with concepts or vocabulary, and so much more.
Below are resources to help support QR Codes:
Ways to use QR Codes in the Classroom Article
QR Code in the Classroom Article
Free QR Code generator QRStuff
Free QR Code generator Kaywa
Scan the QR Code to the right as an example, I made it for one of my lessons about the Everglades.
Quick Response Codes or QR Codes were first created in 1994 for an automotive company in Japan to keep track of their vehicles during manufacturing. QR Codes were created as another way to store information just like the popular barcode. Over 10 years later, one can find QR Codes on advertisements, products, price tags (Best Buy), handouts, invitations, receipts, and so much more for companies and individuals to share information.
When I was at social justice curriculum fair last year in Chicago, IL, to save paper, one of the tables had QR Codes to scan to be able to access the documents they created. This was very useful because I was able to save it electronically and print if I needed and not have to remember where I stored all my handouts from that conference.
QR Codes can be a benefit in the classroom because it can increase student engagement and allow for higher level thinking (Blooms). If your school has a limit on how much paper is allowed to print, well, here is your solution!!! They are quick and easy to create and fit aspects of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) especially with engagement and representation. Please visit Cast.org if you are not familiar with UDL.
QR Codes can be created for students learn more about any topic that the teacher wants to have them engage in. Video, pictures, sounds, documents, websites, numbers, and more can be turned into a QR Code. QR Codes can bring the classroom to life by having students engage in a scavenger hunt, have an interactive journey to any place, serve as how-to guides to help with concepts or vocabulary, and so much more.
Below are resources to help support QR Codes:
Ways to use QR Codes in the Classroom Article
QR Code in the Classroom Article
Free QR Code generator QRStuff
Free QR Code generator Kaywa
Scan the QR Code to the right as an example, I made it for one of my lessons about the Everglades.
Websites
Another type of hi-tech engagement strategy is to create a website and have students explore content as an introductory lesson and can be used to refer back to after digging deeper into specific content to analyze the information with a more knowledgeable lens. I created this website for a 4th grade class to introduce them to the Great Depression. They were already deeply involved with Mildred Taylor novels so I was able to connect Literacy and Social Studies together to create a more meaningful activity.
Yes, it may take a bit of effort on the teachers end to create the website, but once it is complete, you will have it for years to come and it is easy to adjust or modify as needed. Students can also view the content from home or on their portable devices! This expands the learning beyond the classroom and create that love of learning!!
Check out the website and please feel free to use it in your classroom and incorporate into your curriculum!
http://grade4depressionlesson.weebly.com/
http://octopuslesson.weebly.com/
Another type of hi-tech engagement strategy is to create a website and have students explore content as an introductory lesson and can be used to refer back to after digging deeper into specific content to analyze the information with a more knowledgeable lens. I created this website for a 4th grade class to introduce them to the Great Depression. They were already deeply involved with Mildred Taylor novels so I was able to connect Literacy and Social Studies together to create a more meaningful activity.
Yes, it may take a bit of effort on the teachers end to create the website, but once it is complete, you will have it for years to come and it is easy to adjust or modify as needed. Students can also view the content from home or on their portable devices! This expands the learning beyond the classroom and create that love of learning!!
Check out the website and please feel free to use it in your classroom and incorporate into your curriculum!
http://grade4depressionlesson.weebly.com/
http://octopuslesson.weebly.com/
Low tech engagement
Visual Discovery:
Visual Discovery is a fun way to keep students engaged. You can present the lesson at times and other days you can have students select their own image and teach the class. Students can come up and pose in the same position as people on the images, come up and present dialogue that might be going on when the image was produced, and/or make predictions of what might happen next or what happened right before leading up to the image.
Supplies:
Projector
Document camera (if you don't have a projector)
Projection screen
White wall (if no projection screen)
White bed sheet (if no projection screen)
White piece of copy paper
Selection of images (art, photograph, illustrations, political cartoons, drawings, etc.)
Here are links that can help understand or use as reference as to why you are implementing this into your classroom.
http://www.teachtci.com/pdf/webinar_handouts/Visual_Discovery_Secondary.pdf
http://www.teachtci.com/pdf/webinar_handouts/Visual_Discovery_Elementary.pdf
http://blog.teachtci.com/visual-discovery-finding-images-for-this-favorite-teaching-strategy/
Visual Discovery is a fun way to keep students engaged. You can present the lesson at times and other days you can have students select their own image and teach the class. Students can come up and pose in the same position as people on the images, come up and present dialogue that might be going on when the image was produced, and/or make predictions of what might happen next or what happened right before leading up to the image.
Supplies:
Projector
Document camera (if you don't have a projector)
Projection screen
White wall (if no projection screen)
White bed sheet (if no projection screen)
White piece of copy paper
Selection of images (art, photograph, illustrations, political cartoons, drawings, etc.)
Here are links that can help understand or use as reference as to why you are implementing this into your classroom.
http://www.teachtci.com/pdf/webinar_handouts/Visual_Discovery_Secondary.pdf
http://www.teachtci.com/pdf/webinar_handouts/Visual_Discovery_Elementary.pdf
http://blog.teachtci.com/visual-discovery-finding-images-for-this-favorite-teaching-strategy/