QR code in the classroom

http://my.qrvoice.net/SzIRfA

QR codes (Quck Response) provide users information that can be read by mobile devices. They can be also very useful in education (at different school subjects). It's only the question of strategies and purposes someone uses them. In my case I used them for language learning. 
There are two types of them:

1. text based (provide URLs or e-mails, for online web pages, articles, videos, music ...) (QR code creator)
2. voice based (provide TTS content, or online voice files) (QR voice code creator)

There are diferent QR code readers, for me i-Nigma code reader proved to be one of the best and works well on tablets and smart phones. 

They can be used for different educational purposes for example:

• they can label artworks at the exhibition to explain the techniques and the topics of the artworks for example (voice or text based ones),
• they can be used for treasure hunt (describibng the way to the treasure),
• they can be used for web searching for specific topics,
• they can be used for language learning (listening and reading)
• they can be used outdoor (in the natural park or learning path to describe plants and animals in the environment)
• use your imagination and ideas :) ...

It's important, that QR codes can be generated by teachers and students, so they can also be used in different projects. 

Here are my examples of QR code use in the classroom.

1. About food - (used in the secondary school)
2. Saami people Finland (teacher training course)
3. Traffic signs

I also prepared a presentation in Mentormob on the topic

Here are links to QR code creators:

• QR voice, 
• QR code, 
• GOQR, 
• Colour QR

Some QR code readers:

• I-Nigma, 
• NeoReader, 
• Kaywa

Web pages worth visiting :

• QR code in education
• prezi - QR code, 
• poster-QR code, 
• gloster-poster
• QR Treasure Hunt generator
• QR in education -CUC 2012 (video CUC conference in Croatia)

E-MATERILAS IN SLOVENIA

A VIDEO REVIEW OF THE CREATION AND USE OF E-MATERILAS IN SLOVENIAN SCHOOLS

Our project e-education  tries to bring the new technology and its value in educational process to each and every school in the country. The e-competent school, teacher, principal and student in general is one of the main goals of the 5 year long project financed partly by the EU funds.
Here are two videos about the creation of e-course books on national level and the use of e-materials in our schools that can somehow mirror some of the activities done in the project.

Video about using e-materials in Slovenian schools 

(link)
Video about developing e-materials

 (video)

And video about the way the project prospers in schools

Testing tablet computers in Slovenia

A group of experts and teacher within the national project E-education prepared a Pilot project testing tablet computers (link HERE)
In the introduction the research states :

"The pilot project - Testing tablets has established a methodology for testing new solutions in the context of the national project e-Education. Such pilot projects usually begin with the initiative for testing; proceed with the project design approved by the client, afterwards the testing itself follows, which is carried out by teacher-volunteers. The testing results are to be used as a contextual framework for the activities of management consultants, advisors of the school subject areas and as a technical framework for the possible purchase of hardware and software.

In testing the tablets we have relied on existing resources and research on the use of tablets in the education and beyond, which predict the growing popularity of mobile devices. So it makes sense that even in our environment, organized experiments are implemented to obtain first examples of such good use as a framework for the specification of a possible mass delivery of the devices."

In my case we were given an android tablet Asus Transformeser and planned to test it in grade 3 at maths le I searched for useful free accessible Adds. 

Software and hardware used:

1.     Google Body (ikon heart) – counting and addition of the bones in human fingers           (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.body)

2.     Maths – (ikon blocks) addition three types of maths tasks - different level of difficulty

3.     LITE ABC Kids connect the dots – (ikon ABC) numbers up to 20 in English           (https://market.android.com/details?id=zok.android.dots&feature=search_result)

4.     Video camera

5.     Talking Tom: (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.outfit7.talkingtom2free)

6.     My Piano: (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bti.myPiano)

7.     worksheets, tablet computer Asus Transformer

8.     projector, balls, blackboard, software

We used Talking Tom to teach him addition.

We counted bones in the human fingers.

The one who finished tasks on worksheets first could solve the tasks on the tablet.  Awesome!!!

Link to the videoclip of the lesson: http://url.sio.si/47