7 things you should know about QR codes

Check out this informative article from Educause, 7 things you should know about QR codes, where they give you the "low down" on QR codes. They address the following questions:

1. What are they?
2. Whose doing it?
3. How does it work?
4. Why is it significant?
5. What are the downsides?
6. Where is it going?
7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?

If an educational act is to be efficacious, it will be only that one which tends to help toward the complete unfolding of life. To be thus helpful it is necessary rigorously to avoid the arrest of spontaneous movements and the imposition of arbitrary tasks.

                                                                                                                         ~ Maria Montessori

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I humbly thank my wonderful family for their support in all that I do. Robert Robbie Cowan, Robert Drew Andrew Cowan, and Hunter Cowan Hartselle, Decatur, AL

QR Codes - bringing life to art

Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wondered what the artist was trying to convey, what their message was? Wouldn't it be neat if the artist could talk to you while you were viewing the artwork? With QR does - the artist can!


QR Codes, also known as "quick response codes", have become very popular. They are used to link physical objects (magazine article, picture, art, projects, etc.) to virtual information (YouTube video, recorded message, digital presentation, etc.).

• How do you use them? Generate the code and paste it to the physical object. 
• How do you read them? With a QR scanner app installed on your cell phone.

See how one teacher used collaboration, integration and QR codes to bring new meaning student projects -  Transliteracy - QR Codes and Art.

Want to get started with QR Codes -

QR Code Generators

1. Google URL Shortener - Generate URL Codes for your proojects
1. Insert URL, 
2. Click "shorten"
3. Click "details"
4. Locate the QR code and save as an image file

QR CodeScanners

1. iPhones, iPad & iPod - QR Scanner from the App Store
2. Android - QR Barcode Scanner
3. Blackberry - QR Code Scanner Pro
   

If an educational act is to be efficacious, it will be only that one which tends to help toward the complete unfolding of life. To be thus helpful it is necessary rigorously to avoid the arrest of spontaneous movements and the imposition of arbitrary tasks.

                                                                                                                         ~ Maria Montessori

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I humbly thank my wonderful family for their support in all that I do. Robert Robbie Cowan, Robert Drew Andrew Cowan, and Hunter Cowan Hartselle, Decatur, AL

CSI - Twitter

Crime scene investigation has become a huge passion of many TV watchers over the past few years. One classroom teacher found a creative way to combine passion for investigation and social media to uncover the story behind a pile of bones found on school grounds... 
Sound intriguing? Sound a little scary? I'm sure the students thought so to! 

• The Crime: A skeleton was found on the school campus 
• The Question: Where did these bones come from? 
• The Mission: Investigate and find out! 

Read the full story CSI Twitter - Crime Scene Investigation. What a great example of using social media in the classroom!

If an educational act is to be efficacious, it will be only that one which tends to help toward the complete unfolding of life. To be thus helpful it is necessary rigorously to avoid the arrest of spontaneous movements and the imposition of arbitrary tasks.

                                                                                                                         ~ Maria Montessori

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I humbly thank my wonderful family for their support in all that I do. Robert Robbie Cowan, Robert Drew Andrew Cowan, and Hunter Cowan Hartselle, Decatur, AL

Mind Mapping Tools

Here's a couple of great tools that students can use to help organize their thoughts:

1. Bubblus -  Brainstorm online with bubbl.us. Easily create colorful mindmaps to print or share with others. Almost no learning curve. FREE$$$
2. Mindmeister - Collaborative web-based tool supporting unlimited simultaneous users. Users can create, edit and share maps on the Web. FREE$$$

If an educational act is to be efficacious, it will be only that one which tends to help toward the complete unfolding of life. To be thus helpful it is necessary rigorously to avoid the arrest of spontaneous movements and the imposition of arbitrary tasks.

                                                                                                                         ~ Maria Montessori

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I humbly thank my wonderful family for their support in all that I do. Robert Robbie Cowan, Robert Drew Andrew Cowan, and Hunter Cowan Hartselle, Decatur, AL

Wanna get social?

Social Media - while it's been around for a while, it's still all the "buzz" in educational settings. While many people "want" to integrate social media into their classroom, they simply lack the "know how" for using social media resources for beneficial student teaching and learning.
100+ examples of use of social  media for learning published by the Social Learning Centre briefly summarizes over 100 ways that different social techs/tools can be used to bring social dynamics to your classroom environment. The featured strategies were contributed by educators from all of the world and most require no out-of-pocket costs by students or teachers.

The strategies are divided into 17 categories - so if one doesn't work for you, hopefully another will. The social media categories include:

1. Blogging
2. Collaborative calendaring
3. Podcasting
4. RSS readers
5. Collaborative Mindmapping
6. Micro-blogging/micro-sharing
7. Photo sharing
8. Screencast sharing
9. Presentation sharing
10. Video sharing
11. Social bookmarking
12. Collaborative editing
13. Collaborative working
14. Collaborative presentations
15. Social networking
16. Personalized start pages
17. Integrated social/collaboration environment

Social techs/tools common throughout the 100+ strategies include, but are not limited to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Voicethread,  Wikispaces, Google Docs, PBworks, Etherpad, Delicious, YouTube, Screentoaster, Jing, Flickr, Bubblus and more!

Read the full article and make plans for integrating social media into your classroom environment. I'm sure your students will enjoy and benefit from the variety and collaboration it brings to their learning community!

If an educational act is to be efficacious, it will be only that one which tends to help toward the complete unfolding of life. To be thus helpful it is necessary rigorously to avoid the arrest of spontaneous movements and the imposition of arbitrary tasks.

                                                                                                                         ~ Maria Montessori

James 1:2-4 ESV 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I humbly thank my wonderful family for their support in all that I do. Robert Robbie Cowan, Robert Drew Andrew Cowan, and Hunter Cowan Hartselle, Decatur, AL

Is your classroom racist?

Featured on Edutopia is a really great article titled "Creating an Anti-Racist Classroom". In this article, Lee suggests 5 strategies for creating a classroom that encourages and appreciates all students.

1. Don't ignore race - Ignoring something is sometimes conceived as unwillingness to appreciate, so don't be guilty of ignoring student race. And if you do have unspoken biases, which most people do of some sort, explore them, discuss with your peers and find ways to ensure a fair, friendly and inviting classroom for all students.
2. Seek out established community organizations - Many times resources exist that we simply are not aware of, so find them!  It's very possible that located right around the corner are cultural, religious, educational and youth organizations that would love to work with you and your students.
3. Remember that communities of color are not monolithic - As you are well aware, stereotypes are not true of all people in the stereotyped group. Learn about the individual, don't assume what you haven't discovered for yourself. Treat each individual as the unique person that they are!
4. Read -  Educators hold an awesome power in their hands, the power to change. Use that ability to positively impact the lives of your students, by constantly learning. Read, listen to and observe others, this will strengthen your ability to provide a fair education to all of your students.  
5. Self-awareness is the key - Take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself "Am I unintentionally favoring certain students?", "Am I using preexisting labels?" - be honest with yourself and if you find that are acting unjustly towards your students, diligently work to overcome this. 

WatchKnowLearn!

If you're looking for a great video resource, check out Watchknowlearn. They have a wide selection of educational videos arranged by content/subject - and best of all, they are FREE to use, embed, share, etc.