Saving Time - QR Codes linked to Google Forms

Saving Time - QR Codes linked to Google Forms

We use QR codes a lot in our classrooms, but perhaps one of the best uses is our Sign In/Out QR code and our Tardies QR code.  When a student needs to go to the bathroom, nurse, LRC, locker... they ask as usual.  But then instead of signing out on a sheet of paper, they instead use their iPad to scan a QR code, fill out a Google Form and then leave their iPad in a certain spot near the door while they are out of the classroom.  The reason we have them leave their iPad in a certain spot is so that we as the teachers can quickly look to that spot to see if we have any students out of the room.  This would be very important in the case of a fire drill.

When the student comes back in the classroom, they pick up their iPad and repeat the process.  The only difference is that they select "Coming Back" in the Google Form.  Each time the students submit the Google Form, their input is sent to a Google Spreadsheet.  Throughout the year, we can refer to the spreadsheet to look for misuses of bathroom privileges, arranging meetings in the bathrooms to hang out, or to help us figure out who was out of the classrooms when something occurred.


In the last blog post we talked about how to create a QR code and some of the uses of a QR code in the classroom.  In this post we are going to walk you step-by-step through how to link a QR code to a Google Form for collecting info.


Step 1:
Go to Google Drive (or Google Docs) and click on "New" to create a new document.

Step 2: 

Select Google Forms to create a new Google Form.

Step 3:
Enter in the questions you would like in your Google Form.  For our Sign In/Out QR codes we have four questions.

1. Last Name (your Google Form may be able to automatically collect the students email.  But this does not work if a student uses another students iPad).
2. First name
3. Leaving the classroom or coming back
4. Where are you going to or coming from?

Step 4:

Go to the Live Form.  To do this you will probably need to go through the Google Spreadsheet.  

On the Google Form, go to See responses in the upper right hand corner.

Click on See responses and then click on Spreadsheet.

Once in the spreadsheet, click on Form at the top of the sheet.  Then click on "Go to Live Form."

Copy the web address for the live form.

Step 5:

Next, go to your QR generator.  We like to use www.qrstuff.com.  Once at QRstuff.com, paste the live form web address into the location you see below.

The QR you see on the right hand side should then change to your new QR code.  Click download to download your QR.

Step 6:

We usually then create a poster to display in the classroom.  For the Sign In/Out QR code we create a poster in Microsoft Word that we printed off and posted by our doors.  That way students can sign out and in when they leave the classroom.

So what is a QR code anyway?

What is a QR code?

So what is a QR code?  Basically a QR code is a fancy barcode that acts like a hyperlink.  You scan it with your device (SmartPhone, iPad, iPod...) and it tells your device what to do.  A QR code can tell your device to go to a certain webpage, open up an email, open a google map location or any number of other options.  (See the list on the right!)

QR codes are really simple to make and can be used in so many different ways in your classroom.  The best part is you don't have to be 1:1 iPads to start using QR codes.  Most of the BYOD devices students bring in can scan a QR code.  Or if you prefer, check some of the iPod touches out from the LRC.  We actually used the LRC iPods to collect locker combinations before we had handed out the 1:1 iPads to the students.  More on this later.

So how do you create a QR code?

QR codes are actually very simple to create.  In this next section I am going to provide you with step-by-step directions on how to make a QR code that will link to a website.  

1.  First decide what you want your QR code to do.  As I mentioned earlier, you can have a QR code do a number of different things.  For the purpose of this blog post I am going to create a QR code to a website as my example.

2.  Go to the website that you would like your QR code to direct a device to.

3.  Copy the web url for that website.

4.  Go to a QR code generating website.  I prefer the website www.qrstuff.com for making all of my QR codes.  

5. Paste the website url website into the content area on qrstuff.

6.  Click the Download QR Code button to download your brand new QR code to your computer.

7. Now I usually take the QR code and put it into a Word document.  This allows me to add directions or information and basically make a poster that I can put up in my classroom or in the hallways.

How have you used QR codes in your class or on your team?

We have used QR codes to link to link to GoogleForms.  Students scan the QR and then fill out the GoogleForm.  The information from the GoogleForm is then populated into a Google spreadsheet that we can access.

Examples:

• Tardy list
• Sign out/in of the classroom
• Collecting locker combinations and locker numbers (we used iPods for this)
• Survey of the students

We have also used QR codes to direct the students to different locations on the web.  Last year we had the students scan a QR code to be taken to where they could download a copy of the digital textbook to their BYOD device.

Examples:

• Direct students to a video that they should watch
• Send the students to the daily agenda
• Send the student to a GoogleDoc
• Send the students to a news story
• Direct 7th grade parents to where they could download a copy of our curriculum night packet
• Direct 7th grade parents to our team website at curriculum night

So what does QR actually stand for?

Believe it or not QR code stands for Quick Response code.

Next Post:

Using QR codes for tardies and signing in/out of the classroom.

Evolution of a Science Classroom

Hello and welcome to our Evolution of a Science Classroom blog!  

In the fall of 2012, our classrooms began what we like to think of as the evolutionary process towards the classroom of the future.  In just under two years, our classrooms have morphed from a traditional learning environment to one in which students are encouraged to interact with the material at a personalized and differentiated level.

Now that we are over a year into this accelerated evolution, we are looking to start sharing our continuing journey.  To facilitate this, we have created this blog and our corresponding website.  In this blog we hope to share what we are doing in our classes, what we are continually learning from this experience and how our classrooms are continuing to evolve.

We hope that you enjoy this blog and our accompanying website.

http://tinyurl.com/evosciclassroom