QR Codes! What Are They? How Can I Use Them?

QR Codes are barcodes that represent web site URLs, and look like this:

They are used via mobile devices to access web sites listed on print documents. Check out the short YouTube video below to see how it generally works:


So now you might ask…”What does this mean for my students?" When it comes to research and the library, quite a bit! Just think of the limitless possibilities!

Placing QR Codes on research guides and pathfinders make web links more accessible to students with iPhones, iPod Touchs, and Droids. Add this with a database mobile app, such as the one from Gale, and your students will be off and running!

Next, think about the marketing you do for your library. For every flyer, bookmark, and poster that you create you could place a QR Code on it to send the reader to the web for more info on an event, book, author, podcast, etc.

Now, how do you create a QR Code? You can find many free QR Code Generators out on the web, and free QR mobile apps in your smartphone’s market:

Kaywa
ZXing
Delivr

If you are creating your code from a computer, you just go to the web site for your QR Code Generator of choice, paste the URL, choose the size of the barcode you would like and presto you have your own QR Code!

From your mobile device I'd download a QR app first because it makes life easier and you'll need the app to read QR Codes anyway. Then you open the app and copy and paste your URL in the same way you would on a computer.

Once you have your barcode generated you can copy and paste it on any document.

For your students to use the QR Codes you create, they will need to have a QR app on their phone. I downloaded the QR Droid Private on my Motorola Droid. One word of caution, be careful about what app you or your students download because each accesses different pieces of information on your phone in order to operate. This is why I downloaded the Private app because it accesses less information on my phone. Depending on the QR app and the phone you may need to download a basic barcode reader app as well. Once that is taken care of, the user can open the QR app, take a picture of the barcode, and it will take them right to the web site.

One thing I found that I thought was pretty cool is that the QR Droid Private app I put on my phone can link the sites I access from the app directly to my Evernote account. This links my web sites with my notes. Think of the possibilities for teaching note-taking skills!

Also, students can easily create their own QR Codes for presentation handouts, etc. What better way to make a presentation more interesting than to give classmates a web link to follow or additional links for more information on their topic!

QR Codes are gaining usage momentum. There are tons of potential uses on products in stores, magazines articles/ads, business pamphlets, and business cards. This is another reason it’s important for students to know how they work. While QR Codes definitely will help with research, they are also on the way to becoming an important marketing and business tool as well.

The other upside to teaching these is that your students will have fun with them!