Super Tech Talk

Friday, March 18, 2016

Audio QR codes

While using QR codes is a great way to share information with students and parents, hearing their teacher's voice makes students even more excited about engaging with the content! Since teachers can't be with every student every moment of class time, use QR codes makes it seem like there are multiple copies of the teacher in the room!

Online voice recorders

vocaroo.com
This website is probably one of the simplest and easiest to use online voice recorders. You get a one button recorder and it immediately saves your audio.

Be careful, though! You don't get a countdown to warn you when to start recording. As soon as you click the button you are recording! When you are done you can preview your audio and record again if needed. When you are happy with the audio, save the audio. You could download the audio file, but you also have the option to get a QR code that goes directly to it!

online-voice-recorder.com
This is another free and simple online voice recorder. Simply push the button to record your voice.

It's advantage is that once you are done recording, you can also trim your audio.

When everything is just like you want, click the Save button and download the audio file as an mp3 file. This file will then need to be uploaded to a cloud service where you can share the URL with it. That process is described below.

qrvoice.net
This website will take your written text and translate it into audio using a QR code. Enter a message up to 100 characters and click the QR code icon. The QR code will appear on the screen, which you can then download to your computer. The QR code links out to Google Translate and reads the text as audio.

Mobile Device

I'm not familiar with Android devices, but on iPhones you can use the built in Voice Memo app. iPads don't come with this app, but there are plenty of options out there like Voice Recorder by TapMedia. Regardless of which app you end up using, once your voice recording is done, tap the share icon and save it to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.

With these cloud services you can then get a share link to the audio file. Copy and paste that share URL into an online QR code generator like goqr.me. Save the QR code to your computer and its ready to print out or embed in a document!

Keith Ferrel has a great YouTube video showing how to integrate audio QR codes and Google Docs.

Also check out Tony Vincent's post Clone Yourself with QR Codes for some other great tips on recording audio and video for QR codes.

Integration Ideas

Math problems with audio QR codes for the answers
Rhyming words - teacher reads two words and the student records if they rhyme or not
Verbal directions for center, lab, or activity

What are some other ways you can think of to use audio QR codes?

Batch-create QR codes with Google Sheets

In some situations you might need to create a bunch of QR codes at once. Perhaps you are generating a series of codes from audio files for a rhyming activity or creating codes for audiobooks for your listening center. Creating a lot of codes manually can become a chore. Luckily, Google Sheets has an easy to use formula that lets you create those codes automatically.

Log into your Google account and create a new spreadsheet.
Label column A Information. This is where you will put the URL or text for your QR code.
Label column B QR Code. After entering the formula from step 6, the QR code will appear in this column.
Resize the columns and rows so they are approximately 200 pixels by 200 pixels. You want them big enough to be hold the QR code, which will be 150x150.
Copy and paste this formula into cell B2 and hit enter:

=image(ʺhttps://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150×150&cht=qr&chl=ʺ&A2)

A QR code will appear in the cell.
Click the tiny blue square in the bottom-right corner of the cell and drag down to fill the formula in that column. QR codes should appear for all the information you filled in each row. If you didn’t fill in each row and you see QR codes then you can go back and put in information and those QR codes will change to add the new information.

Your spreadsheet should look something like this:

Print them out, cut them up and place where you want them in your classroom. Or copy the images and embed them into a document for activities or directions for your students.

Here is a link to a sample spreadsheet I used to create the codes above. You can use it to see how the formula works.

I would love to here how you have used QR codes in the classroom. Tell me about them in the comment section.

What is black and white and scanned all over?

Embed from Getty Images

A parent is looking at tonight's homework assignment on lattice multiplication and has no idea how to do it. On the homework sheet is the QR code to a video tutorial showing how it's done.

Students looking through books in the school or class library turn to the inside cover and scan a QR code to hear an audio review of the book or watch a book trailer.

These are pretty cool uses for QR codes and are surprisingly easy to make!

What Are QR Codes?

QR Codes are two-dimensional bar codes used to store or link to information in a digital medium. The QR code was invented in 1984 by the Denso Wave Corporation, a subsidiary of Toyota, to keep track of vehicle parts during manufacturing. QR Codes are capable of storing a much higher amount of data (such as text, URLs, videos, etc.) than traditional barcodes. They have a smaller size, have error correction capability, and most importantly are readable from any direction.

Check out this 2 minute video that explains how QR codes work.

Scanning QR Codes

Scanning QR codes is very simple - you just need a QR reader on your mobile device. Regardless of which app you choose, to scan the QR code you simply launch the app and align the scanner to the QR code.

There are many free apps out there, but for iPads there are two that I like.

Qrafter both scans and creates QR codes, so you can use it as an all in one solution. The downsides are that the free version has ads that students have to dismiss before following the link. The paid version is inexpensive and removes the ads.

QR Reader by Scan is a bare bones QR reader. That's all it does - just launch the app and point the camera at the QR code. This simplicity is its strong point - no worry about ads or a confusing interface.

Making QR Codes

QR codes are super easy to make. Remember that when your student scans a QR code he/she is following a link to somewhere, whether its a website, a video, a document, sound file, or whatever. So that something has to exist first and you have to have the link to its location. With the two QR codes above I had to copy the URL to the YouTube videos they link to.

If I wanted students to access a PDF, image, or video I created I would have to save those files to a cloud service such as Google Drive or Dropbox. I can then get the "share link" and put that in a QR code.

Create QR Codes Online

The creator of Qrafter has an online QR code generator found his official website. From the first drop down menu select Browse to a Website, enter the URL, and click Generate Code at the bottom.

You will then have the QR code that you can download and save. It's just a graphics file that you can save like any other file and embed within a document or print out.

Google has a QR code generator built in to their URL shortening service at http://goo.gl. After creating the shortened URL simply add .qr to the end of that URL. So the shortened URL http://goo.gl/tZBg2Z would become http://goo.gl/tZBg2Z.qr.

Another great site is QRstuff.com, which is completely free. It provides a similar easy-to-use interface. Just follow the four steps to create the perfect QR code you can download as a graphic or print.

Create QR Codes on an iPad

Creating the QR codes on an iPad or other mobile device is just as easy. I like to use Qrafter app as mentioned above because it does it all.

Tap the Create button
Tap the type of QR code you want to make. The most common is URL which allows you to link to websites, videos, images, and any other file. Another great option is Text, which allows you to embed words, phrases, or sentences into the QR code.
Enter the URL.
Tap Create and your QR code is created and appears on the screen.

To get the QR code off of the iPad tap the Share icon. You can save the QR code to your camera roll or cloud storage such as Dropbox or Google Drive. The file is a graphics file that can be embedded into any document.

QR Codes in the Classroom

What are some practical ways of using QR codes in your classroom? Here's a few examples, with links to many more ideas.

Here's a few ideas I've gleaned from various resources around the web using a simple Google search "qr codes in the classroom".

Vocabulary - this teacher describes how she uses QR codes to teach vocabulary words in her ELL class
Library books - place QR codes inside book covers that link to online book trailers or book reviews created by other students
Self directed learners - students scan a QR code to reveal a task to perform individually or in a group. In science the QR code could link to an explanation of the steps in an experiment. In PE this could be the steps in an exercise rotation or to model skills.
Works cited page - have students create links to a work cited page for their research.
Worksheet resources - turn any worksheet into a dynamic, interactive resource by linking to tutorials or directions.
Artwork - link artwork to information about the artist, etc.
Check work - create QR codes that students can use to check their work.
Audiobooks - this teacher has created QR codes that link to 75 different audiobooks for young students. Students can follow along in the book while it is read aloud.
Rhyming words - this teacher used QR codes to help her students understand rhyming words. The QR code links to a recording of her saying the two words out loud. Students then mark on a sheet whether the words rhyme. They then scan another QR code to check their answers.

And, of course, the venerable Kathy Schrock has a guide to QR Codes in the Classroom

with a more comprehensive list of resources and ideas.

I'd love to hear how you are using QR codes in the classroom. Share your ideas in the comments below!

The best $160 I never spent

One of my most dreaded fears happened again is week. The check engine light came on in my car. I always dread that little light because it costs $100 just to get it read at the autoshop. Repairs are usually several hundred dollars more.

This time I got smart. I took the car to Autozone and had them check it for free. The diagnosis was a little better than what I expected. The Mass Air Flow Sensor was faulty. The bad news was that it was still pricey at $160 and of course I had no idea what that part was, let alone whether or not I had the skill to replace it.

I got smart again and decided to see what I could find on YouTube. I was lucky enough to find a video showing how to replace that part on my exact year, make, and model. Super easy at less than 10 minutes. So at least I wouldn't had to pay labor at the shop since I could do it myself, but still dreaded the $160 price tag.

Searching a little more and I found a video that described how to clean the sensor to where it works just like new. For the price of a can of cleaner and a new air filter ($22) the check engine light is off and my car is running smoother than it has in a long time.

I love learning! I gained the knowledge necessary to replace that part, plus learned a lesson of how important it is to maintain a clean air filter. I also learned a little more of how a car engine works. Saving money was just a side benefit. The ability to actually see how to replace the part in a video just made the whole process easier.

I had a similar experience a few years ago when I learned how to replace a part on our washing machine, saving myself the cost of a service call. This past fall I posted about my summer time experience building a dresser for my daughter, learning many things about woodworking along the way. I love learning!

I'm excited about our new teacher's contract with the district, because it encourages teachers to learn more in order to advance on the pay scale. Teachers can move up on the pay scale every few years by designing their own professional development and completing a certain number of hours learning.

As educators, it's important for us to model learning for our students. If we want our students to develop a love of learning, we need to model what a life long learner looks like. We need to show them that learning happens all the time and for a variety of reasons. I'm disappointed when I see teachers that are not involved in professional development in some format, or that attend classes for the sake of getting the credit and don't care about the content of the class. I always pray that attitude doesn't carry over into their classes.

Besides modeling learning to students, we need to be learners for the sake of the knowledge. I don't know everything and never will. But new knowledge is powerful, whether I'm learning a new skill, delving deeper into a concept, or expanding my horizons. There are so many things I want to learn about that I'm actually disappointed sometimes that I have to go to work instead of being able to use that time to complete a course or training.

How are you a life long learner? Where do you go to increase your knowledge?

Posted with Blogsy

#Mysteryskype without a Skype account

I think that finding classrooms to play Mystery Skype with is an easy task. I usually find mine on Twitter. After making that initial connection and scheduling a time, we still have to connect via Skype. That requires sharing Skype usernames, which then litters my Skype contacts with users that I don't regularly communicate with.

Jonathan Wylie posted a great tip for connecting via Skype without both teachers having an account or even installing the software. Check out his blog post How to Skype Anyone With Just a Link.

The more #mysteryskypes I've done, the more I realize that there are certain resources I need to use in order to make it successful. There is only so much organization that can be done, because in the heat of the moment students get excited and of course the activity changes depending on the location of the other class. Despite the sometimes chaotic nature of it, there are still several resources that can be used to help it flow smoothly.

With the help of other awesome teachers in my PLN I've gathered a few resources that I think should be in every teacher's #mysteryskype toolbox. All of those resources can be found here. They were freely given to me to modify and I freely pass them on to anyone else to use. I'm sorry I can't give credit to everyone that shared with me - I neglected to make note at the time.

Maps - includes maps of all the continents showing country borders. Since most of my Mystery Skypes are in the U.S., there's also a U.S. states map. If you use a better map than the one I have, please post a link for it in the comments.

Debriefing and Reflecting - this has forms students can use to self evaluate and reflect on their performance as a team member during the Mystery Skype.

Mystery Skype Jobs - since each student should have a job to do during the Skype session here are forms with suggested jobs, plus an application students can use to suggest what job they'd like to do.

Miscellaneous - there are also some miscellaneous forms to help you plan your first Mystery Skype, such as a checklist, sample questions, and signs to hold up.

Cool and useful website: EDPuzzle

I've been working with a few high school science teachers that use video in their classroom to help students understand some complex science topics. Video is a great way to do this - after all we live in a video generation. YouTube reports 300 hours of new video are uploaded every minute. Leveraging video lets you bring in multimedia and simulations to your lessons as well as take your students to places they may never get to otherwise.

While working with these teachers we explored one of my new favorite tools: EDpuzzle. EDpuzzle is a really cool tool that lets you take existing video and embed your own voice, comments, and even quizzes. Plus it's entirely FREE! Here's a one minute overview.

Creating an account is super simple. Click on the Teacher button and login with your existing Google or Edmodo account or create an EDpuzzle account from scratch. Using your Google or Edmodo account gives you the advantage of being able to access class rosters and other resources directly from those accounts.

My Classes

Your first task after signing in is to create your classes. If you signed in using Google or Edmodo you can import your existing classes. Otherwise click the Add Class button and follow the prompts.

Find Videos

The next step is to find the video you want to use. Click the Search tab and choose your favorite source for videos. You can also use the Upload button to upload your own video or video you've downloaded from another source.

After you find a video, hover over the thumbnail and either click Use it to start adding your content, or click Copy to add it to your My Content tab and edit it later.

Create your video-lesson

Once you are in your video its super easy to create your lesson. Once you are in edit mode you'll see four buttons across the top of the window.

Crop - lets you use only a section of you need. No need to force your students to sit through an entire 15 minute clip, just crop to the relevant section. To crop, just drag to start and end points.
Audio Track - is used if you want to use your own voice on the video instead of the embedded audio. If you use this option you have to record audio for the entire video clip. Click the microphone button and the video plays at the same time you are speaking.
Audio Notes - lets you record your own commentary at a certain point of the video. Drag the playhead to the point in the video and click the microphone button. You can have multiple audio notes throughout your video.
Quizzes - this is probably the best feature of EDpuzzle. Click on the point in the video where you want to embed a quiz and click the question mark. You can add an open-ended or multiple choice question, or embed your own written comment. The question editing box gives you basic formatting tools as well as the ability to embed links and images into the questions. When students are watching the video, it automatically stops at the quiz and students are forced to answer it before continuing on.

Assign

Click the Finish button in the upper right-hand corner. You'll be prompted to select a class to assign the video to as well as a few other awesome features: You can disable skipping so that students can't skip important content. You can also assign due dates to videos.

When you click the Send button it assigns the video to your EDpuzzle class. If you linked your Google Classroom or Edmodo accounts, you need to take the additional step of clicking the Post button and it will appear in the class stream.

EDpuzzle is a must-have tool for any teacher that uses video in their classroom. I love the ability to embed quizzes to hold students accountable for the video content, as well as the ability to disable skipping.

What are some ways you can think of to use video in your classroom? Let me know in the comments below.