QR Codes: Communicate your Message In & Out of School

QR Codes are good way to communicate your message as an administrator and teacher.  I feel like they are under utilized in education.  Creating QR Codes is not difficult and it is free.  Doesn't get much better than that when looking to market your product.  As more schools go to 1:1 and more of our students have smartphones & tablets, we need to increase the use of QR Codes in order to make communicating our message more efficient.

Here are some ways that QR Codes can be used as an effective means of communication.  You can adjust all of these ideas to meet your specific needs with distributing information to your stakeholders:

1. Advertise events

Create QR Codes to advertise events going on in your classroom or building.  You can use QR Codes to promote daily or weekly events at your school.  Our College Knowledge Week at NLHS is this week and we will advertise the activities during the week with QR Codes around school.  We have contests each day for the students & staff to participate in and they can scan the QR Codes for details.  If you are interested in the amount of success your QR Codes are having, use Snap Vu to track the amount of hits you get on QR Codes.

You can also make people aware of other things in your building like plays or musicals, athletic events, or your Wi-Fi password.  I saw this at Hilliard Bradley this past year:

Place the codes in different locations in your building/classroom:

• windows of front office
• doors
• bathrooms & locker rooms
• social media (FB, Twitter, School Connects, school website)
• cafeteria
• local library
• local businesses & restaurants (you could run a promotion each week with a business & post your QR codes in that business; great marketing for businesses in your community)
• newsletters
• ask local pizza shops if you can tape on their pizza boxes
• create banners/posters to hang in local businesses (our Panther FabLab makes posters/banners)

Floor sticker advertising our mobile app

Banner created by the Panther FabLab advertising our mobile app.  If you are interested in ordering & receiving vinyl banners like this,  please check into the link above to reach FabLab personnel.

2. Learning Targets
QR Codes are a great way to post daily learning targets in a classroom.  Simply create a QR Code with a  generator (mentioned above) and post the target for the day/week.  Students scan code and they have the target in their device.  You can also generate a code for your class web page, Edmodo page, Blog, etc. and give to students that way too.  A few of our teachers who use the codes use learning matrices where there may be a list of targets for the week, so they are not constantly changing the codes each day.  But you could have different codes each day for each learning target.

3. Use Jumpscan.com to take your message mobile
Use Jumpscan to create mobile version of what you want to market.  Jumpscan gives you one free QR Code and then you have to pay for the service if you want additional codes.  We have used it to market the number of ways students, parents, and community members can stay informed with events at NLHS.

I created a flyer and listed the communication methods (FB, Twitter, etc.) and saved it as a .JPG file.  Next, on Jumpscan, you upload the image to the create the mobile version.  After it uploads, you go through Jumpscan and fill in the rest of the form with the social media accounts for your organization.  Jumpscan will generate a QR Code for you to share with others.  Save the code as .PNG file and share it through social media.  When the code is scanned, a mobile version of your image will appear on tablets and phones.

4. Miscellaneous ways to use 
Here are other ways you can use QR Codes to communicate your message:

• Your district/school vision or mission.
• Post inside your district buildings and school buildings your district & school vision and mission statements so stakeholders can scan them into their devices.
• Price items in your school shop, concession stands, DECA shop with QR Codes
• Create links to Google Maps so people can find the location of your school
• Another thing we are going to try with this is creating a QR Code for the location of all of the visiting schools we play in athletics so parents & stakeholders can scan the code to find the location of the away event.
• Make a code for your school's Course Offerings Book
• Another great way for your students & parents to have access to the book.  Yes, you probably have the book on your school website, but there is nothing wrong with getting it our there in a number of places.

Some sites that can help you with learning more about QR Codes and how to use them are:

40 Interesting Ways to use QR Codes

Quick-Guide to using QR Codes in Education

Remember, don't create QR Codes to say you use them, create them to communicate your message.  The codes can be a good way of getting students & parents information especially when almost all of our students & parents have smartphones & tablets.  Just think, get a room of people together like this:

 Freshman Scheduling Night from last year

and share with them important QR Codes.  That is what we did and we are now able to send them important information through School Connects.  You control how powerful you want your message to be.

Blended Learning & Rainbow Looms

If you don’t have children, you may not know what Rainbow Looms are.  Rainbow Looms allows people to take rubber bands and “clips” and create bracelets or other works of art.  A great deal of hand-eye coordination is used to make the designs using the Loom.  The bracelets and designs range from simple to very complex creations.  My daughter creates bracelets and different designs using her Loom everyday (with this weather we are having, I literally mean everyday!).  The more complex the design, the more difficult it is to create the design using the Loom.  My daughter uses videos from YouTube to learn how to create the more complex designs.  She searches for the videos herself, watches the videos and follows the instructions on the video to create the bracelets.  She has the ability to pause the video or rewind the video to watch challenging portions again.  When she hits a challenging design, she uses problem solving skills and different methods to figure out how to complete the project.  Users also have an additional resource by asking their parents, guardians, or family members about any concepts that are confusing.  Youngsters who are around eight to ten years of age create most of these video tutorials.   My daughter also creates videos and shares them with others.

The whole process sure does look like blended learning to me.  Children use devices to watch videos and create products.  Use multiple devices and collaborate with others to assist them with their products.  Search for videos so they can produce as an end product.   Use problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills to create bracelets.

Giving children the opportunity and challenge of learning on their own is an important part of student growth.  Can we make excuses on reasons why we should not offer blended learning to our students?  I’m sure someone could.  Why don’t we take the excuses away?  “Not everyone has an Internet connection at home.”   Let’s open the school on the weekends so students can access the school and have meetings with team members for different projects.  Open the school up during calamity days.  Create partnerships with businesses allowing students to use their facilities to work and collaborate.  “Kids aren’t responsible enough to do something like this.”  Let’s make them responsible.  Hold them accountable.  Expose them to the environment instead of sheltering them from the environment.

Let’s take a look at the positives that surround this type of learning:

• Students have the opportunity to learn on a variety of devices.  While 1:1 programs & BYOD programs are beneficial for incorporating different methods of learning, students having the ability to use a variety of resources help them for life beyond high school.
• Especially during this time of the year when it seems we have school about once or twice a week, blended learning allows our students to learn at any time.  
• Students can get “hooked” into this type of learning (as long as it is interesting).  I know my daughter is working on Looms all day long during calamity days.  When is the last time we’ve the opportunity to get kids “hooked” into education?    
• Students can collaborate with others in this environment.  Students who can collaborate with others are the most attractive potential employees for employers.
• Students learn responsibility, organization, and time management.  From creating their own schedules to using their time appropriately gives students the change to grow and prepare themselves for high education.

Let’s start making this happen for students.  Students can learn this way.  My daughter is 8 years old and learns new skills everyday.  If she can do it, why can’t elementary, middle school, and high school students?  We need to work together as educators to change our cultures and instructional methods to make this learning a reality for all of our students.  I better get rolling.  I have to go look on eBay for another laptop for my daughter’s video productions.

Ohio Educational Tech Conference: Presenter Information

Join me at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center to discuss technology in education.  Below is a list of presentations I will be participating in.  I will also be at the Ohio State ACT Conference in Columbus at the Renaissance Hotel on Wednesday, January 29th to discuss successful transitions from middle school to high school & high school to college.

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
Ohio Educational Technology Conference
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH

OETCx

FRED Talks - Finding Real EDucation
"The 4 C's To Lead"
12:30-1:30 pm
Room 224

Join us for a refreshing twist on the traditional conference session. OETCx participants will offer a series of “lightning presentations." Each presenter will have 5 minutes to share an idea, broken down into 20 slides, which automatically advance every 15 seconds.

OETCx
"BYOD & 1:1 Best Computing Practices"
3:30-4:30 pm
Room 226

Some of the best and brightest edtech innovators from Ohio will be giving advice on implementation strategies for 1:1 and BYOD based on first-hand experiences in their districts. They’ll discuss some challenges they faced and go over performance metrics they were able to improve. Discuss the merits and virtues of BYOD and 1:1 with experts who are implementing and supporting these programs.


Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Ohio ACT State Organization Conference
The Renaissance Hotel
Columbus, OH

Presenting "The Paw-sitive Path - Student Path to Life Readiness"
9:00-10:00 am
Room: Hayes D

Discuss the different practices we use to get students to transition from 8th grade to high school and high school to college. We will discuss our Advisory periods for college & career knowledge, college visits for each grade level, and local businesses visit Advisory periods to discuss careers. We also discuss our alternative school and after-school program that assists our students in making successful transitions for careers.


Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Ohio Educational Technology Conference
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH

Presenting "Connecting Educators in Appalachia Ohio"
12:15-1:15 pm
Room: D235


Teachers and Administrators need to be able to communicate with students, parents, and community members in a variety of ways. The focus of the session will be communicating your classroom message to the students, parents, & community. Participants will learn how to use technology, professional development, social media and other outlets to communicate with others and to grow as teachers and administrators. We will focus on how to use Twitter, Texting, Facebook, Pinterest, blogging, videos, school web sites, and other technology to keep students, parents, community members, and PLN members informed as to what is going on in our buildings and districts. Participants will learn how to use social media and other technology to communicate their message and keep everyone informed. Participants will be able to use screencasts during the session to immediately apply the topics discussed to their classrooms.

Ohio Educational Technology Conference -

Online voting is now open for the #BestEdTech Awards! All nominations were received from peers and now voting is open to help make these nominees the winner!

#OETC14 will recognize the work of schools, colleges, programs, teachers, administrators and tech coordinators from around the state through these awards.

Vote here: http://goo.gl/lPjUux

___________________________________

OETCx is the official un-conference of the Ohio Educational Technology Conference. This participant-driven day-long event offers alternative learning experiences to the traditional conference sessions and creates space for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and creativity. OETCx mixes new presentation formats, like Ignite-style talks, app smack downs, genius bar and interactive panels with unstructured time for smaller critical conversations to spontaneously occur.

Discover more about what OETCx is all about!

http://oetc.ohio.gov/2014ProgramHighlights/OETCx.aspx

10 Best Blog Posts of 2013

Looking back on 2013, there were a number of blogs that I enjoyed and helped me professionally.  I wanted to share with you some of my favorites during this past year:

The What & Why of a Professional Learning Network – Tom Whitby

I enjoyed this post because of the value of having a professional learning network.  I have learned a great deal from all of the educators in my network.  The learning has made me a better educator and has allowed NLHS to benefit as well.

Bucket List of Online Educational Resources – David Kapuler

Great list of resources for administrators, staff, students, and parents.  There is something for everybody in this list of technology resources.

Ten Tips for Teaching Critical Thinking – Ian Jukes

It is critical for teachers to instruct in a way that develops and encourages critical thinking skills.  This post gives teachers ideas on how to make this happen in class.

Creating a Risk-Taking Classroom – Reed Gillespie

As schools develop more students who can solve problems and use critical thinking skills in and out of the classroom, taking risks in the classroom is vital for teachers.  Teachers have to be given the freedom to try different methods and instructional strategies.  Sometimes things don't work and/or not successful.  It is important that teachers and students learn from their mistakes to allow both parties to grow.

7 Must Have Tools for the Flipped Classroom  - Erin Palmer

I think the flipped classroom creates a well-rounded student who can manage their time and use different methods of instruction to his/her advantage.  I enjoyed this post because it lets teachers know what types of tools they need before they go into transforming their instruction to a flipped environment.

Initiating and Sustaining Change – Eric Sheninger

Eric does a great job of explaining why change doesn't always come easy.  This post illustrates different ways to tackle change in different environments.

Early College High School Shows Promise – Caralee Adams

I am a firm believer in Early College High School.  It allows our students the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves starting out in elementary school.  

What If You Only Had 5 Minutes to Inspire a Student – Peter DeWitt

I found this post by Peter interesting and so true.  I believe this type of instruction is the basis of student-lead learning.

10 Apps & Sites That Spark Creativity – Ellen Holderman

Great post that feeds hand-in-hand with STEM concepts and creating learners who can problem solve and think for themselves.  Excellent resources for teachers to use.

100 STEM iPad Apps for Learning – Randy Yerrick

Much like the post above, this post lists apps that can benefit teachers and students for STEM projects and/or courses.  I know some of these apps are used by the students in our engineering courses and in our FabLab.

What were some of your favorite blog posts, lists, and/or articles from this past year?

School District nominated for Technology Awards

New Lexington City School District staff members and one of their schools have been nominated for the Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC) #BestEdTech Awards.  The OETC awards recognize the work of schools, programs, teachers, administrators, and tech coordinators from around the state.  The awards are nominated by the Ohio education community for Ohio schools , staff, and programs.  Voting is available to anyone on social media channels.

New Lexington City School District technology director Tim Householder has been nominated for the Technology Coordinator Innovator Award.  Mr. Householder was nominated for his great work around the district including the 1:1 iPad initiative at the high school.   Tim is a countless worker who manages a variety of technological projects throughout the district.  He recently organized a successful district-wide technology professional development day where NLCSD staff members shared their technology practices with each other.

New Lexington High School teacher Mike Kunselman has been nominated for the Teacher Innovator Award by the OETC.  Mr. Kunselman has been recognized for his work with the Panther Fab Lab at NLHS.  The program has allowed students the opportunity to see how technology & business work together.  He is also the lead teacher in New Lexington’s Project Lead the Way engineering program and the Advisor to the high school robotic’s team.

New Lexington High School principal Bobby Dodd has been nominated for the Education Leader Innovator Award.  Mr. Dodd has modeled the use of devices by incorporating them in them in daily walk-throughs, shared Apps with students & staff, creating flipped faculty meetings, and digital newsletters for the students, parents, and community.   Mr. Dodd has also helped initiate the 1:1 iPad initiative at NLHS.

The 1:1 iPad initiative at NLHS has also been recognized as a finalist for the best 1:1 program.  Students are able to use the devices to collaborate with teachers & other students, using a number of different Apps to demonstrate mastery of content, and develop technological skills to prepare them for different careers and secondary schooling after high school.

Please take time to vote for the #BestEdTech Awards by clicking here and recognize the great things taking place in the New Lexington City School District.

What makes a good PD session?

We recently had a district professional development day at New Lexington that focused on incorporating technology in the classroom.  The day gave many district employees the opportunity to learn how to use a variety of tools & resources.  One of the best parts about the conference was that all of the presenters were employees of the school district.  When peers can share their insights, experiences, and knowledge inside of a school district, it makes the district stronger as a whole.

If you are planning on having a professional development day in your district and would like to have district employees present, there are key aspects you will need:

1. Technology-savy employees

• Our Technology Director, Tim Householder, organized the conference for our district.  He asked district employees to sign up to present different topics.  Many teachers and administrators agreed to share their knowledge with the district and demonstrate how to operate different type of software, apps, and websites.  Employees who enjoy using technology effectively in the classroom to help students can make a professional development day truly beneficial for the district.

2. Technology resources available in the district

• Our district has different technology resources in each building.  The high school is a 1:1 school with iPads, the elementary buildings use Smart Software with Brightlinks, the middle school has a mixture of iPads and laptops, and all teachers in the district have iPads.  Having a variety of resources means you will have a larger number of employees who are skilled using different types of technology in the classroom.  It really was incredible to see some of the things that were being offered during the number of sessions.  At one point during the day, there were sessions offered on BrightLinks, Remind 101, Google Docs, Educreations, Brain Pop, and Pebble Go all at the same time.  

3. District staff who are open-minded

• Using technology to help students is great.  Changing the way instruction is delivered is sometimes scary process for teachers.   Develop a culture in your district and building of using new tools & resources to help students.  Creating that environment will enable teachers to maintain a positive attitude about learning new tools to help their students.

4. Give staff time to practice with app/websites/applications

• Encourage staff members to take baby-steps with the new resources.  Have staff members try to use one resource a week to start out with (ex. if they are just learning Twitter, have them try to tweet once a week or join a chat once a week).  Allowing staff members time to work with the resources will keep them open minded to using more resources in the future.

5. Create sessions for all grade levels

• Having sessions available for all grade levels gives everyone the opportunity to learn something they can use in their classroom when they return.  Don't create professional development sessions just to say you had them.  If staff members don't use a resource and have no intentions of using the resource, then don't offer it.  It is important to have the staff complete a survey prior to the conference setup to inform you what they want to learn about.  Use the data from the survey to create your sessions.

District PD that focuses on technology can help your district grow.  Saving money and sharing resources will enable your district staff to grow together and help all of the students and parents of the district.

How to use Videos to Communicate your Message

Video can be a great communication tool in the classroom and in the community.  Some schools are moving towards video newsletters instead of the traditional typed, hard-copy newsletter.  I think many people are more inclined to watch the video than read the newsletter because you can get a better feel of what is exactly going on in the building by listening to responses, seeing pictures, and watching people interact.

Here is a Flowboard presentation that explains some applications that can be used by administrators, teachers, and counselors to use video as a means of communicating different things going on in schools.

http://flowboard.com/s/1uqy

Let me know of some other tools that you like to use to incorporate video into your school and/or classroom.