QR+Codes+in+the+classroom+to+support+students+with+learning+disabilities

This article explains the uses and barriers to use of QR codes in the classroom, particularly as they relate to students with learning disabilities.
Read the section below if you don't know what QR codes are: A QR code is a black and white, two-dimensional barcode, similar to a UPC code but in the shape of a square. Most commonly used in marketing, but making their way into education, QR codes contain encoded information which is often a URL to a website. They can link to a website for further product information, event details, directions, a map, an audio file, or even an uploaded video. For example, a poster on public transportation can include a link to the advertiser’s site, a code in a magazine can be a coupon, or a museum can put QR codes next to art pieces with uploaded audio interviews or videos of the artist making his/her work. Once a QR code is generated (which can be done for free in seconds using a QR code generator like ([]) or ([]), it can be printed on paper, in a magazine or newspaper, put on a bulletin board, printed on t-shirts, mugs, you name it! QR codes can then be scanned by devices with built-in cameras like iPads, laptops or desktops with built-in cameras, or Smart phones. Jeff Utecht says that these codes serve a specific purpose- they are to connect the material world to the digital world. The purpose of QR codes is to connect the physical world with virtual world without having to type in a URL- for example, you can’t “click” on a link printed on a piece of paper. They provide quick and easy access to information. “QR codes can provide an alternative access format for students who need additional support in reading and writing.”
 * First of all, what is a QR Code?**

For students with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia and executive functioning disorders, following multi-step directions in the classroom can be difficult. Organization can also be a challenge. Teachers can help address their needs by giving them additional support. However, sometimes it is hard to balance the time spent with individual students in the classroom. Pre-recording directions (either audio or video), posting them online, and them embedding QR codes into classroom handouts, can provide those students with needed support. Also, following the UDL guidelines, providing instruction through multiple representations can address the needs of more learners, as the students can see a teacher demonstration, read printed directions, and also access audio or video posted online. During class teachers can also record their lessons and post them online for students to access from home while completing homework assignments. The homework sheets can have QR codes linking to teacher directions or an audio file of that assignment’s targets/overview, online tutorials or other websites for additional support. Additionally, for older students who take class notes during lectures, teachers can put their PowerPoint presentations online and provide the students with the QR code to access them so they can pay attention instead of taking notes. Similar to webquests, QR codes linking to pre-selected websites for research can be created and printed by the teacher ahead of time and given to students in a computer lab, and the students can use the computers’ built-in camera to read the code and open sites. Lastly, QR codes can be used to give students with learning disabilities immediate feedback when QR codes embedded in classroom handouts and homework sheets link to the answers to problems so students can check their work. Besides being free, QR codes are “simple, straightforward, and effective in improving access to digital resources.” Students can “get to a website faster and with less intervention using the codes.”
 * Uses of QR Codes in the Classroom**

Students with physical disabilities may experience difficulty with capturing the QR Code image. In this case, a classmate or teacher can capture the image and open the site for them. Similarly, students who are blind or vision-impaired can’t take a picture of the QR code, but again a neighboring classmate or the teacher can load the website, ideally a site with audio-recorded directions. I did come across an article referencing an audio periodic table for blind and vision-impaired students. Deaf and hearing-impaired students can capture the QR codes and load sites, but if the sites contain audio clips or video without closed-captioning, it doesn’t do them any good. Teachers will have to make sure the content posted online is appropriate for all students regardless of hearing ability. However, the biggest barrier for students to take advantage of QR codes is cost, as a computer with a built-in camera, an iPad, or a smart phone with Internet access is required. Lastly, as one article stated, “One of the largest barriers preventing people from using QR codes is simply a lack of awareness of technology.”
 * Barriers to Use**

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By: Ronald Catlin

To address the barriers in the article above, a company has found a way to provide QR codes to people that are visually impaired. A company called David Berman Communications in Canada created by a man named David Berman and his team came up with the idea. Berman wanted to invent a simple, inexpensive standard that allows people to identify a physical document without using their eyes, as well as a link to its accessible digital equivalent all without the expensive and time-consuming process of adding braille. The process starts with a printed document (a business card, a handout, a magazine) gets a tiny 45-degree cut of paper trimmed from one of its four corners. The cut is not large enough to get in the way of the printed message but is large enough that a person who can’t see can notice that one of the corners is intentionally chopped. This tactile clue signals that within 3.5 inches of that corner there is a code that can be scanned, such as a QR code, that the person can activate with any barcode scanning app on their smartphone (e.g. Google Goggles). If they don’t find it on one side of the paper, they try the other side. The code identifies the document, contains all the document information, and/or takes them to the accessible equivalent online (perhaps a PDF or a Web page). "What if the person has no Web access? There is a new kind of scan code invented in Canada by Cecitech that embeds the content of a document directly into the code itself! We’re already collaborating with Cecitech on its adoption." (Berman, 2014) The company is still working on finalizing the codes and making it go viral. They even provide instructions to the public for them to use to access this kind of QR codes and test it out. This is a big step of progression for using QR codes for the visually impaired in society as well students in the classroom.

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