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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Tried It Tuesday (QR Code Adventure)!!

Wow!!  What a wonderful sale event that was at TPT the past two days!  I would love to hear about some of the products you purchased during the sale.  I tried to limit myself but it was pretty tough to pass up on tons of amazing deals!  

For this week's Tried It Tuesday, I would like to post about a product that I have had for a few months  but never had a chance to use with students before the end of the school year.


My Tried It:
QR Code Adventure
Okay, so I haven't actually tried it with my students yet, but I finally tried this product at home and got it all laminated and ready for this coming school year.
The product is the QR Code Adventure by Digital: Divide & Conquer.
You know how you print things and have the best intentions to try them but never get around to it?  Yep.  Here it sat amongst my pile of products waiting to be cut and laminated from a post back in May!
In the end of the year craziness, I just ran out of time and since QR codes are fairly new to me, I didn't really know what to expect on this QR Code Adventure (and didn't take the time to sit down and try it!).  Well, now I have thoroughly checked out this product (with all my time off in the summer;) and it is AMAZING!  

Matt at Digital: Divide & Conquer truly focuses on students and their needs in today's technological society.  Sometimes it is difficult to understand the world in which our students are being raised now since it doesn't seem THAT long ago when I was growing up in the 80's-90's.  I never had technology at the tip of my fingers and I SURVIVED!  What's wrong with talking to people on the phone instead of texting or what about writing someone a letter to communicate?  Why do I need to "find" things to entertain my own children all the time?  When I was growing up, my mom sent us outside and there we went, playing all day without any cell phones, iPads, Nintendo DS, Leapfrog Explorers, etc.  When we went on road trips, there were no DVD players in the car!  However, IT IS a fact of life that today's learners ARE different based on the world surrounding them.  As teachers we need to appeal to their interests and grab their attention in any way we can.  Using technology as a tool in instruction is an excellent example of one way we can reach our students and make an impact.

So, what is the QR Code Adventure all about?  It is a series of over 40 different QR codes that take the students to short videos, photos, games, informational text, and educational games.  Here are a few pictures of the sites the QR Code Adventure brought me to on my iPad. 



Students then analyze what they are seeing, reading, or hearing.  
The product includes over 20 variations of graphic organizers to either allow the teacher or student to choose which one would be best to use for the particular adventure.  I know my students will absolutely love this QR Code Adventure and will be begging for more.  The clips, text, etc. are at a high interest level and not only would this be great for center activity or even whole class activity, it work well for early finishers as a reward "fun" activity or as a brain break for the class.
Disclaimer: My bloggy buddy, Matt, from Digital: Divide & Conquer did not pay me to write this post and he actually doesn't even know I am writing it.  I was just so impressed with this resource that I had to share!  Some of you might have seen it and wondered, like me, "What IS this adventure, anyway?"
AND...he has other QR Code Activities in his TPT store.  :)

I am going to be a little MIA this week since we are heading out for a week of camping and maybe an amusement park for a day.  We haven't gone anywhere this summer since we are really saving for Disney next year but I need this week to decompress.  Then, it will be back at school the last week in August to get everything ready for students starting September 5th.  I will be popping in to check emails but the iPhone just isn't the same as the laptop!  

9 comments:

  1. I am a little scared to use QR codes. Scared isn't the right word, just not sure how I would use them. I know you can take a pic with your phone and it takes you to a site, but my kids don't have phones. So I may sound behind the times but I need a walk through of how the kids use it.

    Melissa
    Ms. Chae Charges In

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  2. I'm so excited that you are going to have the chance to use QR codes this year. This product looks fantastic! Matt's stuff always amazes me.

    Have a great time camping with your family.

    Hunter's Teaching Tales
    Find me on Facebook

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  3. Oh QR codes are just so wonderful! Excited to link up with you again today-- have a great time camping!
    Aylin
    Learning to the Core

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  4. What an awesome post. I really want to try out QR codes this year, I hope your adventure goes well. Have a great trip!

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  5. I wish we had more devices for QR codes! I use my phone, but it's not enough. Have a great time Holly!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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  6. I love the idea of using QR codes, but my kids don't have anything to scan them with at school yet (hoping to get some iPads if our Education Foundation approves my grant).

    Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late
    Follow me on Bloglovin!

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  7. Have a great time with your family Holly! I love the idea of QR codes but I am still having a hard time figuring out how to use them in my classroom. I am sure your students will love using QR codes this year (I am thinking of all the ways you could use them in ELA!!).

    Looking From Third to Fourth

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  8. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Thanks so much Holly! I feel very humbled to have you write something like this (and she's right, no money was paid out at all). I did a double take when I saw the title..."I know those QR Code Adventure"

    I gotta admit, this is one of my favorite things to do with students and teachers in my building. It's a little outside of the box, but a skill I think students needs to have. Too many times they just take the internet (and everything technology-wise) for granted. This is really asking them to slow down the process and ask questions. I do try to make it fun and exciting because I truly believe that any subject is a learning opportunity (especially for some of the unengaged learners).

    Besides, who does like seeing video of a penguin being tickled--and then hearing it laugh.

    Again, THANK YOU!
    matt
    Digital: Divide & Conquer

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  9. So excited! Isn't Matt just so creative? I'm not quite sure how these have slipped past me. Never fear though...I just went and bought these in TpT. Thanks for the heads up! I will definitely be printing these tomorrow! Have fun camping! We will miss you!
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

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