Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week – QR Codes & Backchannels

This week’s Practical Ed Tech update is a double feature. First, as promised last week, I have the recording of the webinar that I hosted about backchannel and informal assessment tools. In the webinar I covered TodaysMeet, Padlet, Dash 81, Tozzl, Socrative (although it crashed during the session), and Kahoot. The video is embedded below (click here if you cannot see it in your email).

The second tip this week is about QR codes. There are a lot of potential uses for them in schools. QR codes in classrooms. If your students use iPads or other mobile devices in your classroom QR codes make it easy for you to get every student to a webpage. A QR code can be used to distribute Google Documents, to distribute notes, contact information, and even a calendar event. Use a QR Code Treasure Hunt to get kids moving about the school in search of knowledge. In the video embedded below I provide a demonstration of how to use QR Droid Zapper to create custom QR codes.

Here are this week’s most popular posts on FreeTech4Teachers.com:
1. 7 Tools for Building Review Games
2. Libraries and Librarians in the Internet Age
3. Send Your Students on a QR Code Treasure Hunt
4. Convert PDFs to Google Docs to Differentiate Instructional Materials
5. Dozens of Alternatives to YouTube
6. A Handful of Ways to Publish Audio Recordings
7. 5 Resources for National Poetry Month

The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp being held on July 13 &14. The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp is a two day, hands-on learning experience for teachers. This year’s event is being held in downtown Portland, Maine just a few blocks from the ocean, great dining, and iconic lighthouses. Register by April 16th to save $50 on registration.