Tip of The Week: Use QR Codes To Embed Audio

While attending a conference hosted by Tammy Worcester, I learned a tip regarding QR Codes.  By this point in time, we've probably all at least heard of QR Codes and most of us have probably even incorporated them into our classroom somehow.  Ms. Worcester got me thinking a little outside the box when she discussed the idea of using QR Codes to link to an audio message.  My mind immediately went back a couple of years when I had a few students whose reading abilities were not on grade level.  To accommodate them, I began inserting sound files into my daily blog posts, so they could listen to what the day's tasks were while reading along.  Let me tell you . . . there were quite a few steps involved in that process and it was somewhat time consuming.  Furthermore, the source I used is no longer accessible.  So, if you have students who would benefit from listening to your blog posts and you need a simple way to accomplish this task you should definitely give this a try.  Here's how:

1. Have students add a QR reader app to their smart phones (I-nigma or Q Rafter . . .)

2. Teacher creates an audio message in http://www.recordmp3.org/ (steps are simple . . . just follow the directions as they are listed in the site)

3. Then, teacher copies/pastes the mp3 link into a QR generator .  (For this QR Generator site, click the world icon to add your  sound link).

4. Once the code is generated, embed the QR Code in your blog just like you see below.

5. Students aim their QR Reader at the embedded code and receive the link to the mp3 file.

Keep in mind, this is just an idea I wanted to play with after attending Tammy's conference.  There are many ways to embed audio into your blog (e.g. vocaroo or audioboom).  So, pick what works for you.  QR Codes are so versatile, though, and this is just another way to highlight that versatility. Take this idea and run with it.  It's up to you to make it work for you!

Some things to think about:

• you'll need a mic for recording
• you'll have to be okay with student phones during class so they can "read" the QR code (it's okay, really!)
• you may want to make sure students have earbuds so they don't disturb others