Mission Impossible, QR Style

I’m on a mission, a secret mission. To avert an international library crisis, I’ve come up with a clever solution to a nagging problem: teaching students to search the library catalog and then find ON THE SHELVES that which they’ve found in the library catalog.

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/midcentarc/8177501666/sizes/m/in/photostream/ using Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/legalcode

While introducing this lesson, I play the Mission Impossible theme song and explaining to students their secret mission--should they choose to accept it. I hand to them their secret agent tools and send them off to scavenge the library.

Enter, QR codes. I have students in 3rd and 4th grades complete a series of scavenger hunts. I begin with location hunts: Where is the reference section? Which book in the library has the most words? Find the 398.2 section.

Images from Liberty Lady

Each student utilizes an iPad and a QR paddle. After scanning the QR, students see a “clue.” I then ask them to photograph the relevant section and bring me the “evidence” of their search.

Sound like a TON of effort? Not if you follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Chrome browser

2. In the address bar enter the following:

https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=150x150&cht=qr&chl=

(To alter the size of the QR code, change the 150x150 in the URL to a number of your choice. The numbers must match to maintain the square shape.)

3. At the end of this URL, enter your clue. For example:

PHOTOGRAPH the Reference Section

4. Press Enter. Your QR code will appear. If you copy it, you can paste the QR into any document.

As the weeks pass, students complete more complicated scavenger hunts using our traditional catalog interface or Destiny Quest. They must then bring me further “evidence” of their find. My goal is to teach students to do this ALL BY THEMSELVES.

Mission Accomplished? I think so.

**For more QR code ideas see my post, “How to Use QR Codes in Your School Library.”

I'm done with you

Hello, Reference Section? We're through. Finished. Kaput. I'm DONE with you. 

I tried keeping you and teaching students to use you, to like you. They don't. Sorry, Reference, in this digital world online databases and search engines take the lead. Encyclopedias, I still think you are cool, but you're taking up way too much space. 

Photos by Liberty Lady

The good news? Reference, now you are EVERYWHERE. 

Reference, look at what I did! 

 I printed you out. 

 I made you a QR code.

I placed you on ALL the shelves.

You lucky dog, Reference, your Jurassic print version didn't cause your extinction. Instead, you've evolved into a fabulous format.

Check it out . . .

Hooray! I am going to be a guest blogger for Follett in the coming months. Want to learn more about library management and QR codes? Check out my post, "How to Use QR Codes in Your School Library."

Lovey, Dovey: Book Trailers

Sadly, my theatrics don't ALWAYS sell a book to a student. I sing. I dance. I make the funny voices. Sometimes, it's just not enough.

Book Trailers, you make my life a bit easier. Book Trailers--you are my new friends. BTs, you help me capture the entire crowd. I kind of love you. 

And now, I can put you in a playlist. I can make your URL into a QR code. I can share you. Over and over. With sweet glee.

(Yes, I'm a total geek.)