iPads + QR Codes + Math = Learning is FUN!

Before the school year started, I had the opportunity to introduce myself and a fellow Educational Technology Specialists at one of our site's staff meeting. During our introduction, we passed around a sign up sheet for twenty minute appointment slots to discuss any technology needs with us. The following day, we returned to meet with teams and individual teachers to discuss their selected topics. During one of these appointments, we scheduled dates to come introduce iPads to all the first grade classrooms.

Monday was the day! We ventured into three different first grade classrooms ready to get our hands dirty with iPads! We started our day off with a few challenges, but those are to be expected time to time with technology. The first activity we had planned was using QR Codes to scan sight words. However, once we scanned the code, it displayed an network error.

Thank goodness we had a back up plan!!! We ran off to the office to make copies of a second activity that I had planned to use closer to Halloween! Note to self.. Always test QR code activities download from online before using them with students!

We used a QR Task Cards Halloween Beginning Addition activity created by Teaching with Technology and Fun on Teachers Pay Teachers as our activity to introduce students to their set of iPads. This activity was AWESOME! Once you download the activity, all you need to do is print sets of QR codes for students to share and a record sheet for each student. For our lesson, we paired up students to share an iPad to complete the task, which I highly recommend since this encourages students to collaborate together. They took turns scanning the QR code and worked together to record and solve each problem. The academic conversations were naturally occurring as students progressed through the QR Codes.