VOA教育报道2022--Use QR Codes for Teaching

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Use QR Codes for Teaching

You have probably seen those little boxes with a pattern of black marks on products in stores, on signs or in many other public places. The designs are called QR codes. That is short for "quick response code." They are a kind of bar code that a machine can read.

You might not know that teachers are finding QR codes make it easy to send messages to students on a mobile device or laptop computer.

So, in today's program, we will show you how to use QR codes and the many uses QR codes have for teaching English. In the second part of the program, we will show you how to make different kinds of QR codes using free services.

How to "read" a QR code

To read a QR code, simply open the camera on your phone and point it at the code. When the phone has read the code, a web link appears over it.

Touch, or tap it with your finger and a new window will open with the online material. If this does not work on your phone, you can find a free QR code app to download. They are available in the app store for Android or Apple Products. You can also use the camera on a laptop computer. If you are using a computer without a camera, you can right-click or control-click on the code and choose how to open the material.

Using QR codes for web links

The basic use of a QR code is to share a website address. For example, this code will take you to the Education page of VOA Learning English.

In the classroom, the web link may go to presentation files, listening or reading materials, research resources, or learning games. An important reason for using a QR code is that it can be shared on printed material. Students do not need to type a long and complex series of letters into their tablet or phone to go to a web address.

The codes can also show images for students who are not yet reading. With one touch of a finger, the code opens a player, so the student does not have to hunt for the correct application.

Some teachers use QR codes in several places around a classroom called "learning centers." At one center, students might find a list of new words. On a card at this center is the QR code for the Learning English Word book. A student can scan¹ it and look for the meaning of any unknown words.

Using QR codes for media files

Another learning center might have a choice of story books. A QR code can take the student to the sound of someone reading the story. This code takes you to a public library's collection of story books:

Teachers can use existing videos or create their own with messages to students. If you are online, watch this on how to share a video with a QR code:

Learning with songs can be enjoyable and a nice break from schoolwork. A teacher can create a QR code for a song and print it on the same page as the song's lyrics², or words, for students to listen and sing along.

One new idea in education is project-based learning. A teacher may create a QR code to link to a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation can include spoken instructions so students can hear and read the instructions again whenever they need to.

How to make QR codes

To create QR codes, there are a number of services you can find by searching for "QR code generator³." Take care to register for the free version of the service you want. If you do not, you may have to pay to keep the codes that you make active past a trial period.

Once you have chosen a service, look for the choices available to share a web link, a document, image, social media message or video. Simply copy the link you want to share and paste it into the box the service provides. Follow the instructions to save the code onto your computer. You can print the QR code or add it to a document that you plan to share electronically.

Make audio QR codes

To share the pronunciation of a word or a spoken message, create a QR code for a sound clip⁴. The code above is an example of a sound clip made on the service Vocaroo. It says, "Welcome to Voice of America Learning English."

Make QR codes for images

You can share any images or documents you want students to see by uploading them to a cloud service like Google Docs. For example, the file linked to this code is a Google Slides presentation.

Getting started with QR codes requires a little time, but once you have set up an account, you will probably have many more ideas on how to use these funny little squares.

Words in This Story

pattern –n. a repeated form or design

bar code – n. a patterned set of vertical⁵ lines printed on consumer products, mail, and the like to be read by a machine

app (application) –n. a computer program that carries out a specific job

click – v. to press and release (a button on a computer or phone)

scan – v. to read with an electronic device

clip – n. a short selection from a longer piece of a work

1 scan   

n.审视，浏览，扫描，押韵，细查；vt.细看，浏览，扫描，详细调查，信件扫描（指BBS处理直递邮件或会议邮件时，对所有或特定信区做检查的动作）

参考例句：

• The first scan was bad, so I had to do it again.第一次扫描不好，所以我得重做。
• A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.扫描可以确定胎儿在子宮中的位置。

2 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

3 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

4 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

5 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。