These days QR Codes are old news, and in 1:1 classrooms, they may seem redundant. Why not just share the link digitally with students?
But there are so many ways to use QR Codes in the classroom besides linking to websites that can really spice up your lessons and make learning more interactive. You can hide questions and answer keys within QR Codes. You can also hide pictures and further information on a given topic.
Below I’m going to give you ten suggestions for using QR Codes to make your lessons more interactive. I’m also going to give you a free template for making a fun scavenger hunt with QR Codes. But first, I want to show you a super easy way to create them using Google Sheets and a free add-on.
Make QR Codes in Five Free and Easy Steps
Step 3: Type what you want hidden in the QR Code into a cell.
10 Ways to Use QR Codes to Build An Interactive Classroom
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talk during this part. When their time is up, give them 10 minutes to have a round-robin discussion, each student focusing on their prompt or question.
- Type the instructions and glue them to each envelope.
- Write first in the cell of one of the QR Codes when you generate it to ensure the students don’t waste time deciding who starts the conversation and instruct them to go clockwise from there.
- Use the timer and traffic lights on classroomscreen.com to keep everything moving. Here’s a tutorial for using classroom screen.
- Place students in groups and have each group roll the dice to decide what they will do.
- Place a different cube in four corners of your room, each for different learning styles. Place an activity obscured by a QR Code on each side of the cube that has to do with that learning style. Instruct students to go to the corner of the room that represents how they feel they learn best, and roll the die to see what they need to do. For example, in the kinesthetic corner, the cube could have (1) act out the story/event and record it, (2) mime your vocabulary and record it (3) make a model of a scene/event (4) create a card sort with people/characters/places/vocabulary (5) make a map of a book/place (6) mimic the poses of portraits/photographs/literary descriptions, and take pictures.
- Use the above as station activities for various topics.
- Roll a reward–when students are rewarded, have them roll the die and scan the QR Code to see what they won (homework pass, restroom pass, sit where you want for a day, free quiz answer, extra points on an assignment, extra xp [if you gamify], candy)….

- Order foam dice from Amazon. Don’t worry about getting blank ones (they are more expensive), as you will be covering them up.
- If your students are prone to changing their answers so they don’t have to reflect, instruct them to write in pen.
- If your students will scan the QR Codes and simply copy the answers, put the answer keys on separate cards that they will not get until they show you their completed work, or have them check their phones and devices until a certain amount of time has elapsed. If you are circulating the room, you’ll have a good idea of who is actually working.
- If your school blocks pinterest, load the images to a Google Site and grab the links from the published site, or use this method on Dropbox:
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Download The Cheat Sheet HERE. |

- Pick a historical example, and think of a series of choices that led to a certain point. Think of one counter choice for each decision. For example, “Henry VIII has a choice. The pope has refused his request for an annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon.”
- The two choices could be (1) obey the pope and stay with Catherine OR (2) leave the Church and divorce Catherine.
- Place a QR Code beneath each choice with pros and cons of each decision. Instruct students to select one of the choices, scan the QR Code to read the pros and cons, and construct their own scenario of what happened based on that decision.
- Have students share their scenarios with the class and compare their scenarios to what actually happened.
- If you use this to introduce a topic, after students present, give a presentation or show a short film about what actually happened. Give students a Venn Diagram to compare their scenario to the actual event.
- This can also be used to review a topic. It’s interesting here, because students who paid attention generally (though not always) select what really happened. This is a good opportunity for students who missed something to clarify and review.
- Save student scenarios to create one big Pick Your Own Path review for exams, embedding student scenarios in the QR Code for each choice.
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Grab This Editable Template. |
Do you use QR Codes in your classroom? How do you use them? Leave a comment and let me know!
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