Control Alt Achieve: Making QR Codes with Chrome

This post is Day 2 of my "12 Days of Chrome-mas" where we are learning all about the Google Chrome browser including tips, tricks, lesser known features, and helpful ideas. You can access all of the posts in the series at: bit.ly/chromemas22

A QR Code (or "Quick Response" code) is a popular way to give someone a web link. By now we have probably all used our phones to scan one and pull up the menu in a restaurant.

However they are also useful in a school setting. Students can scan a QR Code with their phones or Chromebooks to quickly access a web link, whether it be to an online article or instructional slideshow or activity document or useful website.

Thankfully there are a lot of good options for creating QR Codes, but one of the easiest is built right into the Chrome browser.

See below for a short tutorial video and written directions on how to create QR Codes right in your Chrome web browser.

▶️ Tutorial Video (6 minutes)

Or view on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFOpRGzTHAg

🔗 Creating a QR Code

You can easily create a QR Code for any link you have open in Chrome, whether it be a website, document, presentation, or more. Here's how you do it:

With the content open in Chrome, go to the top of the screen, and then to the far right end of the address bar.
Here you will see an icon for "Share this page".

Click on the "Share this page" icon.
This will give you a drop-down menu with lots of sharing options including "Copy link", "Save page as", "Email", and "Create QR Code".
Simply click on the option for "Create QR Code".

You will now get a drop-down window with your QR Code.
You can click the "Download" button to save your own copy of it.

This will work on any link, including website, document, presentations, and much more.

📄 Using the QR Code

Now that you have created and downloaded the QR Code, you can use it in many ways. You can:

Put it on your website
Post it in Google Classroom
Share it on social media
Add it to a slideshow
Simply display it in class on your screen
Or you could insert it into a Google Document

For example if you wanted to add a QR Code to a Google Doc newsletter that you are sending home, you could:

Find the spot in the document where you want the QR Code.
Then click "Insert" then "Image" then "Upload from computer".
After you add the QR Code you can adjust the image size, placement, and text wrapping as normal.

💻 Scanning QR Codes with a Chromebook

Students and parents can scan your QR Codes easily with their phones. However, students can also use their Chromebooks to scan the QR Codes you make.

For example, let's say on the math worksheet you gave your students, you have a QR Code that goes to a video for additional help. Here's how they could use their Chromebook to scan it:

Click the Launcher button in the bottom left corner of the Chromebook screen.
Locate and open the Camera app from the list of apps.
With the camera app open, click the "Scan" option at the bottom.
Now click the "QR Code" option.
A highlighted square area will appear on the screen.
The student can now hold up the QR Code so it is in the highlighted square area.
The Chromebook will scan the QR Code and provide its link at the top of the camera app window.
The student can simply click that link now to go to the site, or in this case to the helpful math video.

💡 Ideas for QR Codes in Schools

Although we have mentioned a few ideas already, there are many possible uses for QR Codes in the classroom. Some ideas could include:

Student Book Reviews - Have students write book reviews in Google Docs or record them as videos and then create QR Codes to their reviews. These QR Codes can be printed out and taped to the inside of library books so other students can read or view the reviews right from the books.

Art Gallery Details - When students have their artwork hung up in the school, have the students write an explanation or record a video of what their creation means to them, and make QR Codes to those Google Docs or videos. Finally print out and place the QR Codes below the students' artwork so anyone coming through the school can get a personal detailed explanation of the work.

Homework help - Add QR Codes to homework sheets so students and parents can get easy access to videos or other online resources to help explain the content.

🏁 Conclusion

And that's it! Although there are a lot of ways to share links, and a lot of QR Code generators available, hopefully this quick and easy option will help you and your students to share important content.

Be sure to check out the other blog posts and videos in my series on Google Chrome to pick up more tips and helpful ideas here bit.ly/chromemas22