When I first began teaching in 2017, the most difficult part was technology. How on Earth was I supposed to teach my kindergarten students to be independent and on task while I was working with small groups at the other end of the classroom? On top of all that, I was only assigned six Chromebooks (that worked when they wanted because they were significantly outdated) and the school iPads were on a "First Come, First Serve" basis with teachers being allowed four devices; that had to be checked out and returned daily.

I'm going to be honest. Technology was a struggle for an entire year. Everything that I tried was failing and I felt defeated. I wanted to give up with all technology and not bring it into my room, but then I kept thinking technology isn't going anywhere. As a teacher it is my responsibility to teach my students to learn in different ways, with technology being a way they learn. I had to change my mindset about all things technology. I had to forget about the negative feelings I had on technology and make it work.

When I attended TCCA (Technology and Curriculum Conference in Aldine) I sat in on a class about QR Codes. I had never heard of QR Codes and I thought, maybe this might be the key to integrating technology for my little learners. The presenter of the class was a 1st grade teachers and she shared how QRs could be used in the classroom. I was in awe of how these codes worked. All that was needed was a QR reader for a Chromebook and the camera app for an iPad.

I went back to school that Monday wanting to create my own that centered around my student needs. I learned which sites were the best for creating the codes and where to get the best read alouds. At first I began using sites like SafeYouTube, but those were blocked by the district's firewall. When those codes stopped working I began using regular YouTube for read alouds and I teach my students the importance of digital citizenship.

Fast-forward to today, I have now created tons of QR Codes from Read Alouds to station activities like Write the Rooms.

Click a button below to see the different resources I have created! You might be able to find a few that you would love to use in your classroom!!

Interested in creating your own QR Codes...Look No Further!!