Introduction
IIn our final week of Digital Technologies, we were focusing on outdoor learning by using QR codes. Outdoor learning is very important as it can corelate what we have learnt in a classroom with the outdoor world. OR codes are defined as “a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.” (Oxford dictionaries, 2019). For our task today we were to create an activity using QR codes and incorporate that in outdoor learning. I’ve had a little experience with QR codes as we used them in high school once. This meant I knew how they worked and could help with coming up with an idea of what we could do.
The Task
For the task we decided to create a scavenger hunt using QR codes. However, it took us a little while to decide what kind of questions we were going to ask. We ended up deciding to use maths questions. There would be multiple choice answers to the questions and the answers would give you a letter. There would also be a different letter on the back of the QR code. At the end they will be asked to make a word with the letters to see if they have the right answers. We used the word calculator as it was maths related and we used different types of maths questions as we think this could be used as a revision exercise.
This was our plan for each QR code. There would be a clue after the maths question as to where the next one would be. We would tell whoever is doing the scavenger hunt to make sure to collect all the codes after they have scanned them to make sure they’ve been to everyone. These were the experiences and outcomes for our task.
“I can extend and enhance my knowledge of digital technologies to collect, analyse ideas, relevant information and organise these in an appropriate way. TCH 2-01a”
“I can use digital technologies to search, access and retrieve information and am aware that not all of this information will be credible. TCH 02-02a”
We then paired up with another group and swapped tasks, they completed our task and we completed theirs. Their task was a lot different than ours. They had used the book creator app and created book where we had to complete a shopping list and scan different items for the price. I thought it was very creative and a great idea. However, it was over in less than five minutes. This meant the time they spent on creating was a lot more than it would take to complete. When feeding back to them we suggested some improvements to make the task longer. For example, having the children create their own shopping list from the items there and then adding them up or asking the children to continue the book. This was a hugely important lesson for us all the learn as student teachers, that time is crucial. We cannot spend loads of time on an activity that will last a couple of minutes otherwise we would get nothing done.
Benefits of Outdoor Learning
There are many benefits to outdoor learning. According to Education Scotland outdoor learning can be very motivating, interesting and is available to most (2010).
Outdoor Learning can also help to develop many different skills.
- Develops critical thinking
- Promote a healthy lifestyle
- Develop skills to assess their own safety and manage their risks.
- Communication skills
- Team-working skills
Conclusion
Overall, outdoor learning can be a different way to teach and has many advantages. It can also develop many skills that are important within and out with school. Using QR codes is a fun and inventive way to teach or consolidate knowledge and can be used in many different ways. It is very useful and important to learn as many places may use them in everyday life. Overall, I feel this is something I might use in the class room as I believe the pupils will enjoy it and still learn at the same time.
References
- Oxford Dictionaries. (2019) Definition of e-book in English [Online] Available: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/e-book [Accessed: 2 April 2019].
- Education Scotland (2010) Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning.
