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Pre conference session
John Davitt - Planning and Running Your Own Outdoor Learning Adventures.
An eccentric thinker, John taught us powerful ways to plan and run fieldwork activities. He particularly stressed the use of QR codes - a 'barcode' that teachers can create. The QR code is then hidden in a location and can be scanned on a smart phone through apps such as redlaser. Students are then linked to a webpage or challenge page created on the web.
These QR codes were placed throughout Boston Gardens and participants were given an opportunity to solve clues and collect information using smart technology in the field.
This technology can be used in the classroom for interactive activities.
John demonstrated new technologies such as the handheld projector. You simply plug your smart phone into the prejector. A white 'screen' was attached to a tree and videos and photos of the students work and answers to clues could be shown in the field.
- comments
Jem Nice one - we could totally do that! But the real question is - did you get your new shoes dirty?!
Adrian I'm not convinced about using QRcodes in teaching. To me, they appear to be a gimmick and are only used because they look cool and can be scanned to translate them to a URL. Having said that, I did see one QRcode application I liked. Students wrote reviews on a novel (online, of course) and the link to these was translated into a QR-code that was stuck on the front of the book. Students could scan the QRcode to read others' reviews about the novel.
Bromwyn Yes shoes are filthy hehe :) Adrian - yes the book idea is a great one. Wha about on students art work? A link to the bio of the artist and her inspiration on the piece and a description of the works and then a place for people to leave comments? I think we could make a lot of use with these in geography fieldwork. The activity we did worked well.