Scan Codes in Geography Teaching
Welcome to the Geography Teacher’s World of the Future
(Using Scan Codes as a Teaching and Learning Tool)
Scan codes are exactly what they say they are. They are codes that work like bar codes which can be scanned. Invented in Japan, they are often referred to as QR (Quick Response) codes. Their popularity has spread from Japan to Europe but they are only just now taking off with the upsurge in smart phone ownership.
QR codes are 2 dimensional, rectangular in shape and feature pixels in either black or white (see Fig 1 below). A code is read by a mobile phone (easiest on a smart phone) which then retrieves the corresponding information and displays it on the phone’s screen. What sort of information you ask? Well just about any information which can be linked to a web page PLUS it can display a short message or an electronic business card embedded into the code.
 Advantages of Scan Codes
They can be used to provide additional information in places where sufficient space is not available to display the information but is sufficient to display the scan code. Additionally scan codes can be used as a reveal. By this I mean information which is hidden by the code can be displayed at a more appropriate time. Lastly the scan code allows information to be displayed at locations where it is impractical or impossible to provide the related information in any other way.
Using Scan Codes as a Geography Teaching and Learning Resource
This is where scan codes become exciting. Used as a reveal, the symbols can hide information such as answers to Geography questions on Geography homework sheets. Once the student completes all the exercises they can then scan the unique scan code to reveal the answers to the questions thus avoiding the temptation to quickly glance at the answers while in mid problem. Another use in Geography is for the scan symbol to link to a list of formulae that the student only needs access if they need a reminder.
In all subject areas a symbol can be placed after an exercise which links directly to a YouTube clip explaining how to do the problem or providing further background information that is only accessed if required. Now some will be asking how is this different from putting a URL on the page for the student to type in. There are 2 simple answers to this. Students have phones with them far more often than computers and secondly the scan is a far quicker process than typing in a web address and much more accurate.
When using maps, scan codes can be used to make physical locations a jumping off point for the linked spatial information about the location itself. The scan code effortlessly links the map’s audience to the targeted website which allows the map to be less cluttered with information while at the same time providing a vast array of extra information. A simple example of this would be a continent map with a different scan code pasted on each country. The individual scan codes would then link to the relevant country page on CIA World Factbook for instance. (See Fig 2 below.)
 Fig. 2 Europe Map with QR codes (Source: http://www.youreuropemap.com)
Field studies also can take on a whole extra dimension where booklets can use the codes to link field locations to information about those locations including websites, maps or even additional photos of those locations. They can also be used in conjunction with the GPS capability of smart phone to provide ‘virtual treasure chests’ where students find a code at a location, scan it and find the treasure (information) at that location.
Environmentally, the scan codes reduce paper as the bulk of the information is downloaded digitally, in colour on the student’s phone rather than being printed on paper. A booklet containing photos, diagrams and reference material can now be reduced to a simple page of codes saving trees in the process.
Using and Creating Scan Codes
The easiest way to create these little digital gems is to access Telstra’s Scan Code Generator – found at http://www.telstra.com.au/codes/create_your_own_code.cfm . From there users need to simply type in the desired web address, comment or location and a QR code is automatically generated.  The resulting code can then be saved, or copied and pasted into the desired document.
To scan a code, a smart phone owner needs to have an application downloaded to their phone which enables a variety of codes to be scanned. One of the simplest and most user-friendly is a free application called ‘i-nigma’. Another free application available to download which will do an adequate job is ‘Goggles’. Many phones already come with a suitable application preloaded.
Geography educators have a reputation for at the forefront of new spatial technologies such as GPS and their application in education settings. QR codes provide us with another spatial tool that allows Geography to stay relevant in the digital age. I suspect when smart phone ownership approaches 100% as is it is predicted to in the next few years then scan codes will become as ubiquitous as bar codes are today.
For more information on the use of QR codes in education refer to work done at the University of Bath by Andy Ramsden and Lindsay Jordan (2009). http://opus.bath.ac.uk/12782/1/qrcodes_student_survey_uniofbath_feb09.pdf
