by Tristan Thorne

This article first appeared in TESOL Journal, Volume 7, Number 3, pgs. 746–754. Subscribers can access issues here. Only TESOL members may subscribe. To become a member of TESOL, please click here, and to purchase articles, please visit Wiley-Blackwell. © TESOL International Association.

Abstract The use of mobile devices in the language classroom can help accomplish innumerable learning objectives, yet many teachers regard smartphones and tablets as obstacles to lesson goals. However, as portable technology continues to infiltrate classroom boundaries, it is becoming increasingly clear that educators should find ways to take advantage of mobile devices’ enormous educative potential. Quick response (QR) codes, a type of matrix barcode, offer a simple solution to educators’ concerns. By creating these scannable codes, educators allow students to quickly and easily engage with relevant online materials, including videos, podcasts, images, and more. In doing so, the separation between the classroom and the “real world” is blurred, and students become more accountable for their own learning by applying their language skills to a wide variety of English stimuli using their personal devices. After reviewing the benefits of mobile assisted language use (MALU), this article introduces practical resources for creating and scanning QR codes and outlines a multi-part lesson that incorporates QR codes. The article also presents a variety of successful, classroom-tested ideas for integrating QR codes into collaborative and communicative lessons.

Due to the rise of recent technological developments, the ways in which we learn are becoming progressively more multifaceted (Perifanou, 2011). Moreover, the realities of today's technological world entail virtually incessant interaction with a variety of media forms (Prensky, 2001). Consequently, more than ever before, English language education requires a space where students are constantly engaged with, and challenged by, authentic, relevant, and stimulating materials as a foundation for learning. Because mobile devices are crucial for accessing authentic digital resources, the relevance of this tool for English language teaching (ELT) is apparent. One simple and effective method for students to take advantage of their mobile devices is through the use of quick response (QR) codes.

QR codes are a relatively recent type of matrix barcode that, when scanned by a mobile device, redirects the scanner to the URL that the QR code is linked to. Currently employed primarily for advertising, QR codes afford ample opportunity for educational purposes. When used for communicative and collaborative learning in the classroom, QR codes are a valuable pedagogical tool because they blur the line between the classroom and the “real world.” Through adopting a utilitarian approach to mobile devices in which “phones are … put to use in the service of language learning and student engagement” (Brown, 2014, p. 73), the incorporation of QR codes in lessons can help address unique challenges brought upon by this rapidly changing digital landscape.

Indeed, with the ever-expanding ubiquity of smartphones, most of our students already come to class armed with this valuable device (Burston, 2014; Campbell, 2006). However, many teachers hesitate to experiment with the educative capabilities of mobile devices. This skepticism is understandable: there is certainly little doubt that mobile devices can invite distraction (Burns & Lohenry,2013). Unsurprisingly, concerns related to mobile device usage during class time are not restricted to the field of language learning (Campbell, 2006). Many, if not most, teachers have encountered students whose attention has strayed during a lesson due to smartphones; the visible upward thumb scroll is evidence enough that Instagram and Facebook threaten the carefully curated learning environment teachers foster. Educators’ responses to this obstacle run the gamut from outright mobile device prohibition to permissivism of their use (Brown, 2014). However, beyond the physical removal of smartphones from students’ possession as a preventive measure, it is becoming increasingly clear that, if we as educators cannot ignore the steady intrusion of portable technology into educational spaces, perhaps we should instead embrace its enormous potential (Kukulska-Hulme, 2009; Prensky, 2001; Smikle, 2013).

An emerging body of research pertaining to mobile assisted language use (MALU) and mobile assisted language learning (MALL) points to the mounting importance of mobile devices for a wide variety of social and academic reasons in a second language, such as using social media in English, obtaining information online, and playing online games (Jarvis & Achilleos, 2013). One need look no further than the ways in which today's English language learners (ELLs) access diverse materials online to conclude that the exclusive use of a textbook in class does not align well with modern modes for seeking knowledge (McDonald, 2010). As learners continue to rely on digital sources for information, promoting students’ electronic literacies is essential (Ancker, 2002). This consideration is of particular importance, as reading from a screen may be more cognitively demanding and pose a greater challenge to comprehension than paper-based materials (Jabr, 2013). Furthermore, some resources such as video and podcasts cannot be printed at all, and others, including infographics, blogs, and webcomics, are best viewed on a screen.

QR codes readily address the above concerns by providing an efficient vehicle through which innumerable student learning objectives can be quickly and seamlessly interwoven with authentic materials. For educators who already employ diverse digital resources in class, QR codes offer a quick fix to the timely process of manually entering lengthy URLs into web browsers. Moreover, by relinquishing control of the media to students, learners are able to replay audio and video, and enlarge color images for closer examination. Through examining media on their own or in small groups, students are more accountable for their own learning. Additionally, the mystery enshrouding the linked materials of the QR codes often piques students’ curiosity, which is an additional catalyst for class participation.

The process of creating and integrating QR codes into lessons is simple and requires little practice. There is an abundance of websites that educators can use to create custom QR codes for free; one example is http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. Copy and paste the URL of an online article, video, podcast, or image into the indicated field, and the website will generate a QR code that links to the URL. This QR code can then be copied and pasted into printed handouts or projected on a large screen for students to scan with their mobile devices. QR codes linking to text fewer than three hundred characters can be created by visiting http://goqr.me. Most mobile devices now come equipped with a QR code scanner, but there are several free apps such as i-nigma available for download. Scan Figures 1 and 2 for examples of QR codes linking to text and an image.

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This article first appeared in TESOL Journal, 7, 746–754. For permission to use text from this article, please go to Wiley-Blackwell and click on "Request Permissions" under "Article Tools."
doi: 10.1002/tesj.257

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