I'm putting the finishing touches on my presos for the MSET Conference, in Baltimore next week! Of course one of them is QR Code focused! (more on that below) The AWEsome Nick Ford may be the undisputed Captain of the QR Code Galaxy but I declare I'm the official QR Code Librarian for the movement! Zing! I'm so honoured & excited to have been asked to be a featured speaker at this my "hometown" ISTE affiliate technology conference - this will be my 14th consecutive appearance - as MSET (formerly MICCA) was where I got my start speaking about my passion for educational and being an agent of change. "This year's MSET conference will be filled with inspiring professional development workshops, concurrent sessions, and thought provoking keynote speakers to enhance your professional knowledge and skills. The MSET Market Place will provide an opportunity to check out the latest tech products and services. See live demos and speak with representatives! But best of all, the MSET Annual Conference is THE PLACE to network and share ideas and knowledge with your friends and colleagues! Don't miss it!" I'll be hanging out in room 336 (and the Digital Sandbox!) giving 6 presos on these topics: Death by Powerpoint...or How to be a Presentation Ninja, Transliteracy, Advocacy & the Remix MashUp Revolution, Easy Animation for Dynamite Disposition & Program Promotion, the ever popular and soon to be newly updated - Gadget-A-Go-Go, and of courseQR Codes in the Classroom (& the Library!) Since some of you, my dear readers, won't be able to make it to Baltimore next week let me give you a sneak peek at the QR preso. As an introduction to QR codes & an "in the wild" example - and as an admitted Pop Culture Ho I'm entertaining (or abusing) my audience with a mashup of Rebecca Black's terrible....err viral song Friday (don't worry - I'm only showing a snippet!) However, as a proud member of the Colbert Nation I am showing the full glory of my personal hero Stephen Colbert singing on Jimmy Fallon's show his rendition of the Friday song featuring a QR Easter Egg at the end. What!? You haven't seen it yet?
That's ok...it drove me crazy to catch that code - but I got it in a screenshot! (can't scan it? click above for a full size version) That code ...sorry I'm gonna ruin it for ya....leads you to a special message from Jimmy Fallon. Not the most exciting vid I admit, and I wish the Easter Egg coulda been a few more layers but that's ok...I think it's a fun way to introduce my audience to the QR code - what do you think? For the rest of the preso I'll be going into their history, how they are created, the best scanner apps for both Apple & Droid, share my viral QR Code Comic Tutorial, & how they can be used in the classroom & the library with kids as I blogged about last week! Whoohoo! A whole bunch of QR Code yummyness! I even convinced MSET to create a QR Code Game for the conference. The amazing Digital Diva Joquetta Johnson is in charge of that -but basically, the first 50 winners (25 per day) that have the correct responses to the QR code questions will receive a prize. All participants will receive the MSET Geek The Tribe Badge and the geekiest will get the honor of posting the winner badge below! ISTE11 is also gonna run a QR Game in Philly this summer (yeah, as an ISTE board member I admit pushed for that, too! Ok...I admit it, I'm addicted...What!?)
Welcome new readers! Did my keyword tag QR Code bring you here? AWEsome! Search this blog for "QR Code" & see my other postings including shameless QR Code bling, busines cards, stockings, and other ways to get your code on! Cheers! MSET members? Don't forget to take the MSET Crab Challenge! GoAnimate.com: MSET Challenge: Blue Crab in Space! by gwyneth
Love these ideas! QR Code Easter Egg Hunt has really got me thinking...hmmm. Wish I could be there. Your presentations sound fun. Just got back from Disney for Spring Break and saw QR codes on the Photo Pass cards they use in the parks.
I'm not sure. Never been but I always hear such wonderful things about it and the Learning Tools Family Feud sounds so cool! Phillie isn't too far... Let me look into this.
An update from the Archives . Got Ed Tech Relationship Anxiety? It's so easy to feel Ed Tech trend overload at the beginning of the school year. It's exhausting and can be overwhelming. Just remember, it's OK to date new technology, you don't have to marry it! You don't have to try to be the expert at everything. Sometimes, it's not what you have, it's the creativity of how you use it. It's the innovation of teaching and not the tool. Tools come and go, it's the daring spirit to try new things that pays off in the long run. If you're feeling overwhelmed, gather and curate great resources, rather than create new content. That can come later when you are less stressed or when you get inspired. Then, please share shamelessly across Edu platforms and help another educator who might need it. That's paying if forward. Again, tech may change, but it is our daring innovative change agent spirit that moves on. Use resources like Common Sens
Did you know about Secret Bitmoji's? Well, I just stumbled over them this summer and WOW! Cool! Are these new features or something we just missed? Since Bitmoji never talks to me -- and I've Tweeted and Instagrammed them over and over for years and nothing......I guess this is a new feature? The ability to make a Bitmoji with just about any word. I found this in the weirdest way, I was searching for a picture of an orchid -- because my Dad got my Mom & I orchid plants and I was asking how hers was faring. I found ALL these cartoons with the word Orchid -- but no pictures. Like why???? What was funny, it wasn't a cartoon of an orchid, it was just the word. I tried it again and got a different set of cartoons. Then I realized, wait..... it's just the word. I know, I'm slow sometimes - don't judge me. So of course I tried my name See that little pencil on the top? That means it's going to write out what you put in! There are also other handy Bitmo
Our Middle School Library in Laurel, Maryland has been a loud and proud Safe Space and Ally for ALL of our LGBTQIA and Neurodivergent students for years. We have purchased every well reviewed, requested, intriguing, and middle school approved fiction and non-fiction book on these topics. I daresay we have one of the largest collections around! We have Safe Space signs around, a rainbow narwhal (pictured above) and groupings of books on display all the time. I have also blogged about our support of our diverse communities. Dear Queer Teen - It Gets Better! - 2012 Create a Safe Space - 2018 BUT... I have strong opinions about putting a Genre label on these books. I am really cognizant that some of my Middle Schoolers are curious or questioning to learn more about but aren't ready to out themselves. To their peers and to their parents. This is yet another reason I'm against Genrefication. I know, among some of my other Future Ready Librarians this is a controversial topic.
Love these ideas! QR Code Easter Egg Hunt has really got me thinking...hmmm. Wish I could be there. Your presentations sound fun. Just got back from Disney for Spring Break and saw QR codes on the Photo Pass cards they use in the parks.
ReplyDeleteI wish you coulda been there, too! Are you gonna be at ISTE11?!!?? [fingers crossed]
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. Never been but I always hear such wonderful things about it and the Learning Tools Family Feud sounds so cool! Phillie isn't too far... Let me look into this.
ReplyDelete