Using Technology for a Scavenger Hunt

Using a QR code scavenger hunt in class can be a very useful technique for teaching. Students are taking on the role of the teacher and learning through a process. I think that this process of learning is very important because students are using skills and strategies to come to an answer rather than just being told the answers. This activity can be used in an inquiry based, indirect instruction lesson because students are completing the research to learn for themselves, of course with the guidance of the teacher!

In class, Dr. Smirnova created her own QR code scanner scavenger hunt where our groups had to complete and answer the questions about cooperative learning that coincided with each barcode. Some of the questions were easier to answer and we were able to do so based on our prior knowledge of the content. However, others required much more thinking and research. The ideas presented in some of the questions were new and unfamiliar but were able to be learned. 

As mentioned before, this activity would fit into an inquiry lesson plan. However, I liked how Dr. Smirnova used an inquiry based method of teaching to teach us about cooperative learning, another method of teaching. Many times students are taught using direct instruction and there is little room for exploration. Students are given the facts and content and that is it. In inquiry lessons, students are going through a process of learning to eventually reach the answer. Learning occurs during the process of coming to the right answer and I think that this activity can be useful in aiding that process.