QR Codes make adding Smartphone apps a snap!

Cell phone belt holsters. Rhinestone-encrusted Hello Kitty cell phone charms. While we love all things mobile, we can also recognize when trends just aren’t meant to last. However, some developments in the mobile scene have the power to be so transformative, they will forever change the way we use our phones.

Enter the QR code. You have probably already seen them on several advertisements this holiday season. They look like this:

So what are they? QR Codes, which stand for “Quick Response codes,” are barcodes that will take you directly to any URL when scanned from your Smartphone’s camera. For example, a QR code might pull up a website, a coupon, or a business listing. Scanning a QR code enables you to access relevant information in one quick and easy step instead of having to search for it via your mobile browser.

Pumped at the chance to harness such awesome mobile power, we created the following QR codes to enable freakishly fast downloading of the Blackboard Mobile™ Learn app:       

  
Think of this as your VIP Express ticket to mobile learning! Scanning the appropriate QR code will take you directly to the Blackboard Mobile Learn app download page in your device’s app store. You’ll be just a few clicks away from Mobile access to your assignments, grades, handouts, and more.

You’ll have full access to the Blackboard Mobile Learn app if you are a Blackboard user at a school that has enabled it via Blackboard’s partnership with Sprint, and have a Sprint network Android or BlackBerry device. You can also use the app on Apple iOS devices via a Wi-Fi connection. For schools that have purchased a license for Blackboard Mobile Learn (including schools outside of the United States and K-12 institutions), you can access the app on any of those devices regardless of your cell phone carrier.

If you haven’t done so already, you will first need to download a free QR scanner from your phone’s app store. Some Android phones have a native scanner (ZXing) built in to their operating systems, but if you are not blessed with one of those phones, some popular scanners include…

    For the Android and BlackBerry: BeeTagg, MobileTag                                         

    For the iPhone and iPod touch: Kaywa, NeoReader, OptiScan

So now that you know what they are, stop staring (no, they will not ultimately reveal a 3D picture if stared at from a certain angle…trust us, we’ve tried) and start scanning! Of course, know that we have only just begun to expore how QR Codes can be used to enhance education. We think that Steven Anderson brings up several intriguing possibilities on his blog, Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom.

PS- For more information on the Blackboard Mobile Learn app and to check if your school has enabled it, click here