Barcode labels are incredibly useful in many areas of life and as technology is moving forward, many new ways of putting barcodes to good use are appearing all the time. One of these uses, which has been in the news recently, is the report about a school in Newport, Wales, using Japanese Quick Response technology to aid with their lessons.
In practice what this means is that the pupils at St Julian’s School simply use the camera on their smartphones to scan the device onto small barcodes located around the school premises. A QR code reader allows them to view videos on their studies and even download worksheets in preparation for lessons.
The school has plans to roll this out even further in the future by offering downloads of homework sheets, lunch menus and class timetables. The pupils will eventually be able to use their phones in lesson registration too.
This QR technology is a special barcode type which was initially created for use in the automobile industry. However, many retailers are now letting their customers purchase as well as reserve products by using their mobile phones.