QR Codes and Psychology Fair

QR Codes and Psychology Fair

This year in an effort to cut down on the use of paper in Psychology Fair we have embarked on a QR code adventure.  Each experiment (29 in all) has QR Code check in points as part of their experiment.  Each participant will use their phone to "check-in."  The codes will then redirect the participants to a Google Form that the groups have put together to ask their surveys or what not. 

Advantages:

• We will save around 15,000 sheets of paper!
• Will help simplify data entry for post fair data analysis.  Currently it takes around 2 days for group to enter all their data into Exel for data analysis.  By using Google Forms this step has been done automatically for them.   
• Participants will hopefully thing it is fun to use their phones in a school approved fashion, helping to create a digital citizenship experience.

Disadvantages:

• Praying that the network can handle the traffic.  We are expecting around 1,500 participants over a 6 hour period.  Plus the over 60 Chromebooks and laptops that will be connected to the network to carry out the experiments.  We have a few copies of the surveys on paper if we need them. 
• Participants utter lack or preparedness.  We have around 400 freshman coming to the fair.  I fear that they and others will not know what a QR is or how to use it.  I have done a lot of training with my students (experimenter) about how to help participants with their tech issues.  

If you are interested in following along with the experiments you can view their blog at the following website: http://psychologyfair.blogspot.com/