New Chrome Feature: Share Any Webpage as a QR Code

 

QR Codes are a fun, cool way of sharing information. You can share contact info, a wifi password (I have one framed for guests at my home to scan and access the wifi), digital check-ins or attendance, links to games and projects, and much more. Recently, Google Chrome added a feature that allows you to generate a QR Code from any webpage right from the Omnibox (address bar).

To enable the QR Code generator, paste chrome://flags/#sharing-qr-code-generator into the Omnibox and click enter/return. This will open a tab called Experiments. Click the button titled Default. In the dropdown menu, select Enabled. This change won't take effect until you relaunch Chrome. At the bottom right of the screen, you'll see a button titled Relaunch. Click the button, and when Chrome relaunches, you'll now have the option for the QR Code generator.

Now that you have enabled the QR Code generator, navigate to a webpage and click on the URL to "highlight" it. 

On the far right of the Omnibox, you will a series of small buttons. One of them, circled below, is the QR Code generator.

After clicking the QR Code generator button, a QR Code will appear. This can be scanned with a QR Code scanner app on any smartphone or tablet. In addition, you can click Download to save it and print a physical copy.

QR Codes could be a fun way, in distance learning, to incorporate a scavenger hunt where students use their phones in addition to computers during a Zoom/Google Meet lesson. Generate your code, share the screen and kids can scan it. If working with students face to face, kids can scan to check in or for attendance. It can be used for them to access prizes or other incentives. The possibilities are endless. How might you use the Chrome QR Code generator?

If you have any questions and would like a follow up, contact me via Gmail or Chat at ajuarez@techcoachjuarez.com. 

My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.