I recently started looking into a QR code generator that my teachers could use. This summer I took 20 people to ISTE in Philadelphia, and they were amazed by all the way that one can use technology to make life interesting. And at how easy it can be!
On our way back, on the plane, I was exhausted, so I curled up in my seat and stuck my head in the corner of the window, and dozed off. I remember tuning out the joyful sound of their voices sharing their impressions, and the quirky giggles and all sorts of game noises, as they were playing on their iPads…
A sudden jerk and some loud, fast and excited talking pulled me from my sleep ! I was numbed and disoriented and my heart was racing 100m/h…we’re crashing! My child! I reached for the phone as my chair kept being jerked and words were bouncing off of my head…where am I…no signal! Guess not…on a plane?! I started looking around to assess the situation.. the guy next to me was drooling in his sleep, and the lady next to him was laughing wholeheartedly at some movie they were playing on her screen…I couldn’t understand…then a face popped right in front of me “hey! you’re sleeping? I’m too hyper to sleep. I wanted to ask you, how do you do those QR codes? I want to do that with my kids the first day of school. I want them to take their phones out and read all the codes. It will be so fun! Don’t you think? But you need to show me how to do those things!”. I don’t know that I had a reply, as the owner of the utterings disappeared shortly from sight.
I was still in shock, but slightly coming out… my mom was on a plane on 9/11. THE 9/11. We knew nothing of her for three days. She wasn’t on that flight, not even near the area, but communication was cut those days.. she too sleeps on the plane. All the time. Maybe my brain connected the two events, or maybe, deep down in my subconscious, there is a stand-by alert that gets triggered at the slightest association with danger…Or maybe one never forgets things that are shattering one’s world…even for three days…
But the fact of the matter is that I have looked up a tone of QR code generators. And they are fun. And the kids love them. And you can customize them, send to phones, emails, put them on shirts – which is what I do – and let others make the discovery of a math formula or a Social Studies interesting and useful fact, or simply say hello to the world! But, as much as I try, I can’t see the urgency of finding them that day, on that plane…
To all of you remembering today, have a strong week! Make it amazing! And always remember!
