Friday, May 29, 2015

Happy Scanning

There has been much discussion this week on our blogs, Twitter, and the discussion board concerning QR codes, and if I'm honest, I didn't really know what they were until having read the articles and everyone's posts. Here's a related mobile technology tool that may be of interest. Level It Books allows one to scan a book's ISBN (barcode) to see the Lexile, Guided Reading, Grade Level Equivalent, and DRA Levels of the book. I used to get asked these questions by parents all the time, and this app can help them find that information more quickly and independently from any location. It's a handy capability, granted I have not tested its use and accuracy.

The app, while not free, is very affordable at $3.99 on the App Store and is compatible with both Apple and Android devices.


QR codes make me wonder whether in the future, all print publication like newspapers and magazines will be entirely composed of headings and QR codes and only fill one folded piece of paper. I also read an adult fiction book not too long ago, Night Film by Marisha Pessl, which had bird symbols hidden throughout the pages that could be scanned via a special app in order to gain access to extended fiction content, such as clues and videos. Needless to say, that was an especially fun and innovative multimedia experience.

These apps have me thinking that maybe one day, we'll all go around with our smartphones at arm's length just scanning everything. I don't know if I'm excited about that or not...
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 29, 2015 at 9:18 PM

    That is really cool. I've used the Goodreads app, which has an ISBN scanner, but Level It seems great for parents.

    I've meant to read Night Film for awhile. Maybe after this class I will. I have a QR scanner now after all.

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  2. Sarah SeeleyMay 30, 2015 at 1:40 AM

    Thanks for sharing the app, Lindsay. It's very cool. You're right, it would be great for those parents and students looking for a book that meets their Lexile requirement. Much more tactile being able to choose a book off the shelf and check its info than filtering a library catalog results list.

    I'll have to check out Night Film. For a while the 39 Clues series for kids was using web interaction to enhance the reading experience. I like the idea of the bird symbols actually in the text. Some people are so creative and clever.

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  3. UnknownJune 4, 2015 at 8:51 AM

    Night Film sounds awesome! I'll have to check it out. Like John, I also use Goodreads as a way to scan books on the fly. I'm always looking for another good productivity app

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