This article was updated in February 2024.
QR codes are easy-to-read barcodes that give educators a simple way to share links to educational materials with participants in classes, workshops, presentations, etc.
While the mere mention of QR codes may trigger some unpleasant memories of pandemic-era meals, they have great use in the classroom. QR codes have become my preferred way of disseminating materials when teaching or presenting a workshop in real life and, as I have written previously, they are one of my favorite alternatives to slideshows.
QR codes are also an eco-friendly alternative to brochures and save me the hassle of dealing with a printer. Another advantage is that, as any teacher will tell you, many students want to use their phones in class. Using QR technology can help educators allow students to keep their phones in their hands while also directing them to important educational material.
Here are some of the best free sites to generate QR code links for teaching.
Best Free QR Code Sites for Teachers
This free QR code generator allows users to customize the color and design style of their QR codes. More ambitious users can also upload logos and images to incorporate as part of their QR code. The code that is generated can be saved as a .PDF, .PNG, .EPS, or .SVG file.
Flow code
Flowcode, another free and easy-to-use dynamic QR code generator, requires users to sign up through their email or Facebook. While this adds a step to the process, the generated QR code is emailed to the user, which is very convenient.
Graphics and multimedia giant Adobe offers a simple free QR generator that gives users the ability to choose the color and style of their QR code. You can't upload your own image or logo and it may not be as stylish as with other QR code generators, but the simplified format of this QR code generator makes it even easier to use and faster to generate a QR Code. .
Canva's QR code generator is also free and easy to use. Canva's QR code generator has many customization options and is perfect for teachers who want to get creative with the QR codes they create for or with their students.
This is a fast and easy-to-use QR code generator that offers great customization options to insert your QR code into different animations organized around holidays and by theme. Just be careful, some are not particularly suitable for education. For example, I loved a graphic consisting of several bottles of alcohol, but it's not the best backdrop for a QR code in most educational environments.
The free version of this tool works well and gives you the option to download its QR code or get a link to embed. Paid versions allow you to customize your QR code with a company logo or any art of your choice. The free version is a simple QR code, but you can choose the color and, let's be honest, it's not really that important to insert your school logo or something more creative into the QR code you create.
Google Chrome has gotten into the QR Code game, which makes it easy to generate QR codes directly from your Chrome browser and share documents, web pages, forms, etc. Click the share icon (a curved arrow in a box) on the right side of the address bar. The omnidirectional bar and generating a QR code will be one of the sharing options.
The free version of this QR generator is easy to use and allows you to upload an image or logo to the QR code you generate without needing to create an account. Simply copy and paste the desired URL, then click “generate QR code”. Adding a logo is also easy and can be done right from the home page. If you subscribe to QR Tiger, you can create dynamic QR codes that allow you to track time and location data when a QR code is scanned, which could be useful for teachers looking to track whether students are using a specific resource.
Create free customizable QR codes in moments with this site. You can customize the appearance of your code by choosing its color, layout, and frame (the box around the QR code). The site also offers templates for generating QR codes that lead directly to Zoom meetings, calendar invites, or WiFi network logins, so educators have plenty of options to choose from.
Another free QR code generation site that lives up to its name, Free-qr-code.net, allows users to create QR codes in a quick and easy way. The site also features several customizable elements, such as the option to add a logo and choose a color, as well as several QR code design templates.
The free version of this site allows you to create quick QR codes for all your starting needs. However, if you want to take your QR code a step further and create dynamic QR codes, you will need to subscribe. Dynamic QR codes have features like data tracking and the ability to send existing QR codes to new URLs, a great feature for an educator who wants to use the same print materials but update resources for a class.
