
I had so much fun helping primary grade students create QR-coded audio letters to Santa that I thought I would share the steps here. This project is especially appropriate to use with primary age students because few keyboard skills are required. Recording their letter is much easier than having young students try to write/type their Santa letter.
Begin the project by having the students create a picture of Santa using a drawing tool (Kid Pix Deluxe 3D is my favorite software and ABCya Paint is my favorite web-based tool). Save the picture and print it.
The next step is to brainstorm what students might say if they could talk to Santa. Students will practice reciting their letter to a buddy until they are fluent and ready to record. Students will then use the online tool called Vocaroo to record their audio letter to Santa.
Begin the project by having the students create a picture of Santa using a drawing tool (Kid Pix Deluxe 3D is my favorite software and ABCya Paint is my favorite web-based tool). Save the picture and print it.
The next step is to brainstorm what students might say if they could talk to Santa. Students will practice reciting their letter to a buddy until they are fluent and ready to record. Students will then use the online tool called Vocaroo to record their audio letter to Santa.
Not only is Vocaroo simple for primary students to use (ONE button to click to record) but the sharing options are fabulous! There is a QR code link (see bottom, right corner in the image below) that easily converts the audio recording to a QR code.
Vocaroo has no limit as to the length of the recordings, but limiting your students to 1 minute of recording will help them to focus on the content of their letter. The Vocaroo site stores the audio files online for a short time (FAQ section states that audio files can be saved for a period up to a few months). There are, however, numerous download options available if there is a desire to keep an audio file permanently.
The final step is to print the QR code and attach it to the student's drawing. These QR audio letters make a GREAT interactive bulletin board display and then the projects can be sent home as a Christmas gift for parents to enjoy. (You may want to include the URL to the child's recording on Vocaroo if parents want to download the audio file to permanently save it).
Following is a sample QR audio letter to Santa created by a VERY imaginative 1st grade boy. Scan the QR code and listen for yourself!
The final step is to print the QR code and attach it to the student's drawing. These QR audio letters make a GREAT interactive bulletin board display and then the projects can be sent home as a Christmas gift for parents to enjoy. (You may want to include the URL to the child's recording on Vocaroo if parents want to download the audio file to permanently save it).
Following is a sample QR audio letter to Santa created by a VERY imaginative 1st grade boy. Scan the QR code and listen for yourself!