Technology Report pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
QR-Coded Audio Periodic Table of the Elements: A Mobile-Learning Tool Vasco D. B. Bonifácio* REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: A quick response coded audio periodic table of the elements (QR-APTE) was developed using free online resources. The potential of QR-APTE was tested using a smart phone and is envisaged to become a truly powerful tool to teach chemistry to blind and visually impaired students under a mobile-learning environment.
KEYWORDS: First-Year Undergraduate/General, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Chemoinformatics, Distance Learning/Self Instruction, Internet/Web-Based Learning, Periodicity/Periodic Table
T
he periodic table of the elements (PTE) is one the most fascinating icons in science. Since it was originally conceived in 1869 by Dimitri Mendeleev, around 700 versions have been published.1 Very recently, and after a three-year review, the IUPAC/IUPAP Joint Working Party (JWP) unequivocally recognized the discovery of two more elements, with atomic numbers 114 and 116.2 The PTE is currently available in different formats, from the classic paper version to dynamic interactive online platforms.3 However, the access of blind and visually impaired students to chemical information is a major challenge.4 In this regard the existence of organized audio chemical information is highly desirable, speeding up the learning process by avoiding Braille reading. Smart phones are already a powerful tool in the chemistry classroom,5 and mobilelearning will definitely change the way of teaching. Interestingly, the University of Nottingham released the PTE of videos,6 and because each element has a corresponding video available through the YouTube video-sharing Web site, the quick response (QR) code was used to build a QR code-based PTE of videos (QRVPTE).7 A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code that was originally developed in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Japanese automatic data-capture equipment company. An example of a QR code periodic table element is shown in Figure 1. Because Denso Wave owns the QR code patent rights but has chosen not to exercise them, QR codes are license free. Despite being popular in Japan for many years, QR codes are now emerging gradually around the world due to the increasing smart phone market penetration. QR codes can be freely generated online.8 After typing a chosen URL (other options are also available), the code is automatically generated. © 2012 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
Figure 1. Quick response code for the audio description of hydrogen (taken from the periodic table of the elements presented in the Supporting Information).
The code content will be the typed URL, which can be used latter to retrieve it with a QR code reader. The power of QR codes relies on the easy and simple way that information can be accessed (through the Internet) by using a smart phone having a QR reader app. QR code readers for smart phones are freely available and the following applications are recommended for the most popular platforms: i-nigma or Qrafter (iPhone/iPad), Barcode Scanner (Android), QR Code Scanner Pro (BlackBerry), and Mbarcode (Nokia). Published: January 30, 2012 552
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Technology Report
Figure 2. Quick response-coded audio periodic table of the elements (QR-APTE).
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AUDIO QR CODE-BASED PTE Although the videos from the QR-VPTE contain information that is easily understood by nonblind students, the videos can be also somewhat useful to blind and visually impaired students. However, some visual information is lost to blind users. Being a video-based tool, a good Internet connection is needed and a complete video download can take more than 30 min. In the present report, an audio QR code-based PTE (QR-APTE) for use both by blind and visually impaired and nonblind students is presented (see the poster in the Supporting Information). The QR-APTE poster was built up using the audio PTE “Chemistry in its Element” from the Royal Chemistry Society (RSC) Web site.9 The URLs of the RSC podcast audio files containing general information (history and applications) about the chemical elements were QR coded and the PTE constructed taking into account both tutored and untutored learning. The PTE is indispensable knowledge for anyone planning to take chemistry in high school. The QR-APTE poster (Figure 2) can be easily integrated in the classroom, helping students getting familiar with the chemical elements in a fun and exciting way. Extraordinary strategies and methodologies on the part of teachers are desirable to effectively teach the PTE to young students. After the introduction of a brief historical background of the PTE and appropriated concepts, according to the students grade level, a copy of the QR-APTE should be distributed and a quiz-driven competition started (QR-coded quizzes can also be used). Because the QR-APTE allows students to get involved and explore it individually (this is especially important if the class is large and in this case, the use of earphones is required), its introduction in the undergraduate classroom will change (and improve) the PTE learning process. For untutored learning of blind and visually impaired students, the chemical element symbol in Braille must be added to the printed poster using a Braille labeler. When studying alone, the blind student needs also to find out the optimal distance from the smart phone to the QR-ATPE or simply use a larger poster. Most of the available QR code readers emit a beeping sound after successful code reading. The use of the QR-ATPE is not
limited to the printed poster; users can also scan the element QR code directly from computer or projection screens. The use of a smart phone with a QR-APTE poster is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Use of QR-APTE: (A) read the code of a selected element using a smart phone QR reader and (B) listen to the selected element audio file.
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SUMMARY
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Quick response code was used to build up a periodic table poster based on the RSC podcasts available online. The developed QR-APTE poster can be explored as a mobile-learning tool, using a smart phone, to introduce the periodic table of the elements to blind and visually impaired students and also to nonblind students. The development of other chemistry-related QR code-based mobile-learning tools is underway.
S Supporting Information *
Poster of quick response-coded audio periodic table of the elements (QR-APTE). This material is available via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org. 553
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200541e | J. Chem. Educ. 2012, 89, 552−554
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Technology Report
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was partially supported by Fundaçaõ para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and FEDER (Project CHEM4ALL: RIPD/APD/ 109547/2009). QRandGO is also acknowledged for technical support in the construction of the QR-APTE poster.
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REFERENCES
(1) Scerri, E. R. The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance; Oxford University Press: New York, 2007. (2) Barber, R. C.; Karol, P. J.; Nakahara, H.; Vardaci, E.; Vogt, E. W. Discovery of the elements with atomic numbers greater than or equal to 113 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure Appl. Chem. 2011, 83, 1485− 1498. (3) Dayah, M. Dynamic Periodic Table: http://www.ptable.com (accessed Jan 2012). (4) Pereira, F.; Aires-de-Sousa, J.; Bonifácio, V. D. B.; Mata, P.; Lobo, A. M. MOLinsight: A web portal for the processing of molecular structures by blind students. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 361−362. (5) Williams, A. J.; Pence, H. E. Smart Phones, a powerful tool in the chemistry classroom. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 683−686. (6) The University of Nottingham Periodic Table of Videos: http:// www.periodicvideos.com (accessed Jan 2012). (7) Quick-Response Periodic Table of Videos: http://www.flickr. com/photos/periodicvideos/6058859510 (accessed Jan 2012). (8) For examples of online QR-code generators see: (a) http:// keremerkan.net/qr-code-and-2d-code-generator, (b) http://zxing.appspot. com/generator, (c) http://qrcode.kaywa.com, (accessed Jan 2012). (9) Royal Society of Chemistry Web page for the Chemistry in its Element podcast. http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/ element.asp (accessed Jan 2012).
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