QR codes are an easy way to get the student body’s opinion on school related things. However, if you haven’t noticed, they haven’t been used for a while. Since phones got banned on January twenty-third we have had a lot of student voting, but you and many more may have not participated. This is because once phones were no longer allowed to be out there was no other way to scan a QR code. This resulted in bit.ly codes. Those are those long links that you have to type to input your vote. Because of this, many students have decided to not participate in voting at all leading to a lack of opinion for things like spirit days and march madness.
As we already mentioned the reason for not using QR codes anymore is due to no phones. According to Amanda O’hare, Junior Class Sponsor, by using a QR code students would have to take out their phone which goes against the new rule. While many teachers love the idea of no phones like English teacher Emmilee Throckmorton, they also can agree there has been some repercussions, “I think implementing it mid year has led to some complications.” Some of those compilations is the lack of participation in student voting.
What do people think about bit.ly codes? So far teachers have been using bit.ly codes. Some teachers don’t have a problem with bit.ly codes, but it is concurred that students dislike typing in the long link. Besides the tediousness of typing in bit.ly codes, it also leads to frustration due to how easy it is to make a mistake. Many students including me have messed up on a letter, and then have to rewrite the whole link. Additionally, it has also been brought up that there is not enough time to even type the bit.ly code before it is put away. In conclusion, bit.ly codes are too much of a hassle for students, so most have decided to just not participate. But how is this affecting things like prom and march madness.
March Madness held by Throckmorton is a battle of the books where students choose books from a selection based on what they think is the best. According to Throckmorton during the first round they had noticeably fewer votes. Which is due to the lack of QR codes that would normally be in announcements and pride time slides. However, she had been combating that by asking the English teacher to show the bit.ly codes in their class which definitely helped. March Madness is not the only thing that has happened, prom is also coming up. When speaking to O’hare, who is in charge of prom, about how bit.ly codes have affected prom she mentioned that it has been okay most likely due to it being linked in the main website. Though, she is not sure what to do when it comes time to vote for prom court, “I don’t want to have to look at 400 paper ballots.” Either that or she does not expect many people to even vote if they were to use bit.ly codes. Moreover, O’Hare hopes that for events like prom they can use QR codes.
While paper ballots may be the only solution, there are some suggestions. It’s proposed that students could take out their phones at the end of pride time, and they can then scan the QR codes as the lessons usually end early. Many students seem to also agree with this idea including myself. Some even mentioned that staff could post QR codes around the hallways or the cafeteria.
