CodeZ QR is being used by the Canadian government to deliver dynamic QR codes on Canadian passport applications. (Thanks to Roger for the correction. see comments.) The citizen fills out a form on a website. The CodeX software creates a QR that has the appropriate contact information, name, address, etc.
If every student in a high school had a dynamic QR code on their ID card, it could be scanned as they enter the building. If the contact information is part of the code, it means mom could get a phone call, email, SMS at 10:00 AM in the morning. Not two weeks later. Once the kids know this is going to happen, they're going to show up everyday.
The principals will love it because all they have to do is ok a budget item and get the attendance stats up. Every principal in the United States cares about the attendance stats. So does every school board, because that's one of the ways they get paid back. In New York City alone, the amount of effort getting the attendance stats to Tweed is amazing.
The teachers will love it because they correctly hate to take attendance. Of course the Union will love it because it gives the teachers more time to teach and less time to be clerical staff.
People, why wouldn't any school district in the United States buy this? If you move fast enough I wouldn't be surprised if you could some of the gezillions of Federal money that is going to flow in September.
Then imagine if dynamic QR codes or pURLs appeared on Clickable Print A4s. Every admin and teacher would know which student did what and when they did it. Then every parent would have a record of what junior really did. Not what junior says he did.
When everyone knows what a student did and when they did it, high school gets mostly fixed at all levels of the pyramid. Actually it works for most organizations, most of the time.
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The simple reason why it would not work is that QR Codes are not secure. It is very easy to duplicate a QR Code, for example http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-switch/
ReplyDeleteI went to the post, but all I saw were a group of artists replacing one QR with another.
ReplyDeleteMy thinking is that if it is secure enough for Canadian passports, that should be secure enough for a high school.
>I went to the post, but all I saw were a group of artists replacing one QR with another.
ReplyDeleteThat's what you are supposed to see! And from there move to conclude that QR Codes used in the way you described are totally insecure.
>My thinking is that if it is secure enough for Canadian passports, that should be secure enough for a high school.
QR Codes are not used on Canadian passports, they are however dynamically generated and used on the application form. Security is not an issue because the QR Code is not used as a positive ID. If the applicant wants to complete the form in the name of Miky Mouse then that is what the QR Code will encode.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for clarifying. But I still don't see the totally insecure, part. If a QR were printed on a student's ID how would tampering mitigate the security of the card? No doubt some high school kids would figure out a way to get their friends to "scan" them in, but if it's connected to a system that sends mom a SMS in the AM that loop creates the appropriate expectation that would change behavior.
ReplyDeleteOn a closer read re the Canadian story, turns out you are correct and I'm not.
I read the story at http://tinyurl.com/q68d74, I wanted to read, instead of the story as it was.
Thanks for the correction. It does help.