Using a Link Shortener and QR Code Generator

This year many of you a embarking on a new journey to integrate technology into your classroom. Today's Tech Tip is designed to make sharing web addresses with others a little easier.

Web addresses, or URLs, are starting to get quite long. As the information available on the internet continues to expand, web addresses continue to get longer and longer. Normal this isn't a big deal if you are linking through from someplace else, but many of you will find yourself in a situation where you will want students to navigate to a specific web page, or the web link you plan to include in an email takes up 3 lines of text and disrupts the flow of your email, or maybe you are directing parents to a specific site in your class newsletter.  The reasons for needing to share a link are endless. Nothing is more frustrating than having to type in a long web address full of unfamiliar letter and number sequences. I can't tell you the number of times I have thought I typed in a URL correctly only to be one or two characters off. Here's where a link shortener can help! 

A link shortener takes a very long URL and turns it into a more compact or shorter format. The new shorter link created can then be shared with greater ease. There are several link shortening services available, but because we are a GAFE district (Google Apps for Education) the easiest one to use is goo.gl. 

Enter your long URL here

Goo.gl is Google's free link shortening service.  All you need to do is copy the web address you want shortened from the address bar. Then navigate to goo.gl and paste the URL into the link shortening box. Click on the blue Shorten URL button and your new short URL will appear on the right side of the page. You can then copy the link and paste it into your text or use the short link to write on the board. 

Use this short URL

Goo.gl will also create a QR code for the link provided. A QR code is a bar code, usually square in shape, typically linked to information on the internet. Scanning a QR code with a QR code reading app on your smartphone or tablet will redirect you to a web address on the internet. This format allows you to direct people to a specific web page without them having to type in a web address. 

QR Code

To access the QR code from goo.gl, select the Details link under your new shortened link. The QR code will appear and you can then copy the image and paste it into any other document. The QR code will appear as an image and you will be able to resize it to fit your needs. 

Selecting detail will take you to the QR code.