Scanner, camera, QR code, flash memory
Information has to get into a computer before we can keep it. A scanner is like a photocopier that makes a file instead of a paper copy: you put in a page of your drawing and you get a picture file. A digital camera takes photos that are saved as files too. A QR code is a square pattern that holds a link or a short text. Pointing a phone camera at it can open that link. That is useful, but the link may open a website, so never scan a code alone: do it with a teacher or a family member. Flash memory is the small stick that stores files and lets you carry them from one computer to another. In this lesson we only draw QR codes as a labelled box, because a real code holds a real link.
| Tool | What goes in | What comes out |
|---|---|---|
| scanner | a paper page | a picture or document file |
| digital camera | what the lens sees | a photo file |
| QR code | a phone camera pointing at it, with a grown-up | a link or text |
| flash memory | files you save | the same files on another computer |
Tool detective. Write a list of six jobs, such as ‘turn my paper drawing into a file’, ‘carry my project to a friend’s house’, ‘show a link in a poster’. Next to each, write the tool: scanner, camera, QR code or flash memory. Add one safety note that a QR code needs.