A company in India is printing quick response codes on front pages following each chapter for PDF access.
The Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research (Balbharti) in India has announced the launch of new QR code textbooks that have been designed to make it easier for students to obtain digital copies and to lighten the load they need to carry in their schoolbags.
The books are being produced for the Class VI syllabus which was recently changed and re-printed.
The new QR code textbooks have barcodes printed on each of the front pages following the chapters which directs the smartphone or tablet user to the official Balbharti website, where all class textbooks can be obtained in PDF format. The hope is that the quick response codes will also be helpful in accessing a smartphone app that is currently in its planning stages.
By using QR code textbooks, students would be required to carry far less in their schoolbags each day.
The Balbharti website is also undergoing a makeover at the same time that the mobile app is being developed. The hope is that by making the site easier to use, students will be more likely to opt for the digital versions of the textbooks and will not have to carry as much in their bags. The site’s updates will include an e-learning link of both the Marathi and English language magazines such as Kishor. Kishor is a teen focused magazine that is published on a monthly basis by Balbharti. The magazine is celebrating its fortieth anniversary.
The Balbharti controller, Vivek Gosavi, has explained that the size of the textbook has grown to A4 page size to make it possible to print it in a larger font that is more legible and appealing to both students and teachers. However, because of the larger page size, it also means that the books have grown, making them bigger and heavier inside a student’s bag.
Gosavi explained about the QR code textbooks that they are currently being “used as pilot project this year. At least students in urban Maharashtra would get the benefit of this feature. We will observe the response of this feature and will decide on the scope of its introduction in other books next year.”
Seafood cases and menus now feature quick response codes that can be scanned by guests.
The BlackSalt Fish Market located in Northwest Washington now sells dozens of different types of fish and shellfish, and has assigned QR codes to every one of them in order to provide customers with the information that they need to answer more of their questions, and to bring that knowledge home with them on their mobile devices.
These quick response codes are located on all of the menus and seafood cases of the company.
According to the fish monger for BlackSalt Fish Market, among the largest challenges that have been faced is in keeping track of the large amount of data regarding a given fish that is being sold, such as where it was caught, what techniques were used for catching the fish, who caught the fish, and so on. The QR codes provided a very helpful tool that would allow this information to be accurately and clearly relayed to customers who would like to know more about what they are buying and eating.
The Black Restaurant Group is now using QR codes to expand on their efforts to keep consumers informed.
The Black Restaurant Group includes locations such as Republic and Pearl Dive Oyster Palace. Over the last year, it has been making a concerted effort to provide its customers with a way to obtain a better understand of where, when, and how the fish was caught, and by whom. According to M.J. Gimbar, a fishmonger for the company, the purpose is to build greater transparency within an industry that has increasingly been experiencing consumer distrust due to widespread cases of fraud and mislabeling.
Gimbar explained that it is easy for Seafood to be altered or swapped, without the customer’s knowledge. Therefore, Black Restaurant Group is working to make sure that their own customers always know exactly what they are getting and how that seafood came to be available to them. The project, itself, was more challenging than had been anticipated. Keeping the QRcodes up to date and interesting caused a struggle, particularly after time had passed following the coverage by NBC, ABC, and National Geographic.
The excitement over the QR codes had started to die off until the traceability element was introduced, which provided information about each and every type of fish. This has regrown the customer interest and barcodes are being scanned once more.
