'We Worked Really Hard': Elementary Students Use QR Code Technology To Share Scientific Research With Local Community

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - An elementary school in Indiana has found a creative way to showcase the work of its students as young scientists and researchers, all thanks to modern technology.

Third-graders at York Elementary school in Bristol spent two months studying and researching the trees and leaves found all over nearby Bonneyville Mill County Park, which includes 222 acres of gently rolling hills, woodlands, marshes and open meadows.

The students created websites and scientific drawings of the native trees, and by scanning a QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code), anyone can access their work instantly.

"This year it's a little more difficult to bring parents into our building, so we wanted to have a way to get that information out to the public, get their project out and everything that they worked on, so we thought 'Hey, QR codes — that would be the way to go,'" instructor Megan Coryell tells CBS affiliate WSBT.

Coryell says the technology helps the students share their work with the public and helps educate them about native trees.

The students first visited Bonneyville Mill County Park in March to do fieldwork by observing, investigating and photographing the trees. The process was detailed, with multiple drafts, feedback and revisions.

"We worked really hard," says York Elementary third-grader Landon Williams. "We had some teachers help us. We didn't do it by ourselves, and we used perseverance and explored."

Anyone can visit Bonneyville Mill County Park over the next couple of months to see the students' work. It's open Wednesday through Sunday.