Document Cameras

Welcome! This weeks blog post is going to be about Document Cameras, and they way they have impacted and changed education! Just as other technological advances have had an impact on education, document cameras have added their own twist to the traditional classroom environment. If you have never heard of document cameras before, let me give you the low down on what they are. Essentially they are little desktop cameras that allow you to project videos and live images through a projector. Understanding what they are and they work, makes it more clearly as to how they can be helpful in the classroom. An article provided by the K-12 Teachers Alliance states, document cameras are great because they allow teachers to take what used to be individual assignments and turn them into class assignments, creating more discussion, interaction, and maintaining students' attention (Zimmer, 2011). Because the document camera holds so many different features, it makes it so flexible to use when in the educational environment. Besides being able to capture images and videos, it is also able to project live images and in some new models overlay text. Some models also come with special features such as slip screen and spotlight. By bringing this new technology of document cameras into education, there are becoming more and more ways to integrate tech in the classroom. Document cameras have already had a positive influence on teaching within the classroom and the further effects are yet to come.

In an article titled, 15 Fabulous Ways to Utilize a Document Camera, Jennifer Borel describes some of the many uses document cameras poses. Recorded below are my three favorite tips from her list (Borel, 2016).

1. Use it as a way to demonstrate steps of a project for everyone to see

2. Broadcast a project that students have worked on outside of class in a “show and tell” manner

3. Zoom in on projects so students can see the details

Of course there are many other features of the document camera that allow them to be used in many more opportunities with students. Who knows what the next up and coming form of technology will be that transforms the classroom, but for now document cameras are making an impact. Who is to say how long it will last, but as of this moment, they are something else.

References Borel, J. (2016, February 17). 15 Fabulous Ways to Utilize a Document Camera in the Art Room. Retrieved October 08, 2017, from https://www.theartofed.com/2014/09/01/15-fabulous- ways-to-utilize-a-document-camera-in-the-art-room/

Zimmer, M. (2011). 5 Ways to Use a Document Camera in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-document-camera-uses

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