Table of Contents
Document Camera — Now You See It
1/1/0001 By:
By Ellen Ullman
Teachers say that document cameras change the way they teach. Because the cameras allow
them to place any object under the lens and project it in full color onto a large screen, teachers
say, they help them manage the classroom, keep students engaged, and can lead to
increased retention. Best of all, you’ll never hear “I can’t see!” again.
CANYONS SCHOOL
DISTRICT
SANDY, UT
WHAT DO YOU USE?
AVERVISION V300AF+ ($700); V355AF ($800)
WWW.AVERUSA.COM
WHY DID
YOUR
DISTRICT
GET
DOCUMENT
CAMERAS?
“When you work with small items, it’s hard for
the whole class to see,” says Ross Rogers,
media tech specialist. His science and elementary
teachers, in particular, appreciate having
the technology for their classes. It also helps
teachers handle students, Rogers explains,
because they are always facing them.
WHY THIS
BRAND?
It’s what the district chose.
WHAT DO
YOU LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“It’s sturdy. Other ones have an arm with a camera
and an arm with lights, which take up so
much more room. With AVer, the lights are built
on. Wherever you put the camera, the lights are
right there.” He also appreciates the fact that
the 300 has USB and VGA cables, so he can use
a laptop microphone to record, and that the
355 has a built-in microphone. “It has so many
uses, whichever curriculum you teach.”
WHAT
DON’T YOU
LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“Honestly, I haven’t heard a negative comment,
but if it could be wireless and operate on a battery
so I could take it with my laptop, that
would be great. But I’d still need a projector.”
HAS IT
BEEN EASY
TO INTEGRATE
INTO THE
CLASSROOM?
Yes, Rogers says. The third-grade teachers use
it to teach cursive writing; math teachers use it
to work with manipulatives. One teacher uses it
as a Webcam and broadcasts guest speakers
wirelessly to the classroom next door. “The
teachers find new uses every day; they tell me
they couldn’t teach without it.”
LOVEJOY
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DISTRICT
ALLEN, TX
WHAT DO YOU USE?
DUKANE 335 ($1,275 LIST PRICE; EDUCATION
DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE), WWW.DUKANE.COM
WHY DID
YOUR
DISTRICT
GET
DOCUMENT
CAMERAS?
“Some of our teachers went to a summer training
course and saw them in use,” says Tina
Phillips, director of technology. “We let them
‘earn’ the document cameras to use for instruction.
Once a handful of teachers started using
them, others started requesting them as well.”
Today a document camera is standard equipment
in every classroom.
WHY THIS
BRAND?
A vendor demonstrated them for Phillips, and
she liked the way they worked.
WHAT DO
YOU LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“It is nice and small and user-friendly.” In
another district, Phillips had employed a brand
that wasn’t as easy to use. “The images are
clear, and we are happy with the service we
get.” Last but not least, Phillips appreciates the
“good price” and the five-year warranty.
WHAT
DON’T YOU
LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“I haven’t heard any complaints, and we’ve had
few mechanical problems. We sent back only
one or two. The bulbs are fragile and tiny, but
we’ve put in only two.”
HAS IT
BEEN EASY
TO INTEGRATE
INTO THE
CLASSROOM?
Yes. The teachers use it to correct students’
work, do math manipulatives, and flip pages of
books. “It’s the day-to-day stuff that is the
basis of teaching. Any tool they can use every
day is so valuable.”
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TAMPA, FL
WHAT DO YOU USE?
EPSON DC-10 ($399)
WWW.EPSONBRIGHTERFUTURES.COM
WHY DID
YOUR
DISTRICT
GET
DOCUMENT
CAMERAS?
“We incorporated them into our presentation
stations,” says Steve Newhouse, district resource
teacher for 46 middle schools. “We were using
Epson projectors, and it was nice to take
advantage of the document cameras as well. They
seemed to be a natural with many teachers.”
WHY THIS
BRAND?
Epson is responsive, Newhouse says, and he
was happy with the way the company handled
his projectors. “Epson products last, and the
company provides good service.”
WHAT DO
YOU LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“It has lots of uses for all schools. The elementary
teachers like it that it captures information
from a large format, as they have big books
with large pages. Other document cameras
don’t let them view items as large without
having to scroll.” An additional benefit is the
DC-10’s portability. “Teachers love being able to
fold the camera into a small box. Some of our
schools are concerned about security, and it’s
easy to put these away and lock them up.”
WHAT
DON’T YOU
LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“There isn’t really anything; even the price is
responsible. Of course, it could always be less
expensive.”
HAS IT
BEEN EASY
TO INTEGRATE
INTO THE
CLASSROOM?
“Oh, yes,” Newhouse says. “Teachers use it easily.
Math teachers show how to solve problems.
Some writing teachers put up student writing
and highlight parts of speech. Social studies
teachers use it to make mental maps to remember
locations of states and other countries.”
TOPEKA DRIVE
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
NORTHRIDGE, CA
WHAT DO YOU USE?
ELMO TT-02RX & CRP-22 PROJECTOR ($1640)
WWW.ELMOUSA.COM
WHY DID
YOUR
DISTRICT
GET
DOCUMENT
CAMERAS?
Topeka Drive is a Korean-language dual-language
school. “When the teacher has to write a
sentence on the board in Korean, it takes a long
time and the children don’t see it clearly,” says
Gina M. Metzelar, Korean dual-language program
representative. “The research shows that
document cameras help kids pay more attention.”
WHY THIS
BRAND?
Metzelar did a lot of research and evaluated
several document cameras. “The ELMO’s
features answered my needs. I knew that the
children would benefit greatly from the
microscope attachment, from connecting to the
Internet, and from seeing everything so clearly.”
WHAT DO
YOU LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“I love the interaction it allows. Whether
students are reading in Korean or English,
everyone can follow along. It has great
highlighting features.” The ELMO has so many
positives, Metzelar says, she can’t list them all.
“Our scores in math and in fluency in Korean
have gone up. After three months we had
already seen improvements.”
WHAT
DON’T YOU
LIKE
ABOUT IT?
“The price,” Metzelar says, laughing. She can
afford only one, which is shared among four
classes.
HAS IT
BEEN EASY
TO INTEGRATE
INTO THE
CLASSROOM?
“Absolutely. All schools should have this
product. It makes teaching so much easier, and
they are able to teach more. It expands their
ability to teach in depth.”
Other Document Camera Providers
¦ CANON
www.usa.canon.com/home
¦ LUMENS
www.myladibug.com
¦ QOMO
www.qomo.com
¦ SAMSUNG
www.samsung.com/us
¦ SMART TECHNOLOGIES
smarttech.com