Source: http://www.venturaes.com/elmo/images/elmo_tt02.jpg
Jethro at Have a Good Life asks us all:
The document camera is a simple thing, but it makes a big difference in student understanding. Anybody else use a document camera? How do you use it? How can I use mine better?
This is a question I wonder about as well, considering that using a document camera is just plain obvious, isn’t it? It never hurts to review good ideas and share what we’re doing…whether they’re best practices or not, that’s something else altogether. Some common uses:
- Display notes and math problems
- Maps
- Magazines
- Newspaper Articles
- Shared Reading Every book is a big book when you have a document camera! I use the document camera daily for shared reading with 4th and 5th graders.
- Zoom into specific details you want to present
- Share articles and clips without having to spend money on copies
- Capture images from the class, such as that dissected frog, and use them as auxiliary materials for study guides and tests.
- Science Classes – students can see the teacher dissecting a frog that is displayed so that all of the class can easily see. Or, you can show the difference between beetles and butterflies in a unique, new way.
- Geometry Classes – use your document camera to add a 3D twist to the complicated world of pyramids, cones and cylinders.
- Geology Classes – teachers can show up-close and personal different types and textures of rocks.
- Art Classes – Students can watch and see more clearly techniques on molding clay and making perfect brush strokes.
- Show students how to do assigned work. Things are more easily explained when they can see the problems worked out in front of them.
- Demonstrating 3 dimensional items. Resulting in less time spent passing an item around to view.
- Critique student work for Six-Trait Writing
- Modeling note-taking.
Some web sites with Document Camera tips for….
and tons more via GoogleSearch. Not a high LOTI, but…useful.
What ideas, resources for using Document Cameras do you have that you’d like to share?
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Another Think Coming 
A lot of teachers will never get the chance to use a document camera because they are pricey. A post from Wesley F. got me thinking about an affordable document camera solution. A DIY solution might be made with a tripod and a good webcam. Has anyone heard about anyone trying to use a two or three megapixel webcam for this purpose? Mounting a webcam under a tripod might also work to hold the webcam. (For an adjustable base, one could use a flexible microscope light stand to hold the webcam if they found a tall one.) Some digital cameras also have a “webcam” function. These might also work if the megapixels of the webcam feature is high enough. A DIY document camera would give more teachers the chance to enhance their teaching in the way described in this post.Wesley’s post: http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/10/23/step-up-and-help-classroom-teachers-with-donorschoose/
A lot of teachers will never get the chance to use a document camera because they are pricey. A post from Wesley F. got me thinking about an affordable document camera solution. A DIY solution might be made with a tripod and a good webcam. Has anyone heard about anyone trying to use a two or three megapixel webcam for this purpose? Mounting a webcam under a tripod might also work to hold the webcam. (For an adjustable base, one could use a flexible microscope light stand to hold the webcam if they found a tall one.) Some digital cameras also have a “webcam” function. These might also work if the megapixels of the webcam feature is high enough. A DIY document camera would give more teachers the chance to enhance their teaching in the way described in this post.Wesley’s post: http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/10/23/step-up-and-help-classroom-teachers-with-donorschoose/