WOW!

A second grader shows how he solved a math problem.

A fourth grader points to an article on raptors that is projected onto the screen by a document camera.

“Oh!” “Ah!” “Wow!” “Cool!” Walk down the hall at Nine Mile Falls Elementary and you might think it’s the Fourth of July! What has students and teachers alike so enthralled? Document cameras. Proceeds from last year’s PTG sponsored “Tour de Feet” fun run were used to purchase six document cameras, which are used daily in the classrooms, second through fifth grade.

Document cameras are a new technology tool that replaces the old overhead projectors. As cameras, they can immediately project onto a screen, without any need for transparencies. This affords for more flexibility in what can be placed on the screen for all to see. In addition, document cameras can show dimensions and color, can zoom, can freeze a picture, store a picture in its memory, and can be used with lights on in the classroom. “You can see better,” commented a fourth grader.

In Mrs. Herbes fourth grade, a student brought in an article about raptors. Mrs. Herbes placed the article under the document camera, and he was able to share the article with his classmates. When teaching a science unit, Mrs. Herbes placed a scale under the camera to demonstrate its use. “It’s better,” explained another fourth grader. “You can put whatever you want under it. Teachers don’t have to run to make transparencies.” When Ms. Dawn Toelken’s third graders studied crystals, she brought in her high quality color postcards from the Smithsonian. The class was able to see photos from the museum’s collection of crystals, something that could not be done with an overhead projector. In Mrs. Teresa Dunn’s second grade class, a beehive was shown. Mrs. Dunn could zoom in on the individual cells of the hive.

Document cameras have another feature that is improving teaching and learning. Student work can be immediately displayed, and students can explain their thought processes not only to the teacher, but to classmates as well. The students love having their work shown and explaining how they did their work. Mrs. Dunn stated, “Students have different ways of thinking and good ideas. It’s so exciting to see other students light up when they hear a classmate explain in a way that makes sense to them and can watch the process. It’s powerful.”