Document cameras are one of the latest technological innovations that have made their way into schools, universities, and other educational facilities.
A document camera, for the uninitiated, is a rotating visual recording device that records and magnifies a scene and displays that shot on a screen. This shot is usually projected in front of an audience.
As simple as it sounds, a document camera can be an excellent tool for teaching in large lecture halls, especially when you’re dealing with non-digitized content like hands-on material, lecture notes, or student work. It is actually projected that the document camera industry is set to grow from $370 million USD in 2020 to $545 million USD in 2025 as reported by Markets and Markets.
Besides that, there are many other reasons why you or your school should set aside a budget for document cameras, especially if you reside in Canada, which is reported to grow at the highest CAGR during the previously mentioned forecasted period.
Here are some reasons why this educational tool is something you should install in your classroom as soon as possible.
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Enables Real-Time Demonstrations
If your subject deals with science experiments, painting, art techniques, geometrical shapes, or topics that are best taught beyond pen and paper, then having a document camera is an especially handy tool.
With a document camera, lecturers can provide demonstrations to the entire class without worrying about obstruction or a lack of clarity.
For instance, if you’re running a biology experiment wherein you need to dissect a frog, a document camera can be used to display the act in real time as you simultaneously hold a lecture.
If you’re teaching art, you can go over certain art techniques with a document camera hovering over your work, helping students see these demonstrations happening up close.
Having a document camera helps you make live lectures and demonstrations more engaging and inclusive to students regardless of where they’re seated. This helps students—regardless of where they’re seated—access your live demonstrations without problem.
Shows Information to All Students Equally
Visibility issues can be a major hurdle for getting students to learn optimally, especially in large classroom settings when students at the back may struggle to see whiteboard material and supplementary notes up front.
That said, a document camera essentially eliminates this hurdle, enabling all students to see the teacher’s notes beyond the whiteboard. This can even extend beyond the whiteboard thanks to the document camera’s manoeuvrability.
For students who have visual impairments, this can spell the difference between understanding a lesson and having it fly over their heads.
It also helps remove the risk of misinterpreted handwriting getting in the way of students understanding the lesson material since you’re essentially flashing the text straight from the textbook.
Integrates Traditional and Digital Methods of Teaching
Students learn at different paces, and lecturers need to champion each student in their honest efforts to acquire knowledge. One way of giving them the best tools to facilitate learning is by using a document camera in class.
Having a document camera adds a new dimension of learning for students since it combines both traditional and digital modes of learning.
More specifically, educators and lecturers can display resources like textbooks, tests, and other traditional learning materials by way of the document camera.
And thanks to a document camera’s inherent compatibility with computers, it’s also possible to project digital resources like slideshows and videos directly afterwards.
The freedom to accomplish both modes of teaching seamlessly enriches the learning experience. It helps students more easily grasp complex concepts thanks to the enhanced delivery.
Enables Live Lectures and Pre-Recorded Lectures
Even just a single absence can make students fall far behind in any class. However, with a document camera, lecturers can record and capture their class session and post it for future watching.
That said, document cameras aren’t only useful during live lectures; they’re also perfect for asynchronous video recording.
These cameras allow you to hold demonstrations and lectures at a suitable timeframe. You can even annotate, edit, and make the resulting video more engaging during the post-process period.
Besides helping you, it also helps your students. With these recorded lectures, you’re essentially creating a valuable learning resource that your students can easily revisit on their own schedule.
If the subject matter is a core component of the curriculum, you can even reuse these pre-recorded lectures for the next batch of students. This essentially helps you increase your productivity hours while still giving students quality educational content.
Helps in Scanning and Saving Files
Most document cameras are equipped with special scanning software. This means that they can recognise a document, scan it, and store it in a connected computer for future use.
This capability is a great time-saver, helping people get physical documents digitized in less than a minute.
Lecturers can also easily share these scanned documents with students through digital platforms, enhancing accessibility and collaboration.
Furthermore, this advanced tool also comes with the added benefit of aiding in organizing and preserving important educational materials. This not only helps the current batch of students, but it can also serve as a repository for you and the next batch of students.
It’s a Cost-Effective Education Tool
Here’s the news you’ve been waiting to hear: document cameras aren’t going to cost your school an arm and a leg.
In fact, they’re relatively affordable devices, with document cameras from TechXpress going for as little as $309. Not bad for a device that acts as a scanner, microphone, projector, paper saver, and visualizer all in one!
Of course, that price is for basic models. If you want to get more premium educational technology with enhanced features like 20x zoom and 30 FPS display, you’ll have to bump up your budget.
But for the most part, even the most basic document cameras in the market can serve you well, especially if you’re just holding traditional lectures.
It Can Be Brought Anywhere
Projectors and scanners tend to weigh quite a bit. They also often come with a lot of dangling cords, which can be a nuisance to deal with.
Document cameras, on the other hand, are revolutionary in the realm of educational technology considering that they’re highly mobile devices. Thanks to their slim build, you can virtually carry them anywhere with you, whether it’s from classroom to classroom or from school to home and vice versa.
The mobility and lightweight exterior of this device are another one of its palpable benefits. Besides that, it also features a durable construction, making it a good, long-term investment for educators, schools, and other learning facilities.
