Doc Cams in Online Teaching

I periodically conduct a short workshop featuring techniques and resources for using document cameras in support of online teaching. Here are some of the main advantages I like to discuss in these workshops:

Techniques

• Picture-in-picture synchronous teaching
• Doc-Casting
• Personalized assessment: voice and color-annotated feedback
• Scanning (e.g., PDF preparation)
• Digital stills
• Live demonstration toolset: presentation and annotation

Strategies

• Aiming at the Abstract: Visualization
• Use / Re-use (make it once, use it many times)
• Time-saving (efficiency)

Document cameras can do so much in support of online teaching—so much so that these devices should become a required part of the online instructor’s basic equipment toolkit. 

Visualize Better Messaging

At conferences, document camera companies often do a nice job with their exhibit hall booths, offering friendly and welcoming spaces for educators passing by. With their print messaging, not so much.

Here is the experiment I undertook: I procured the literature from each manufacturer’s table, reading each one through. The ‘featured’ sales messages were enough to scare an educator right back into their classrooms. Here’s a sampling of the offending core messaging I found in my pouch:

“[It’s] a great pass-through camera…”

“HDMI Input & Output – ideal for integration…”

“Perfect for retrofitting any room.”

“VGA/USB Dual-Mode”

And, of course, my favorite:

“[Now] UVC (USB video class compliant) with the latest CMOS 3.4 sensor…”

Whatever that means. These manufacturers need to understand that this style of “technical messaging” is gibberish to K-12 folks. Say it in English. Say it simply. Or talk about effective visual teaching. Come on—I know you folks—what’s with this? It looks like the technical department certainly beat the marketing heads on this one. Most of this seems written in the cryptic lexicon of university buyers or RFP junkies. Are you trying to sell to educational customers, or just advertising to outshine your competition? This type of technical messaging will never reach into the hearts and minds of educational customers. 

This message is tough love in nature, but you know I love you. Don’t you?