As things slow down...

After attending the first three large ed-tech conferences of the winter (TIES, FETC, TCEA), I realized that there wasn't a whole lot of new news or recent developments in the field of classroom visualizers or document cameras. 

But that's a good thing, if you remember my recent post about the industry changing features too fast for for education, making us dizzy. It's better to concentrate more on how to teach with the tool, than to worry about the next feature of the tool. That is why I want to remind you to take a look at the only book on the market focusing on effective teaching strategies using the classroom document camera, shown below.

Digital Shapeshifter

Visual teaching, differentiated learning, and formative assessment with the classroom Document Camera.

It's the only book on the market about great teaching with document cameras. You'll love it! I't's 165 pages dedicated to totally transforming how we use classroom document cameras. You can find Digital Shapeshifter directly from the publisher at this link. 

InfoComm-ISTE Update

The new  ELMO small form factor document
camera, shown this June.

Two of the largest technology shows in the U.S. were held this last June. Both InfoComm (in Las Vegas) and ISTE (in San Diego) continued the trend toward more products, rapid feature improvements, and new manufacturers in the arena of document cameras. Over the next few months, I intend to cover in the pages of this blog some of the most intriguing and surprising developments in the document camera field to date. For now, let’s just say that this industry shows no signs of waning. Instead, innovation and feature advancement are alive and well.

Wolfvision showcased their offerings
for the  medical and university markets.
This basic unit retails in the $3,000 range.

Every major manufacturer was present at these shows, along with some newcomers. Most were in the exhibit halls, while some (like Lumens) featured personalized private showings in nearby suites along with a solid exhibit hall floor presence. My book, DigitalShapeshifter, was on sale or on display at ISTE. But what was missing—and needs to be there—is a stronger “instructional practice” presence: presentations, workshops, and poster sessions evidencing effective classroom use of document cameras. It's not good enough to just be in exhibit hall booths. Document camera technologies, which are so potentially transformative in nature, must navigate their way into the educational and intellectual currents of these major conferences.

Pathway Innovations was showing new
versions of their HoverCam document cameras.

Watch for my list of updated document camera manufacturers, which will follow in the conclusion to this series. And don’t worry— I’ll continue to pepper this series and the entire blog with great instructional ideas and suggestions, not just new product reviews. It’s all about learning in the classroom…

The Lumens 3D and wireless document cameras
were also shown at ISTE

VIZ Word Cloud

Here’s a graphic word cloud of all the words in my new book, Digital Shapeshifter.  The more the word is found in the book, the larger it appears in this word cloud. (Click on the graphic to enlarge it.)

It’s quite interesting to visualize, in this way, the recurring themes and concepts that emerge from the first book published on the topic of document cameras in the United States. It’s like putting your fingers on the pulse of what’s happening with document cameras in the classroom—and taking a read.

A Swiss Army Knife

Hey, the classroom document camera does not necessarily become all things to all people, but it comes reasonably close. Few educators realize that the quiet and unassuming document camera actually serves as eight tools-in-one, all neatly and compactly rolled into a single mechanical wonder. Without a doubt, your classroom document camera is nothing less than a digital “Swiss Army” knife. And pushing this metaphor as far as I can get away with, it comes with eight different ‘blades’ or tools for teachers and professors to use:

• It’s an overhead projector, without the need for transparency sheets or special pens.
• It’s an opaque projector, without the bulky size.
• It’s a scanner, only faster.
• It’s a document viewer, in full color.
• It’s a 3D object/artifact projector for use with hard-to-handle realia.
• It’s a micro lens for seeing hard-to-see microworlds.
• It’s a digital still camera for capturing those special moments, including time-lapse photos
• It’s a digital video camera for planned or spontaneous recording. 

That's another reason why I call the classroom document camera a "digital shapeshifter" in my book.

Digital Shapeshifter

At last! My latest book is out on the shelves:

Digital Shapeshifter

Visual teaching, differentiated learning, and formative assessment with the classroom Document Camera.

It's the only book on the market about great teaching with document cameras. You'll love it! I't's 165 pages dedicated to totally transforming how we use classroom document cameras. You can find Digital Shapeshifter in the exhibit hall of your local technology conference or directly from the publisher at this link. Enough with crass commercials!