A document camera doesn’t need to be locked in to its name.  I know you are probably saying, “What is she talking about?” My answer is going to sound like a George Carlin skit. You know the one where he decomposes the word “Tennis.” “Why is Tennis called Ten-(nis) when it is only played by two people? This made me think about the word “Document Camera” and how often I just see it being used for its face value.

Just because the word “Document” is tagged onto camera doesn’t mean it is limited to projecting worksheets and pages in a book. Not in the least! Many different brands of document cameras are made with multi function ability. The stem can be bent or the lens twisted turning the document camera into a video or still camera. What does this mean to the classroom?

By Jmiewald [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Document Camera Uses

1. Project Worksheets on an Interactive White Board (IWB)
2. Capture worksheets to insert into slide presentations and etc…
3. Take photos within the classroom
4. Record student created videos
5. Record classroom activities
6. Use as web cam
   • Allows for Google Live Hangout participation
     • Teacher sharing lessons and collaborating with colleagues
     • Guest visitors presenting to a classroom full of students
     • Allows absent students to participate in the classroom
     • Classrooms can connect globally to collaborate on projects

The above mentioned is just a few possibilities a document camera can provide to a classroom. Kick a document camera up a notch by replacing with a tablet in a stand and this maximizes the possibilities even more.  Bottomline “Don’t just use technology tools for FACE VALUE” “Be Innovative and Maximize the Use.”