Ask Mike: Using the Document Camera
Mike Floyd, Classroom Manager at The Teaching Center, 935-6810, mfloyd@wustl.edu
In this issue, Mike is answering these frequently asked questions about document cameras: What is a document camera? Why is it useful in teaching? Where is the document camera? How do I turn it on? How do I adjust the image? What are some common problems that occur when using the document camera? Please scroll down for Mike's answers.
Q: What is a document camera? Why is it useful in teaching?
A: The document camera, or “doc cam,” is a digital camera that allows you to project an image of one or more objects—for example, a book, a document, rock samples, or lab equipment—that you bring into the classroom. Unlike an overhead projector, the doc cam does not require you to make transparencies. Furthermore, the doc cam allows you to zoom-in on a portion of a document, enlarging it to the size of the screen, and it allows you to display real-time changes to objects—whether annotations on a document or changes that occur to the color of a solution during a laboratory experiment. (For example, see "Bringing the Classroom Projector into This Century," ITeach Newsletter, Fall 2005 ).
If you have never used a document camera, the classroom-support specialists at The Teaching Center would be happy to show you how to use one. Please call 935-6810 to schedule a brief training session.
Q: Where is the document camera?
A: Currently, 55 of the University-managed classrooms have a document camera integrated into the multimedia system. To find out whether a specific classroom has a doc cam, go to the Teaching Center’s online Classroom Directory. In each room, the doc cam is either installed in the ceiling above the instructor’s desk (look for a black circle) or located in a drawer on the side of the instructor’s desk.
Q: How do I turn on the document camera? How do I adjust the image?
A: See instructions below.
Ceiling-Installed Document Cameras
- Go to the touch-panel control screen and turn on the Projector.
- Go to the Source Menu, and then select Doc Cam.
- Place the object on the instructor’s desk directly below the camera.
- To improve the quality of the image, turn on the Doc Cam lights, either via the wall switch (labeled Document Camera) or the Doc Cam Menu on the touch-panel control screen. Adjust the room lights if necessary, via either the wall switches or the Room Control Menu on the touch-panel control screen.
- On the Doc Cam Menu, you will find controls to adjust the zoom and the focus.
Document Cameras Located in a Side-Drawer of Instructor’s Desk (“portable” models)
- Go to the touch-panel control screen and turn on the Projector.
- Go to the Source Menu, and then select Doc Cam.
- Pull out the drawer that contains the document camera and pull up on the camera at the top of the “gooseneck.”
- Turn on the document camera with the manual switch on the camera. Turning on the camera will automatically turn on the document-camera lights.
- Adjust the zoom and focus using the controls on the camera.
- Adjust the room lights if necessary, using either the wall switches or the Room Control Menu on the touch-panel control screen.
When you are finished with the document camera, turn off the projector, the document camera, and the document-camera lights (for ceiling-installed cameras). Or, if you are using the projector for another purpose, go to Source Menu to change the source (e.g. to Room PC).
Q: What are some common problems that occur when using the document camera?
A. Instructors sometimes find that the document cameras do not reproduce colors that are “true-to-life” or that the image resolution is not as sharp as desired. Note that these problems are NOT common when using the high-definition doc cams installed in newer classrooms, such as those in Seigle Hall. If exact color reproduction is important (for example, if you are projecting an image of a painting in an Art History course), you should experiment with the doc cam ahead of time to assess the quality of the image. It may be that you will get better results by using another projection method, such as taking a digital photo of the object before class, then projecting that image with the classroom PC or a laptop.
As with any technology you use in teaching, you should practice using the document camera well before the class session in which you will need to utilize it.
If you would like to schedule a training session to learn how to use the document camera, or if you need further assistance with technology in a University-managed classroom, please call The Teaching Center at 935-6810.