Document Camera-Student Usage

My students did enjoy the use of the document camera after a few times of pulling teeth with them. Initally, students were somewhat reticent about bringing in personal items to use with the document camera. They did not understand why we were using these items. After demonstrating my own character sketch with the graphic organizer and demonstration of making a watermark in the background of the document, they seemed more interested in bringing in the personal items. I let them set up how the item would be positioned and take the image themselves. We then uploaded their images to our class blackboard account. The images sat in their digital dropboxes until they were ready for use. I bent a few arms to print them in color. The result was great! I hung them all in the classroom, students awed at their own work, and I reveled in their success secretly as they complimented each other. What I also learned is that students somehow get too wrapped up in the aethestic aspect and sometimes neglect producing a quality work. I had to continually remind them that this is technology infusion for enhancements not substitutions.