McLuhan's+Tetrad+-+Andrea

I focused on document camera's for for this assignment dealing with McLuhan's tetrad. Document cameras allow for live projection of anything, including worksheets, textbooks, and pictures. They also include slots for USB drives so that saved images can be projected as well. They connect to computers and can be used with interactive white boards. Document cameras can also zoom, so small text can be made readable for a large group of people. Overhead projectors are no longer needed if document cameras are available. The tasks performed are similar, but document cameras do much more and make the tasks easier as well. Transparencies are no longer needed in order to project an image or text for a large group. One great way to use a document camera is to project a large image of a student to the entire class while he or she presents material. This allows for students to have a moment of feeling “famous” in front of their classmates. In the past, a different option for providing students with a similar feeling was taking pictures or videos during presentations, then posting or showing them later. Some teachers have never used document cameras, and instead have moved from overhead projectors to interactive white boards with LCD projectors. I believe that eventually, there will be a way to combine the features of a document camera with a computer or projector to eliminate the document camera itself. With the rate at which technology is progressing, it might be possible that a cell phone or simple camera may someday be able to perform the same tasks as a document camera and also communicate with a computer wirelessly.