Monday, July 12, 2010

The History Of The Document Camera

The document camera is the most versatile classroom presentation camera.


Today, giving presentations is even easier because of advances in technology. The document camera aids in presenting information, video conferencing, displaying documents in courtrooms or highlighting X-rays in a doctor's office. Unlike previous technology, document cameras can display many things with ease, without the inconvenience of transparent film.


Opaque Projectors


As a predecessor of the modern document camera, the opaque projector was once a common presentation tool and a cheap toy for children. The device could project images of opaque, or non-transparent, objects onto a wall. These machines required very bright, hot lamps to operate, so it was important to make sure that the display specimen didn't get burned up by the light source.


Overhead Projectors


Overhead projectors were a very popular style of group presentation until the late 1980s. They are typically large, consisting of a lighted box and a fan for cooling. Overhead projectors can only display information on transparent sheets of film because light must travel through these sheets and be reflected by a mirror.


Document Cameras


The document camera was introduced by the Wolfvision and Elmo Ltd. simultaneously. The device can be used to display almost anything, from notebook pages to three-dimensional objects using a camera and an LCD monitor. Today, the document camera can be synchronized with video conferencing equipment to make presentations even more convenient.

Tags: document camera, document camera, Overhead projectors, presentations even, technology document, video conferencing