Students Present Acclaimed Video Projects With Projection Technology
There is nothing like seeing the world laid out before you. From the rigid Appalachian mountain range, flowing waterfalls and colorful festivals in distant lands, geography is diverse, beautiful and ever changing. As a geography teacher at Ackerman Middle School in Canby, Ore., I have found that the most effective way to present the world to my students isn’t with a chalk board or 8x11 photos but with a projector that allows me to present large, bright, crisp images in feet, not inches that are truly representative of the world surrounding us.
With school budgets stretched thin, my first experience with projection technology was an entry-level projector purchased by my school. The projector required setting my computer’s resolution to the lowest setting, which made for poor quality images and fuzzy text. I recently began using an InFocus LP130 in my class, and it has made all the difference.
When I learned the potential of the InFocus projector, the difference was like night and day. My students were amazed at how clear the images were and how easy it was to read text on the screen. My computer is now set on the highest resolution for projection. The projector also reduced my class preparation time by cutting down on the number of copied materials I would otherwise have to make for 150 students.
During my lessons, it’s not uncommon to hear me say “lets see what it’s like at Red Square” if the class is studying Russia. Images of Red Square are then projected for the entire class to see. Having the ability to take my students around the world in one class period is just amazing.
Additional daily uses of the projector include preparing for the National Geography Bee by projecting the daily “GeoBee” quiz available on the National Geographic Explorer Web site, and playing video clips from internet sources and student produced projects. Projecting news clips throughout the class period allows us to stay up-to-date on breaking news.
My students are also encouraged to learn and use technology that allows them to create slide shows, web pages, display digital photography and share information with the class through projection, which has allowed my students to become quite skilled at creating video projects and slide shows demonstrating what they have learned. Their video projects have even been acclaimed by leaders in our state as some of the best work of its kind in Oregon.
One my classes/community projects is the Student Peace Advocacy, a group of students who study the works of Noble Peace Prize winners and create several of their own peace promotion projects throughout the year. In May 2004 the student advocates created videos and slide shows for the opportunity to be featured at the annual Community Festival that brings together the community and students to promote peace and harmony. The videos were judged by a panel of judges, including a state senator, school superintendent, and chamber of commerce director. Eight students from my class were chosen as winners and their videos were shown at the festival and the annual Ackerman Peace Prize Presentation also held in May.
The Oregon State Superintendent of Schools proclaimed the videos to be inspirational and encouraged schools and communities to follow the lead of Ackerman Middle School. If we didn’t have our InFocus projector, there is just no way we could have presented these powerful images to over 500 people without losing important effects.
My students and I are also asked to present at a number of conferences each year, including the National Middle School Conference and the National Council for Computer Education and Oregon Council for Social Studies conferences. We even host Family Geography nights. Having the projector for these events has proven to be invaluable.
Since I first began using the projector, the school district has purchased a number of InFocus projectors, making it possible for educators to continue to find new ways to use projection technology to enlighten and expand young minds.
The fact of the matter is I am proof that an old dog can be taught new tricks. I am entering my 25th year of teaching, and I feel as fresh and invigorated as I did at the start of my career. I look forward to the work produced by my students and the ability to appreciate their efforts with the use of technology in their presentations.