June 2007 — Smart Classroom
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Are Document Cameras the Next Big Thing?
The technologies used in the program are highly visual and interactive, and can be operated with a single classroom computer. The instructional strategies are derived from the book Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001). The original program was piloted by 10 technology-proficient K-12 teachers and reviewed by an external evaluator, who concluded that “key decisionmakers for educational organizations and institutions should consider the document camera as a standard technology solution that will provide visually rich learning experiences for their students.”
Even before Tschirgi organized the Sustainable Classroom Project, math integration specialist Mary Anderson was working with teachers in ESD 123 (Pasco, WA) to improve mathematics instruction in grades 6 through 12. Seven years ago, many districts in Anderson’s region adopted a reformed math curriculum that required middle and high school students to not only find the correct answer to a problem, but also explain the reasoning they used to arrive at the solution. This approach to mathematics instruction required major shifts in both teaching and learning.
About the same time, ESD 123 decided to use funds from Title II, Part D of the No Child Left Behind Act to support a program called No Limit!. Designed to develop instructional models that support deeper understanding of mathematics concepts, No Limit! uses professional learning communities to focus on effective instruction and integration of appropriate technology. Blending these two math initiatives was a natural.
During the first two years of No Limit!, ESD 123 staff members made no recommendations about technology selection. A handful of teachers opted to use document cameras. In each case, the technology proved particularly effective in helping them and their students implement the reformed math curriculum. In year three (2003-2004), ESD 123 staff began urging all No Limit! districts to purchase document cameras.
Document cameras initially appeal to end users because they’re easy to operate and similar to familiar tools like overhead projectors. How, then, do school leaders encourage teachers to move beyond the basic use of the tool, and what is the value in doing so? Tschirgi and Anderson identify two fundamental lessons they have learned. First, begin with a thoughtful design for professional development. Second, focus on shifting from teacher- to student-centered strategies.
An Extra Level of Professional Development
All too often, professional development segregates content from the technology that will be used to support it. As a result, educators struggle to make connections between subject matter and use of technology as an instructional tool. Both the Sustainable Classroom Project and No Limit! offer two strands of professional development designed to support teachers as they change instructional practice.
