Epson Names Winners in Document Camera Contest

Epson Names Winners in Document Camera Contest

• By Kanoe Namahoe
• 08/07/13

Epson has named four winners in its Epson Document Camera in the Classroom Contest. More than 1,100 K-12 and post-secondary teachers submitted applications. Each winner will receive an Epson DC-20 document camera.

Epson's contest was intended to showcase creative ways teachers can use document cameras to support teaching and learning. The winning applications were selected based on "creative use of document cameras in the classroom (50 percent); practicality of implementing the idea using real life examples/application (25 percent); and impact of using document cameras on student learning (25 percent)," according to a company statement.

The winners of the document cameras are:

• Renee Kurtz of Alder Avenue Middle School in Egg Harbor Township, NJ;
• Paula Giran of Hillcrest Intermediate School in North Huntingdon, PA;
• Rachel Perkins of Barren County High School in Glasgow, KY; and,
• LeeAnne Ewaldsen of Appling County Elementary School in Baxley, GA.

Kurtz, who teaches French, plans to use the camera to give her middle schoolers a glimpse at French culture. "I would love to be able to project culturally authentic materials (such as metro tickets, train schedules, flags, maps, newspapers, etc.) that I have brought back from my trips to France, so the whole class could see it at the same time and discuss what we can learn from the object," explained Kurtz in her contest submission.

Giran intends to "bring crime scenes to life" for her fifth grade students with the camera. "I will be able to zoom in on blood splatters or hair samples, so the students can analyze the differences of each," said Giran in her entry form. "This will engage the whole class at once, instead of having stations for groups of students to move through."

Perkins, a math teacher, will use the camera to walk her high schoolers through origami lessons. "A document camera would make origami less of a nightmare," shared Perkins. "The students would be able to follow each fold of the paper as I demonstrate it under the camera."

Ewaldsen intends to use her new Epson to capture important lessons and review sessions. "These recorded lessons could be shown to students who were pulled out or absent," said the fifth grade teacher. "Additionally, they could be used for skill review for students who did not master the concept the first time."

The DC-20 document camera, available now for $549, comes with a two-year limited warranty (three years for participants in the Brighter Futures program), which includes Epson PrivateLine phone support and the company's Road Service replacement program. Additional information about the camera and Epson's contest is available online.