Simple gadgets for your class: Scanners
Scanners capture images and documents, and convert them to digital format. If you have a scanner in school, you can use this as a tool in your class activities. For example, the class can prepare an article for a magazine, and import photos into the computer for editing and layout.
Possible Educational Uses
Because the scanner has the capacity to turn a physical object into a digital file, this comes in useful. Your class can:
- Scan photographs relevant to school projects.
- Scan student drawings for use in presentations and on school websites.
- Students with special needs can scan in pages from a book or document and use scan/read software to have it read aloud.
- Electronic versions of documents, reports, school administration data and forms can be produced. It is also easier to disseminate with the help of electronic mail.
- Scanning of images from a variety of sources for slide shows in subject areas.
When buying scanners for the class, the most important thing to determine is how the teacher and students intend to use it.
Flatbed scanners are the most common kind, since students can just place a document or a photo face down on the glass surface and scan it. Flatbed scanners are also quite versatile, even being able to scan three-dimensional objects in some models.
Evaluate a scanner based on the cost, and the software and accessories that come with the package. Do your computers have the necessary specifications to meet the scanner’s requirements? What are the document sizes that you would need to scan?
Another thing to take note of is the scanning software, usually composed of a driver program, color calibration software and image-editing software.
Some tips when scanning:
- Take resolution into consideration. Is the scanned photo going to be used for a tarpaulin or an image in a text-heavy project? High resolution scanning takes up enormous amounts of disk space, so modify according to your needs.
- Scan photos instead of printed pictures. Pictures found in newspapers and magazines are composed of about 180 to 300 dots per inch. This sometimes creates grainy images. It is always best to scan photos to preserve color and tone accurately.
- Use only good quality images and text. Choose images and settings carefully before scanning to prevent problems that range from extremely light or dark images to images with very low contrast.
For more information, check out the following websites:
- Scanning Tips- www.scantips.com
- Scanner reviews- http://reviews.cnet.com/scanners/
- Using Scanners in Art and Design- http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=cu&catcode=ss_cu_ac_art_03&rid=5773
The use of Information and Communication Technology in the classroom can help challenge you to rethink lessons in a creative light.
Sources:
“NCTE Advice Sheet – Scanners Advice Sheet 11.” Retrieved January 13, 2010 from
http://www.ncte.ie/documents/advicesheets/11ScannersNov08.pdf
“Scanning Tips.” Retrieved January 13, 2010 from
http://www.uccs.edu/~tlc/TLC_resources/docs/Scanning_Basics.pdf
(Published 01 February 2010, Smart Communications Inc.)
