I recently covered four interesting ways to use a visualizer that you may not have considered. However, there are so many possibilities that I couldn’t resist sharing several more fun options for using a document camera to interact with and engage students of all ages.

From elementary schools to college classrooms and beyond, visualizers are powerful tools that have implemented technological advances to provide much more that document projection functionality. Here are four more uses for visualizers that you probably haven’t thought of yet.

Projecting a Live Animal in Biology Class

Bringing a small pet like a hamster or mouse to class is highly engaging but potentially chaotic and dangerous. Rather than fighting back rabid students as they push and shove for a closer look—or passing around a fragile little fur ball for a potential Of Mice and Men situation—you can point your visualizer at the animal, zoom in, and show young learners details that aren’t accessible by simply peering through the bars of a cage. Another similar option is to magnify an ant farm, and if you have an advanced visualizer like the AVerVision F50-8M, you could even livestream a day in the life of a creature for your distance-learning class.

Technique and Notation in Music Class

When you talk about bringing technology into music class, you’re likely referring to production software or midi instruments. However, visualizers can also play a prominent role in the music classroom. During band or choir practice, a conductor can use an AVerVision M17-13M for projecting the sheet music and making annotations to help students understand where to place emphasis or what sections to focus on for homework. Visualizers also facilitate smooth group lessons. A guitar teacher can project her chord fingerings, and a piano instructor can position the camera above his hands and stream lessons on YouTube.

Pronunciation in Language Class

A visualizer can also help you teach language classes in a way you may not have considered. Sure, you can display vocabulary handouts or pop quizzes, but what about using your camera for pronunciation tutorials? Whether you’re teaching an online class or working in a physical classroom, holding the camera to your mouth to teach pronunciation gives students a perfect view of how to move their mouths for difficult words. This method is useful no matter what language you teach, and it’s great for old and young learners alike. Just make sure you’ve got a technologically superior model like the AVerVision U70+, which uses a powerful zoom and 4K ultra HD quality at 60fps to produce crystal-clear live imaging.

Fun Competition in Any Class

Your document camera is also useful for fun and educational classroom competitions. For example, you can capture an image of a model with the AVerVision M70W, and then use the accompanying free AVerTouch software to display the assembled piece alongside the unassembled version. Students can then take turns putting the model together under the camera, competing to see who can get it right faster as their classmates cheer them on. If you don’t have time for all that, then a simple piece of paper and a pencil is all you need for a game of hangman, the classic word-guessing game that just never seems to get old.

Don’t Stop Using Your Imagination

As you can see, if you only use your visualizer for projecting notes, you’re selling yourself short. We’ll continue providing the cutting-edge camera technology and powerful classroom software solutions; it’s up to you to take our suggested uses and make them fit your teaching style. Now, get out there and have fun with your visualizer!