Module 3 Assignment Rhymes of History

History may not repeat itself, at best it sometimes rhymes” – Mark Twain

In this week’s module, Dr. Thornburg discusses the impact of a new development and how it rekindles something from the distant past. He explains how this is the third quadrant of tetrads and that it is not the technology itself that is rekindled but the impact of the technology and the need for the technology. This is the definition of Rhymes of History. What new and innovative technology brings back a memory of something from the past? I brainstormed quite a list

SMARTBOARD – CHALKBOARD

ABACUS – CALCULATOR

VIDEO PHONES – SKYPE

DIGITAL CAMERAS – POLAROIDS

(Honestly I can go on forever…., I find myself daily thinking of a new Rhyme of History.)

For the purpose of this blog, let’s look at a document camera and the overhead projector. An overhead projector works on the same principle as a slide projector. A focusing lens projects light from an illuminated slide onto a screen for real image viewing (Wikipedia, 2015)The overhead projector enhanced instruction for teachers as it could project an image or document that a whole class could view at the same time. With the transparency sheets, a teacher could use dry erase markers to delineate a theory or concept being taught.

We could take this one step further and look at how the overhead projector is a rhyme of history with the opaque projector. The opaque projector is a device which displays opaque materials by shining a bring lamp onto the paper form above (Wikipedia, 2015). It was used to project words and texts from paper sources. It achieved projection by light, mirrors and lenses. The opaque project became obsolete with the emergence of the overhead projector.

The document camera rekindles the overhead projector in that it also projects an image to the smart board or screen and allows for real time instruction. They are high-resolution web cams, mounted on arms so as to facilitate their placement over a page (Wikipedia, 2015). It does not require transparent sheets, and any book, drawing, image or object can be projected when placed under it. It also has zoom and capture options, which enhance instruction and learning. Document cameras allow teachers to take individual assignments and turn them into class assignments, creating more discussion, interaction and student engagement (Zimmer, 2015).

References

Wikipedia. (2015). Document Camera. Retrieved from Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_camera

Wikipedia. (2015). Opaque Projector. Retrieved from Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opaque_projector

Wikipedia. (2015). Overhead projector. Retrieved from Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhead_projector

Zimmer, M. (2015). 5 ways to use a document camera in the classroom. Retrieved 2015, from Teach Hub.com: http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-document-camera-uses