You Can Do That? The exciting things you can do with an Elmo projector (Blog 7)

When I began working in the classroom, I walked right into the use of Elmo projection machines to display images for my students. I was instantly able to project books in color and share a world of teaching with my students that many teachers have not been able to in the past using the older overhead machines. I remember sitting in class and making sure to choose a seat where I could still see over the giant projection machine along with my teachers making sure they signed up for a time to use the traveling cart. My teachers would have students’ tracking down the machines if they were not in the right place and the pens/markers used tended to dry out quickly. Once I began my student teaching, the school I started at used these old projectors and I remember the time and money used to create overheads and the frustration of trying to make them come out correctly. When I entered a different teaching setting during a science internship I was first exposed to an Elmo machine. The teacher was able to project on the board with anything she wanted! No more trying to make overheads and then having to locate the proper pens. The teacher could take the text book and place it under the camera and the students could see exactly what the teacher could see. This was amazing and it allowed for ease of teaching because at any point, the teacher could project a question or student work to share. I remember my first experience using this machine was leading a frog dissection for the seventh graders. It was amazing to be able to show the students what exactly they would be looking for as they were doing it and they could check and see by simply looking at the board if they were in the right spot or not! My how far technology has come since I was in school. While looking for news articles about the benefits of using this technology, I stumbled upon a resource much greater to me as an educator, Karina Clemmons, of the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, Florida, took the time to create a document for using the Elmo machine in different lessons and directions as to what is needed and the skills the students will be working on. These lessons are geared toward elementary students but can be adjusted for upper level students as well. She began compiling the list because of the “number of teachers who are not using their Elmo machines or are simply using them to project lecture notes,” (Clemmons). The lessons begin by sharing what the age level the lesson targets is, the materials, and content area before going into a step by step procedure for conducting the lessons. So much of technology goes unused because it is overwhelming to learn. These lessons spell out what to do, providing any teacher with the tools for success! After each lesson is described, she has included a photograph displaying what the lesson will look like. Karina states, “Many teachers are simply unaware of what a powerful tool an Elmo document camera can be for all students, whether advanced, regular, remedial, English Language Learners, or students with learning disabilities.” (Clemmons) Some of the simplest tasks can be completed using the Elmo machine and allow the students to interact and the teacher can reuse the same product multiple times. One way the Elmo machine can be used is to display a stop watch during a test letting the students know where the stand instead of distracting and pressuring students by calling out time left. Another way is to share stories by displaying the pages under the camera all students can see while you are reading giving them a chance to soak in details. You can use the Elmo to project maps for students to label on the white board, putting cards in order of sequence and then rearrange and many other activities. I have my students play games under the Elmo machine during demonstrations and during shared reading. If I want the students to share their work, they can sit in the teachers chair and share under the camera and are allowed the freedom they would be if they were sitting one on one at a table. There are many great benefits to using this technology and I hope more teachers find exciting ways to use it through this article and others like it out there.

Elmo machine in action!

Bibliography

Clemmons, K. (n.d.). Show Me Great Lessons. Retrieved 11 21, 2011, from ElmoUSA: http://www.elmousa.com/files/ShowMeGreatLessons!.pdf

Notezweivier (Director). (2009). Elmo [Youtube].