Using a Document Camera!

Today in my 5th and 6th hour I had the fun priviledge of teaching my Algebra 1 classes using one of my schools' two visualizers (aka document cameras). I seldom bother to check one out because I feel it's too much of a hassle to go get it and return it at end of the day, plus I would rather only use certain technologies if I could use them consistently (like if I had my own). I used one a few weeks ago when my students were doing presentations for a "Dream Car" project, and the next day I decided to use it to present notes since it was still in my classroom (I usually use Power-Point instead).  The students were very vocal about how the visualizer made taking notes much easier for them. They felt like they could keep up with my pace because as I would write things down, they would have time to do so as well. They also liked how it was clear to them exactly what the important, necessary information to write down was, and how they were shown a way to organize their notes on a paper in a way that was logical and visually pleasing. All they had to do was write down the notes exactly as I had written them. Anyway, yesterday when we were doing our usual Power Point, the students asked why I didn't have the document camera anymore. They said it made taking notes so much easier for them, and were hoping I would check it out again.  So today I checked with a teacher who had it signed out for the day and I asked her I could use it for those two classes. She didn't really need it for that part of the day, so I was able to use it again. I told the students that the visualizer was back by popular demand (even if just for a day).  The note-taking went great today with it, and I even seemed to think there were less disruptions than usual. Perhaps it was just the fact that we were switching things-up from the norm that made the class more attentive than usual, or maybe it was just the way this technology gave them clarity regarding what to write.  More than likely, it was a combination of both. Hopefully I will not be lazy and check this thing out more often. :)