Visualisers!

[JJanisch]

We're looking to bring in 25-or-so visualisers to use around the school. A quick google is a bit daunting with every company shouting 'Education sector! Look here! SALE!', I just want to know:

 

1) Do they get much use? The idea is great but not much point if teachers aren't grabbing at them.

2) What visualisers do you use? We're looking for something basic and light at an affordable price. Nothing more.

3) Do they come with software? What are your experiences if so? Easy to deploy or even worth deploying?

 

Cheers

[sted]

1 depends on the teacher but as a rule no they just get in peoples way (id buy a few and see who uses them or id guess 20 or so will end up in cupboards

2 various from the cheap and nasty to various avermedias for what they are used for its not that important as long as the camera can focus and give a clear picture (the cheap tts ones cant focus well)

 

3 avermedia stuff msi's out with little issue the cheap tts ones you have to either build into your base image (and you cant use a vm as they have no usb ports) or manually instgall on each pc with the camera connected

[zag]

We use iPads for this now. They work really well.

[dhicks]

We're looking to bring in 25-or-so visualisers to use around the school.

 

I would give each teacher a tablet instead, assuming you have the infrastructure (managed wireless, MDM solution, secure storage and charging locations in classrooms), or simply a camera. We've found cheap (£35) cameras with wireless SD cards work well - you can use them to take photos, or plug them in to PCs to use as webcams. A retort stand with a camera mount comes in handy if you need a desktop visuliser style setup.

[LeMarchand]

1) Your teachers will love the extra storage area for assorted junk. I've only seen them used as glorified OHPs and occasionally to project a child's work. Nothing that couldn't be done with a laptop's built-in webcam, or (as I think someone on here has done) a cheap "long-necked" webcam.

 

2) Use Genees here. Not super-cheap but OK. Quite hefty, but at least those OHP stands are being put to good use!

 

3) Yes, exe only, never seen it used. There is some talk about using their (extra-cost) animation software.

 

I personally think the idea is great but that they rarely seem to be put to good use. Also adds a few more places for a teacher to put the plugs in incorrectly.

[JJanisch]

Thanks sted, I think you're right about the TTS ones, I'd rather the school spend money on something that will work and not buy purely because it's cheap and ends up in the bin, but it does need to be somewhat 'basic' enough to be powered by USB, movable around the room, and without the OTT/complicated features on some of the models I've seen.

I didn't think much about zoom and quality, I guess if neither are up to scratch they really won't serve much purpose. I'll look into the avermedia's but suspicious to cost - what model do you use?

[Joanne]

I find not many people use them. They are used infrequently. Cheap ones don't last and come with poor software. Avoid the wireless ones, they are a pain in the arse!!

[JJanisch]

I would give each teacher a tablet instead, assuming you have the infrastructure (managed wireless, MDM solution, secure storage and charging locations in classrooms), or simply a camera. We've found cheap (£35) cameras with wireless SD cards work well - you can use them to take photos, or plug them in to PCs to use as webcams. A retort stand with a camera mount comes in handy if you need a desktop visuliser style setup.

 

How did you get the cameras to work as webcams? The last time I tried this was back in the MSN days, does the software need to support it or are there third party apps that pull from the cameras feed? This does seem to be the best option as the camera can then be used for higher-quality stills when staff get bored of it anyway!

[dhicks]

How did you get the cameras to work as webcams?

 

Hang on... ... darn, actually it turns out these ones only have PictBridge or USB Storage modes, there's no webcam mode listed when you plug the camera in. Videos transfer via the Eye-Fi wireless card once taken, but not a live view. Non of our teachers have complained, mind, so I guess live video hasn't proven to be a feature that anyone actually uses in our classrooms. Our older cameras would act as webcams (you just selected "webcam" mode when plugging them in), but most of those have now lost their batteries / chargers / etc.

[pete]

They're used (-ish) here by the depts that have bought them out of their own funds.

 

DT - soldering demonstrations etc - anything fiddly that a crowd of kids can't see easily.

Geology - displaying mineral & fossil samples clearly while inhibiting shrinkage.

Music - sheet music

Languages - foreign language books / media / bits and bobs

[JJanisch]

darn

 

Neeeeeevermind!

[AlexB]

I thought they were a waste of space, but in the last 8 years or so they have been heavily used here. Every teacher as a laptop too, but they tend to use them visualisers for all kinds of things from showing the page of the textbook for those that haven't brought it to science experiments. I've seen maths demo graph work. They may be more heavily used here as we don't generally have interactive boards

[sted]

Thanks sted, I think you're right about the TTS ones, I'd rather the school spend money on something that will work and not buy purely because it's cheap and ends up in the bin, but it does need to be somewhat 'basic' enough to be powered by USB, movable around the room, and without the OTT/complicated features on some of the models I've seen.

I didn't think much about zoom and quality, I guess if neither are up to scratch they really won't serve much purpose. I'll look into the avermedia's but suspicious to cost - what model do you use?

 

what model probably ones that are no longer avaliable just found 2 in the cupboard behind my head reboxed avermedia cp130's but they require usb and or vga and power

 

[CamelMan]

Ours dont get used that much - and when I was ordering them and talking to the sales person on the phone I asked what the difference was between their <<£200 Visualiser device>> and a £5 webcam on a stick.

Silence - then some fumbling around about the software being the main part of it (which you can download similar for free I believe).

 

But horses for courses - one teacher loved his for a few weeks.

[Phildw]

I thought they were a waste of space, but in the last 8 years or so they have been heavily used here. Every teacher as a laptop too, but they tend to use them visualisers for all kinds of things from showing the page of the textbook for those that haven't brought it to science experiments. I've seen maths demo graph work. They may be more heavily used here as we don't generally have interactive boards

 

What do you use on your school?

 

what model probably ones that are no longer avaliable just found 2 in the cupboard behind my head reboxed avermedia cp130's but they require usb and or vga and power

 

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We have a couple of those. Massive things that take up half a desk!

 

Ours dont get used that much - and when I was ordering them and talking to the sales person on the phone I asked what the difference was between their <<£200 Visualiser device>> and a £5 webcam on a stick.

Silence - then some fumbling around about the software being the main part of it (which you can download similar for free I believe).

 

But horses for courses - one teacher loved his for a few weeks.

 

My school are interested in getting some more Visualisers. As I say we have a couple of those Aver Media ones, but they didn't want to spend loads, so got a couple different cheaper alternatives off Amazon (£20/30) that seemed to be quite well rated. We found a few drawbacks: 1 - The length of the arm holding the camera wasn't long enough to show a whole page of a4, 2 - The was no 'Freeze' function, and 3 - One of them either wouldn't do video or take snapshots, can't remember which it was.

[AlexB]

We have Genee Vision 8100 and older, but similar models.