I had a few people request for me to post any info. I received. Here it is:
We have an Avervision and an Elmo. For many reasons, we prefer the Avervision--can
be folded up more compactly, sturdy case, LED light, works really well with
microscope, not so top-heavy for carrying.
We have one that isn't fancy, but it's very easy to use so it's used a
lot.
AVerVision300i by AVerMedia
I decided to reply to the whole group as I had a near miss with my document camera
today. It is the AverMedia 300P...tough little cookie that one. I had been doing an
almanac lesson with my third graders, using some of the questions from the
Jeopardy-like game you can get for World Almanac for Kids. Since we are in the
early stages of using the index, figuring out keywords, etc., the kiddos are
working as groups, with one student in each group designated to report the answer.
I put the question up on the screen with the document camera and it becomes a real
contest between the groups. One little girl was so thrilled that they were the
first group with the correct answer that she went running back to her table and
tripped on the cord, causing not only her to hit the carpet covered concrete but
also the document camera! It landed with a splat from about 2.5 feet... (I was able
to check on her before I checked out the document camera). Fortunately BOTH were
fine! WHEW!!! If that had been an overhead, something could have been broken or
bent for sure!!!!
Jana,
We own several document cameras at our school, and the teachers just LOVE them. We
have 3 Elmo 2000AF machines, and while they are a little pricey (we have gotten
them for around $1300), they are almost dummy proof. There are very few buttons
for perfect focusing, and all the hookups you could want.
We purchased 5 Avermedia 530 models, at approx $1200 each. They are performing very
well and were much less expensive than ELMO's.
In the 9 months that we've had them, we are finding teachers using just the most
basic functions - showing worksheets, texts, student work, etc., rather than
burning presentations, multi-applications, etc.
So, we are looking at the Avermedia 330 model, which has fewer bells & whistles.
These go for approx $800.
http://www.avermedia.com <http://www.avermedia.com/>
I just purchased the AverMedia Avervision 150 document camera and our teachers have
been very happy. The vendor I used sells both Elmo and Avervision and said he felt
the Avervision was a better product and saved us a bit of money. Very easy setup
and very easy to use. Price was around $500 for us.
Jana,
I was just looking into the same thing this week for one of my staff. I contacted
our intermediate school district technology guy and this is his response to my
question:
If you need to purchase a projector, I recommend an Epson 82c, a 2000 lumen XGA
(1024 x 768 resolution) projector with a 5 watt speaker priced at $739. The REMC
Item # is 72447. The 5 watt speaker (which is higher than other companies) may be
enough for a classroom to use without additional speakers. This projector powers
off in seconds. For .pdf visit: http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72447.pdf
<https://piratemail.ecu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72447.pdf>
The Hitachi CP-X265, a 2500 lumen XGA projector is also worth considering if you
want more brightness and projector management. It is REMC part# 72452. The remote
management allows the tech office to monitor the projector from one location -
through a built-in ethernet connection. However, it only has a 1 watt speaker.
The projector costs $896. A .pdf about the projector is at:
http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72452.pdf
<https://piratemail.ecu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72452.pdf>
The Epson 82c has been purchased by many of the OAISD districts and everyone has
been very satisfied.
For a document camera (now called visual presenters) the jury is still out.
There are two which come to mind: the Elmo TT02U. It is REMC part#72187. It is a
new, different design, with an arm which looks like a faucet on a kitchen sink. It
has a 5x optical zoom. It costs $479. .pdf at
http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72187.pdf
<https://piratemail.ecu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72187.pdf>
However, it seems to have a large footprint as the document is placed to the
side a little. Elmo visual presenters have a good representation.
Avery Media make units with a smaller footprint and prices which continue to drop.
They offer some nice features, however, their document cameras all seem to have
some lag time when an object is moved. For most presentations, this would not be
an issue. And the zoom for their projectors is digital which is not as good as the
optical which is on the Elmo. Avermedia's llow end has less resolution so when
zoomed, the image can be more pixelated. Their entry level unit is the Avermedia
Avervision 130 for a value price of $344. The REMC part# is: 72185. .pdf at
http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72185.pdf
<https://piratemail.ecu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72185.pdf>
They make a higher resolution model called the Avermedia Avervision 300P. It
allows zoomed images to be much sharper because of the higher resolution CCD.
Price: $499. The .pdf is at: http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72189.pdf
<https://piratemail.ecu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.remcbid.org/docs/product/72189.pdf>
Both of these Avermedia units work best when attached to a projector via the
provided VGA cable. If you want a unit which looks more like the Elmos of old, I'd
recommend the Promax DP 550 for $995. We also have some school principals from
Grand Haven purchasing used visual presenters from e-bay. Their cost is more often
in the $175 - $300 price, but they are able to purchase a $1200 unit. This may be
worth considering if you have this option. Try an e-bay search for "visual
presenters" to check out prices.
Avervision 300p
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