Visualisers 18/6/09 3:14 pm Page 1
ICT SPECIAL
Try Dave Smith’s ideas for using
visualisers in the classroom and give
your lessons a fresh perspective...
Image courtesy of AVerMedia
T
here’s little room for overcomplicated
technology in the primary classroom. ICT
equipment that takes half an hour to set up,
breaks every five minutes or is too specialised will
soon find itself reinvented as either an elaborate
doorstop, or a second rate coat rack. Not so the
visualiser. Sometimes written off as an overhead
projector with ideas above its station, this flexible
resource’s main strength is its simplicity.
Even the least ICT-confident teachers quickly
get to grips with the visualiser. It has a wide range
of practical applications and, once familiar with the
basics, you’ll be using it at every opportunity –
turning mini-beasts into gigantic monsters,
improving measuring skills in maths and carrying
out live demonstrations in art and design.
This article describes five different ways in
which you can use a visualiser to make more of
your lessons. Each suggestion is based on an
existing teaching method, giving you the
opportunity to use ICT as an integral classroom tool,
rather than an awkward bolt-on.
You Show ‘Em!
10 WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR VISUALISER...
❁ Share pupils’ work and celebrate their success in the classroom and during school assemblies
❁ Use the zoom function to study natural/man-made objects in minute detail, e.g minibeasts, parts of
a plant, historical artefacts, maps etc
❁ Share texts with the class to expand children’s knowledge of different writing styles
❁ Model the accurate use of tools, including rulers, protractors, measuring cylinders, brushwork,
needlework, saws etc
❁ Peer-assess individual and group progress
❁ Create ePortfolios by capturing images of pupils’ work and pupils ‘at work’
– e.g. Foundation Stage Profiles
❁ Make video recordings to demonstrate
classroom activities. These can be played
back on the interactive whiteboard or shared
across the school network/VLE/MLE
❁ Create stop-frame animations by taking a
series of snapshot images
❁ Spend less time photocopying and scanning
resources. Share documents in
staff/governing body/parental meetings
❁ Provide enlarged visuals to assist sight
impaired pupils
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