Luna.
Luna.
Apr 29Last week I received the Luna camera from Learning Resources. I wasn’t sure to make of this document camera… it is billed as easy enough for anyone to use – even children. Coming off of Spring Break, I let it sit in the box for most of the week. Finally on Friday, while the kids were at Library, I broke open the box and decided to set it up.
According to the directions, you simply plug it into your computer (via USB) and insert the included CD. Well, for me, plugging it in was the hard part. At my school, teachers have large desktop computers. In my room, because of limited space, we keep our desktop on the floor. The cord from the camera to the computer is very short, maybe two feet. Was I going to have to sit the camera on the floor?
After a little finagling, I was able to just get the camera on the desk, but barely. I already went ahead and ordred an inexpensive USB extension cord which should allow more flexibility with placement. From there, it was simple. I just popped the CD in and within a minute or two, the camera was working.
For our first read aloud, we used Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed. Within moments, the allure of the Luna was evident. Every child, even those sitting in the very back, could see the smallest details in the illustrations as it was projected onto our giant Smart Board. The fact that my hands were somewhat visible as I turned the pages just added to the ‘wow’ factor.
As we finished the book, we took out a tiny Sight Word Reader – something you could never read to a large group, and did an impromptu lesson. As the image was made enormous on the screen, I took my finger and pointed under each word as we read. Suddenly, what could only be done one on one or at best with a small group, was being done whole group. What a way to introduce a concept or lesson?
Of course, with our Ocean Unit coming up, visions of holding shells and fossils under the camera for all to see danced in my head. But if you used the Luna for nothing else but increasing the visibility of your read alouds, it would be worth the price of admission.
I can’t wait to use it more and share the smallest details with my sprouts.
Now here’s the really exciting news… Learning Resources has been so kind as to offer me a Luna to giveaway to one lucky winner!
The contest begins today (4/29) and will run through next Monday (5/7/12). You must live in the U.S. to enter (for shipping purposes). Good luck to all!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please visit the following links for more information about the Luna and Learning Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/learningresources
http://twitter.com/#!/learninghandson
I’d use it to help illuminate things that my little sprouts couldn’t see.
I would use this to show math manipulatives and of course stories!
I love the idea of using it to read to my students. I would also use it to encourage my students to write and illustrate their own books to share with the group.
I would use it for whole group and small group lessons. I think the children would love (first graders) to show off their writing and read aloud to the whole class.
I agree! My first graders love new tech and I have an author’s chair, but this makes it more exciting to share!
I would love this for read alouds so that everyone could seethe pictures!
Thanks for the chance to win!!
The kiddos would LOVE having this little baby ginormatize the stories and ‘things’ on the screen- Thanks for running the contest!
I haven’t yet…but I want to!
I would use the camera so all could see science demonstrations and instructions.
hi. I could certainly use the lunar in my room. I have about 6 students that use glasses and this would be perfect for them to be able to better enjoy read alouds, especially since most of my books are not big books!!!! please
Wow – some great ideas so far – keep them coming!
I would use it while teaching math, reading, science, ANYTHING~!
I would love to use this during our writing sharing time, so that the students can really SEE what each other’s writing and illustrations look like!
Luckeyfrog’s Lilypad
The Luna would make our whole group time much more engaging for those that are far to the back!
I would use this wonderful document camera in all areas of learning, especially with science and art.
I would use this camera to enlarge the Science diagrams I use for our Living Things unit in 5th. Grade. The animal and plant cell diagrams are just too small!
How amazing would this be for my science unit and bug unit! The possibilities are endless
What couldn’t you use to for? I do like the idea of using it for shared writing, that’s one of the first thoughts I had.
I would love to have one of these because all of the other teachers at my school have a doc cam! Since I was new this year, my classroom “doesn’t have one”
It would be PERFECT for introducing new games. The students would be able to see exactly what to do as I manipulate the pieces or whatever the game included.
I would mostly use the Luna for read alouds – like you pointed out, it could do wonders for bringing smaller books into play. It would be fun to try it out with math manipulatives too.
I have never heard of a Luna camera! It sounds like a great tool especially for reading time. No more worrying about who can see the book and who can’t!
I would love to win this for my husband. He is a kindergarten teacher in training and the best story-time reader ever!
I love your site, but I see all my favorite sites are really looking more like commercials lately. This is disappointing to me.
Nancy, thanks for your kind words about the site. Honestly, when a company approaches me to review/giveaway a product, I try to think, ‘Is this something that would help my teaching and students and would other teachers benefit from it too?’
For me, getting something for free that can really add to my classroom and then giving one away too is worth writing a review… Hey, we’re teachers and money is tight, so free stuff is always nice. I do understand what you’re saying though and be sure, the giveaways aren’t ever going to take over – it will be mostly my slice of life in the kindergarten classroom stories… come back tomorrow, I promise you won’t regret it.
A great way for students to be able to share their work with others too.
I wouldn’t need to use big books! I want one!!!
This would be aweome to share the stories that the children write!
I would use a Luna to share student writing as we work on writing complete sentences/paragraphs getting ready for 3rd grade.
This LUNA would be really GREAT in helping English Language Learning Students be able to combine visual, audio, and cognitive skills all at once. It would boost the abilities of their short term memory in the learning moment to shift the knowledge into long term memory.
Sharing artwork! Students love it when you put their stuff on the wall… but when it is HUGE it is much more exciting!
I would love to have one in my classroom!! I teach art to grades K-8. To be able to show artwork to the whole class at the same time or to demonstrate something would be wonderful.
Wow – this would really be a neat addition to our classroom! I’ll be showing these links to our PTO and see if we can’t add this to our wish list!
I can’t get the Rafflecopter to work, but this is such a great resource!
I had put on of these on my grant list, but they took it off thinking it was the same as the large view microscope I asked for. I think I will have to ask again . . .
It’s funny you mention the tiny books, that is my plan as well! Thank you for offering this contest and for your GREAT posts every week!
What a fantastic tool to use when sharing writing, either from our Reader’s Notebooks or Writer’s Notebooks. No more running to the photocopier or making overheads for the next day! Thanks for the chance to win!
I have an extremely small carpet area. It is hard to fit all 32 kinders! I would love to be able to project things onto the wall so all my little friends can see. Currently, if I want them to see an image, I have to call them over to the laptop 5 at a time while everyone else waits. I teach in an inner city, so my munchkins need a lot of picture cues to tie to vocabulary.
I would love share reading as you did, share students writing as we are going through the writing process, and math pages, games and manipulatives could’ve demonstrated. What an excellent addition to any teachers tools.
That tool looks fabulous. Being able to utilize it in place of an overhead and for so much more tha what the overhead could solve for me in K. The IT dept won’t replace the bulb on old tech. That’s ok now, this functionality would allow me to set up inquiry stations, re representation opportunities for artistic times and magically use small storybooks come to life as big books with the little ones. Nicest part , I think it would be great to have it stand alone and be stable enough for them to use on their own without us being right there.
I can think of dozens of uses for this throughout the day.
These are great for getting up close and personal with butterflies, ladybugs, and praying mantis’ that you are observing in your classroom.
I would use it for shared writing activities, especially teaching author’s craft and style, going between a mentor text and our class text. Lots of fun could be had!
Love it!
Would love to have one!
I’m all about the details-books with tiny drawings can now be seen by everyone in whole group!
I’d love to teach the ancient art of paper folding -origami- to my students with the Luna!
For read alouds, science lessons, those on the fly teachable moments…
I would use it when we correct together. I have a brontosaurus sized cam now. It weighs 30 pounds and I need 2 carts to operate, so I don’t use it. This slim little model is amazing.
What an incredible product. I have been looking for something to allow group reading and to go over tests together while looking at the test/quiz. So excited! Keeping my fingers crossed.
Suzie
I would use it with my teacher education students.
I’d use it for read-alouds too, of course. I’d also love to have my students use it to work under during literacy centers – they LOVE when their efforts are projected for everyone to see!
Pick me! ‘-D
I’d love to be able to project anonymous samples of students’ actual work to show examples of various ways to approach problems or questions.
We are pretty low-tech at my school so it would be really nice to have something new and innovative to capture students’ attention.
This would be great to display students’ writing when they share after Writers’ Workshop.
I would use it to demonstrate math concepts and have students complete problems together.
Would love to use a Luna for read alouds!
Oh my, I would use this to demonstrate just about everything!! It would be wonderful for reading, sharing story starters, science and working math problems together!
Wow, the Luna sounds really awesome! What a way to keep even my squirmiest children engaged!
I used to have an ELMO. I think the Luna is similar? My ELMO was taken away
I really miss it! It was perfect for my Kindergarten classroom.
I would love to use the Luna camera for read alouds and to introduce more technology into my classroom.
Will share your post about this amazing product.