TECHNICAL TIPS |
USING A SCANNER While it seem like everyone is using scanners these days, the idea of trying to use one in the classroom may seem a little daunting for those unfamiliar with the technology. But once you have practiced with it a few times, you will find that they are fairly simple to use. Like all new technology, it just needs a bit of explanation to make it less intimidating.
What is scanning? Most of us work with text based documents on the computer, but anyone who has used the Internet is familiar with all of the electronic images available. There are always photos, artwork or logos to enhance the sites and in many cases a scanner was used to import these graphic images. A flatbed scanner works in a similar way to a photocopier. When you put an image on the surface, the scanner shines light on the photo - the light bounces off the image to a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) which detects the reflected light. The CCD converts the light waves into digital information which is processed by your software. Once the scanner and software recognize the image, a series of pixels (little dots) is transformed into an image file which reproduces your image. At 300 dpi (dots per inch) there will be about 90,000 dots per square inch as the scanner and software turn your picture into digital language for the computer to understand and process. These image files are commonly referred to as JPEG, GIF, Bitmaps, TIFF or PIC files. Once the scanner has converted the image to a computer graphic, you are ready to use it in any document. Do I really need one? Scanners are not a necessary purchase, but they can be very useful when teaching Web page design, or encouraging students to write and illustrate documents. They are relatively inexpensive, with a good quality scanner available for less than $200. The price is constantly dropping, and it’s possible to buy one for less, especially on sale. It will probably take a few hours to install it and learn how to use it and you need to have a computer which will support scanners. In addition, no matter what quality scanner you purchase, there will be images that do not reproduce well. (Unless you are prepared to spend thousands of dollars on the professional type models.) |
What is a scanner? It
is a piece of hardware that can be connected to most newer computers. It
captures an image, such as a photo, page of text or illustration, and converts
it to digital form. Scanners require software to operate which is usually
provided by the scanner manufacturer, although there are also image editor
programs which can be used with your scanner, such as Adobe PhotoShop or
PaintShop Pro, etc. These programs will let you modify and edit the image, once
it is scanned, to change the size and appearance.