New Student-Designed Projector Stand

 

I needed a better projector stand.  The ones I had previously rolled too much which sent the image out of alignment all the time, or were too high so my students did not have good sight lines.  I tasked my grade 2 students with coming up with a suitable design.  They worked on the plans on a sheet that had views from the front, side, top, and a slanted angle. 

 

 

 
The "finished" product turned out great, and I will keep making changes to the stand to suit our needs.  (I have since moved the printer closer to my laptop).  For materials, I used leftover pieces I had in my garage.  I used slats from a bed for the uprights and cut a cupboard door for the flat white parts.

I took the best ideas from all the students' designs (well, ones I could actually do --- the "hovering" stand is currently beyond my skill set), and came up with a clean, open design.  The stand is stable so it doesn't jiggle, but is easy to slide out of the way when necessary.  It allowed for cords and ventilation.  The projector height is perfect for getting a good image that everyone can see.  The design is also flexible, and has allowed for some modifications, and you know how I love mods!

 

The big surface on top turned out to be a good place for a doc camera (above left).  We used a fixed-focus web cam that hooks up to the laptop by USB.  (I used to use an auto focus camera that was sharper but had the annoying habit of going in and out of focus, especially in low light). 

Now we can project student work (or anything else) on the board so everyone can see it (above right).  See how the diagram projects on the big board and the laptop as well.  We can use whiteboard pens to draw and write on the image to interact with it. 

I will probably fiddle with it some more.  That is, until I find a different design project.