The R.A.T. Model: RAT Now (Blog 4)

 

What is the Gooseneck? 

When I started teaching in the mid-1990s, I courageously used the overhead projector because my little first graders needed so much modeling.  They would be so engaged as I dimmed the lights and projected images form transparencies that I created or photocopied to project on a screen, and sometimes the wall.  That was awesome!  Until around 2010, Pamela met Elmo, thus the “Pam-Elmo” love connection was born.  Our first encounter was a bit odd, but the with only the need for a brief introduction to a goose neck piece of equipment known as a document camera, quickly engaged the most unmotivated and troubled teens in South Carolina who were serving sentences as youth offenders.  This digital age inspired technology hardware to enhance effective teaching practices with equipment such as the Elmo TT-12F document camera/presenter.  We did not always have enough books or instructional materials for all the students.  We used a community copier that required me to stay late evenings to do mass copying when people from other departments had gone for the day.  Sometimes, I had over 50 youth offenders gathered around me (with a correctional officer present most times).       

      VS.

The Elmo did the trick!  With its capability to project pages from books and documents, etc. on a screen or wall with crystal clear images, I captured the attention of young people who probably had lots of things permeating through their minds.  It has a powerful zoom lens that leaves that picks up every detail.  With the HDMI and RGB passthrough, teachers can effortlessly connect with any auxiliary device. When I compare the overhead projector, I used in the 1990s to the document camera/presenter that I have most recently used, my teaching practices are more significantly enhanced with the Elmo’s s super-fantastic product features.  

What is Tap Dancing in K-12 Classrooms? 

This fun piece of equipment allows for teachers to guide students in the most favorite, yet technological ways, that maintain and engage students in the following suggested ways:

 

ü  Model reading and writing strategies

ü  Highlight students’ creative works

ü  Demonstrate strategies for using assistive technology

ü  Teach step-by-step math problems using manipulatives

ü  Review notes to prepare for assessments

ü  Use as a platform for student presentations

 

The Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation (RAT) Model provides a structure for providing developmentally appropriate practices for children in all grades.  The RAT Model supports effective teaching practices with the methodical selection and infusion of technological processes, equipment, and execution of instruction for practitioners.  The RAT Model clarifies the R, the A, and the T for the practitioners in their instructional practices.  Here is the meaning of the RAT Model for making lessons meaningful and relevant:

 

Technology as Replacement.  Not enough to go around?  The document camera/presenter is a fantastic stand-in technology that makes it possible for practitioners to provide the same instructional practices, but it is a proxy for instructional materials such as textbooks, multiple photocopies, and limited tangible materials.          

 

Technology as Amplification.  Need to say it loud?  The document camera/presenter magnifies the stellar instructional practices that are already in place.  Practitioners take what works and pumps up the volume for adding greater and more effective pieces to pedagogy.   

 

Technology as Transformation. Looking for a breakthrough?  The document camera/presenter is the piece that makes adaptations to inspire innovation.  The brain is a powerful organ that just needs a spark made possible through technology.  This technological equipment breeds powerful change.

Tap dancing in the classroom, in the library, in the cafeteria—wherever you want starts with your creativity and the document camera can take you there! 

Want Resources?

Do not just take my word for it.  Here is a way to assess the presence of technology in your school and how it measures up and for ultimate instructional quality and enhancement of student learning: RAT_Question_Guide (PDF).

Here are some other links for more ways to incorporate document cameras/presenters into your instructional abode: 

Favorite 50 Uses for a Document Camera

http://mrsbtechnologycoach.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/5/0/10500063/document_cameras_in_the_classroom.pdf

Possibilities the Document Camera Brings to the Instructional Program https://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib/AZ01001083/Centricity/Domain/45/Hardware%20and%20Software%20Resources/Document%20Camera/doc_cam_in_classroom.pdf

16 Smart Ways to Use A document Camera in Science Class https://www.weareteachers.com/document-camera-science-class-tips/

Hughes, J. E. (2020). Replacement, amplification, and transformation: The R.A.T. Model. Tech Edges. https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/