How Can Projectors Be Useful in Teaching? (14 Great Benefits)
When it comes to teaching, projectors can help save time, introduce visual elements to the classroom, and make note-taking a less tedious task.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the benefits of using a projector for teaching, both for the teachers and the students. Let’s get started!
How Can Projectors Be Useful in Teaching
1. It Maximizes Engagement
Projectors allow for all the eye-candy students would seek to pay attention in class. Blackboards are boring, period.
You can hook your students with exciting videos, infographics, and cool animations with projectors.
Projector screens also make it easier for teachers to use humor in their lessons.
2. Makes Note-Taking Easier
Students often find it challenging to take notes and focus simultaneously on what the teacher is writing and saying.
That’s too much information to process simultaneously, so there’s a good chance many students won’t make the most out of the class.
Projectors take blackboards out of the equation and replace them with pre-prepared presentations, making it easier for students to take notes at their own pace without interfering with the lesson.
3. Adds Visual and Audio Elements
Humans are visual creators; we digest information more easily with seen than spoken elements.
If a teacher tries to explain something without showing their students what it looks like, they’ll probably fail to understand it.
With projectors, teachers can add images, gifs, videos, and audio files to their presentations to improve clarity and make everything more understandable for their students.
4. Enhances Visibility
Projector screens are much more readable than white or chalkboards, even from a distance.
So, a projector for large classes ensures that everyone can see what’s being presented.
5. It Wastes Less Time
Projectors save time by enabling teachers to focus on actual teaching rather than writing on blackboards with chalk.
Not to mention, the teacher won’t have to wait for all students to take notes before proceeding with the lesson; they can just split the screen and display the current and previous slides.
6. Less Work for the Teacher
If a teacher teaches multiple classes with chalk and blackboard, they’ll have to write the lesson repeatedly for each class, which can be time-consuming and tedious.
With a projector, teachers can prepare their lessons in the form of presentations and simply reuse them for every class.
7. No One Will Miss a Thing
The most powerful feature of using soft-copy lessons is that the teacher can email them to their students.
This allows students to focus more in a class by only taking notes of what’s essential.
They won’t have to write down everything in the presentation.
Plus, if a student misses a particular lesson, they’ll still get the file delivered to their email, so they don’t have to photocopy the notes from one of their colleagues.
8. A More Interactive Learning Experience
Video projectors make interactive learning more achievable.
Since the projector doubles as a secondary monitor for the teacher, the teacher can take this as an opportunity to engage their students with discussions, quick tests, and multiple choice questions.
Anyone looking at the projector screen will be able to contribute.
9. Data Visualization
Visualizing data sets with graphs, tables, and pie charts enables students to get a clearer picture of the magnitude of each element in the comparison.
While teachers can visualize data on a chalkboard, it won’t be as accurate or clear as on a projector screen.
10. Filling Knowledge Gaps
Sometimes, a teacher might find out that their students have insufficient knowledge of a particular topic mid-class.
In that case, the teacher can use Google Search to look for free online resources that he can use to illustrate and explain the subject to their students.
This way, teachers can fill their students’ knowledge gaps more easily and quickly.
11. Better Student Presentations
Projectors aren’t only useful for teachers; students can also use them during their presentations.
Without a projector, the student will have difficulty explaining their ideas to their peers due to a lack of visualization.
But with projectors, students can collect and visualize data and include useful related content like infographics and short videos to illustrate their ideas.
Not to mention, the student will only have to worry about talking and discussing questions with their professors and peers, not writing on a blackboard.
12. Enables the Use of Other Technologies
Utilizing the projector in the classroom paves the way for using other technologies that facilitate learning.
For instance, interactive quizzes allow teachers to confirm that most of the class comprehended the materials effectively and are ready for the next lesson.
Projectors also allow teachers to use webcams, which can be quite handy in remote learning. Teachers can also use webcams and projectors to host subject matter experts in their classes.
13. Documentaries
Projectors allow teachers to demonstrate long-format documentaries for their students.
This can be particularly handy in history lessons.
Whenever you feel your students need a refresher, you can watch a documentary on the projector screen and include timely breaks to discuss every part of the documentary with them.
This introduces a new approach to the student’s overall learning experience.
14. Allows the Use of a Complementary Blackboard
Many teachers still prefer a blackboard nearby, even when their lessons are viewed on a projector.
This is because the blackboard enables teachers to elaborate on what’s being presented on the screen.
If a student asks a question, this can introduce a side topic that the teacher needs to explain immediately with the good old chalk and blackboard.
Final Words
So that was a quick overview of some of the benefits of using projectors in teaching.
There’s no doubt that projectorw have revolutionized traditional teaching methods, and utilizing them in classroom settings ensures a more interactive and efficient learning experience.