CameraScope

A Digital Visualization tool for Science and MathematicsClassrooms

Bill FersterThe University of Virginia

Why Visualization?

To help see events that are too small

Why Visualization?

To see events that are too fast or slow

A Tipping-Point

• Low cost of digital camera and webcams

• More digital cameras are sold than film cameras

• Even Kodak is giving up on film cameras!

Student’s Understanding

Role shift from passive observer to active participant

Intel QX3 Microscope

Popular, with lots of curricular activities developed

• Cheap (under $100)• Easy to use• Had time-lapse movies capability

Intel QX3 Microscope

It had shortcomings, though...

• Poor image quality• Toy-like software• Discontinued by Intel after the “Dot-Bomb”

Why Make CameraScope?

Support of Multiple Imaging Sources

• Web-Cams, QX3, Digital Cameras • High quality images• New devices on the market constantly • Consistent “look and feel” to standardize curriculum on• Uses Microsoft’s DirectShow devices

Why Make CameraScope?

Designed Expressly for Education

• Easy to use• Features tied into curriculum• Lesson plans expressly designed for it• Offered at no charge to schools

Why Make CameraScope?

An optimistic future

• Can’t be capriciously discontinued• Open source• Open architecture for new features• Supports commonplace tools

CameraScope

First tool from Thinking Spaces Tools Initiative

• Capture• Measure• Analyze

Capture

CameraScope Image Sources

• High quality from digital cameras• QX3 Microscope• Digital Microscopes• Digital Telescopes• Web-Cams

Capture Stills

CameraScope Still Images

• Multiple resolutions• Stored as JPEG Files

Capture Time-Lapse

CameraScope Time-lapse movies

•Speeds up slow events •1/4 second to 10 days per frame

CameraScope Capture

Viewing screen

Image Gallery

Capture button

Controls

Capture Real-Time

CameraScope Real-Time Movies

• Slows down fast events • View the Motion frame-by-frame

Measure

CameraScope Measurement Tools

• Measure on screen objects• Get position, size and rotation• Move through movies frame by frame

• Calibrate to real world dimensions• Easy to use, but accurate

CameraScope Measure

Reset Origin

Scroll thru Movie

See Coords

Calibrate

Analyze

CameraScope Analysis Tools

• Saves data to spreadsheet • Calls Microsoft Excel directly for:

• Graphing• Trend-line analysis• High-level manipulation

Excel Spreadsheet

Time (in ms.)

X Position

Y Position

Scale

Rotatation

Graph

Trend Line

A Physical Science Example

Measuring the speed of gravity

• Helps students understand velocity in Physics • Record the dropping of a ball• Calibrate the image to meter stick in scene• Track motion of ball frame-by-frame into Excel file• Graph Velocity curve in Excel• Use trend-line analysis to figure out gravity constant

A Physical Science Example

A Physical Science Example

Future Tools

• Image processing add-ons for CameraScope

• Tablet PC Software

• Digital Story-Telling tools

Thinking Spaces

• Research into digital images in content area curricula

• Emerged from National Technology Leadership Summit

• CameraScope developed by University of Virginia

• All tools placed in a “Creative Commons”

StatusCurrently in in beta

Available at no charge.

Website: www.teacherlink.org/tools