The “Evaluator” unit for Education has been developed in a range of educational learning environments and subjects at Paignton Community Sports College and the University College of St Mark and St John. We have spent many hours working on how the product should be produced to best fit the needs of the education sector. It has been designed to:
• record sound and video images
• be simple to use
• instantly playback without the need to rewind/fast forward
• allow video images to be saved to file or played directly onto a larger screen from the unit (TV screen or PC monitor)
• be low cost so that students can be given free access to use the units
• playback in slow motion to allow analysis of activities
We have developed the “Evaluator” with the assistance of both Jason Trevarthen and Stuart Taylor who have wide ranging experience working with video imagery in the education sector. From this there came a realisation that a simple, low cost, option should be readily available. An easy to use, hand held unit would have a greater impact and also empower students rather than the teacher taking charge of equipment due to cost issues. That’s where we stepped in to help with the development on the “Evaluator”.
Most curriculum areas and learning styles can benefit from the “Evaluator”, some examples of possible use:
• Assessment for learning – students recording own work and reviewing, reflection of progress
• Physical Education- recording movement and refinement
• Student Council/ Student Voice –view points of students
• Technology – recording safety demonstrations and noting key points, reviewing coursework
• Foreign Language – use of language, expression
• Music/ Drama/ Media- performance improvement, examination recording
• History – role play
• Geography – field work recording
• English- discussion, poetry, performance, communication
• Simple moderation and presentations for coursework
• HEI Initial teacher training – modelling elements of lesson
“The “Evaluator” has the potential to impact on every child through its simplistic effectiveness. Pupils progress is greatly enhanced as students embrace the technology. Ownership of learning, increased confidence, improved motivation levels, positive behaviour and ultimately higher achievement and standards reflect the positive impact this device could have as a tool for education!” Jason Trevarthen – Paignton Community Sports College
Stuart Taylor is a Lecturer of Coach and Physical Education at UCP Marjon, Plymouth where he works with ITT Physical Education students. Stuart is also editor of Sport IQ Publications, a company specialising in interactive teaching resources. He has recently contributed to a new book, Improving Teaching and Learning in Physical Education specifically focusing on ICT within the curriculum.
Jason Trevarthen is Director of Specialism and Assistant Principal at Paignton Community Sports College. He is a Professional tutor and been involved in various ICT related projects aimed at Whole College/School impact on standards. Jason is also the pioneer behind the development of “Sound Assist” – an Audio assisted teacher training product, as featured in the Guardian, TES and Teachers TV.
Although similar in specifications to the disgo video, the new Evaluator unit will also have a slow-motion feature.
Technical Specification
Display: 2.0 inch TFT
Memory: External: SD/MMC card slot (max 2GB) 1GB SD included
Dimensions: 106mm(L) × 62mm(W) × 33mm(H)
Weight: 72g (without battery)
Image Sensor: VGA 640×480 (300k pixels)
Video Resolution: QVGA 320×240 pixels
Video frame rate: Up to 30 fps
File format: AVI
Slow-Motion feature: playback at half normal speed.
Power Source: 2 × AA batteries (included)
Battery life: 60 minutes recording or 70 minutes playback
Interface: USB 1.1
OSD Language: English
Power Control: Auto Power Off, Manual Off
Exposure: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Lens: fixed
Warranty: 2 years manufactures’ warranty
Operating System: Windows: Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista
Return to disgo Education
