The Latest Dirt - Nov 2023

Ladibug, Ladibug…

By Pam Austin

You know the song. But in this case the Ladibug can’t fly home. School Gardens Lead Pam Austin has recently acquired the Lumens Ladibug, an extremely versatile document camera. It is also portable and wireless. This document camera can capture real-time 3D objects and display the project onto a screen or monitor. It is available to borrow, and Pam will provide training.

Here are some of its’ capabilities. It has a built–in power adapter and onboard recording and can be used as a standalone document camera, without the need for a host computer or network connection.

The internal image storage can be expanded using a USB flash drive up–to a maximum 4TB. Files stored locally can be played out to screens or shared with colleagues for playback on any computer or smart device.

Additional features include a microphone, advanced image annotation tools, auto-tune zoom, webcam ability, and a laptop can be used as the power source.

As an example, you could create a mixed media presentation including a PowerPoint presentation of the basics of plant pollination that describes the purpose of flowers, the parts of male and female flowers, how pollination occurs and types of flowers. A dissected flower could then be displayed and discussed.

Here are some of the specifications of the School Gardens model:

DC193 20x Zoom Document Camera

• 1080 output (30fps)
• Flexible gooseneck design
• VGA input/output, HDMI input/output
• Built-in microphone
• Internal recording with support for USB drive expansion
• Innovative built-in power supply