Technical information

ICT in the science department 1610 © CLEAPSS 2005
16.5.7 Scanners
A scanner allows documents and photographs to be stored as computer files. Generally
they are very good value for money. Scanners are particularly useful for archiving and
retrieving older, paper-based resources and perhaps displaying pupils’ work on an
Intranet. Most scanners connect directly to a computer using a USB connection.
16.5.8 Printers
Laser printers are the fastest and most-economical printers for black printing. The
falling prices of all laser printers, including those that print in colour, are now bring-
ing them within the budgets of many science departments. Toner cartridges for laser
printers have a very long lifetime (typically several thousand sheets of A4). Inkjet
printers, although relatively inexpensive, require the frequent changing of costly refill
cartridges (after typically a few hundred sheets of A4) and should only be considered
when relatively infrequent printing is likely to be needed. Also the ink from inkjet
printers is prone to smudging when exposed to moisture, as might be encountered
during science practical work.
More-expensive printers will plug into a network socket, allowing printing from any
computer on the network. Cheaper printers connect directly to an individual comp-
uter. If this computer is on a network, the printer can usually be shared with other
networked computers.
Where labels are run off in the science department (eg, for chemical bottles or storage
trays), the ink on laser-printed labels is much less likely to smudge or fade than that
used in inkjet printers. However, laser printers usually require a full A4 sheet of
labels, which can be wasteful if only one or two labels are required at a time. Small
thermal printers are available using special rolls of labels, which can be printed one at
a time as required
1
.
16.5.9 Projectors
Electronic projectors are commonly used in school science lessons. In order to avoid
damage to the equipment, ceiling-mounted projectors should not be placed directly
above the front demonstration area in a laboratory.
A projector with a brightness of at least 1500 ANSI
2
lumens and a resolution of at
least 1024 × 768 pixels
3
is recommended. On a sunny day, louver-type window blinds
are essential to increase contrast on the screen.
Where projector dazzle may be a problem, eg, when an interactive whiteboard is in use
(see section 16.5.10), projector brightness should be the minimum required to give a
satisfactory image.
1
For example, Seiko Smart Label printers: www.seiko.co.uk.
2
ANSI means American National Standards Institute.
3
A pixel is the smallest picture element of a digital image.