1.

Focussing knob
2. Projection head
3 On-Off switch
4 Fresnel lens
5 Glass stage
6 Lamp
7.Reflector
8.Fan
9 Air vents

The Overhead Projector is an extremely simple machine to use - or so it would

appear - however, it can be a powerful distractive force if it is not used correctly,
and frequently it is not!
The ability to operate the projector correctly, and to prepare and present
effective transparencies, separates the "teacher" from the well-intentioned
amateur.
ADVANTAGES OF THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR (OHP)
The OHP has value in almost all instructional situations - the following are some
of its special advantages:Lighting: It can be used under normal lighting conditions. The room does not
have to be darkened, which is an important factor in class control.
Portability: The OHP is not heavy and so can be easily carried from room to room.
Cost: Most machines are relatively inexpensive to purchase and maintain - there
are few advantages to the more expensive machines over the cheaper machines,

although the fan will be quieter and the fresnel lens will be held more securely in
the machine, and in this way it is unlikely to warp when heated by use over long
periods of time.
Software: A wide range is available, both in commercial varieties and in those
which can be easily, and cheaply, created for specific learning situations.
Control: Because the teacher faces the class when using the OHP, eye contact is
maintained at all times. This is an important advantage of the machine.
Presentation: As it is the teacher who operates the machine, there is always
complete control of the speed of presentation.
Adaptability: The machine can be used in a variety of situations, e.g., for rear
projection, for test situations, by the pupils themselves, for highlighting materials
and/or events, and for special effects.

SETTING UP THE PROJECTOR

One of the difficulties of using the OHP is that, unless it is correctly set-up,
distractions can be created which can destroy a well-prepared lesson - and the
correct set-up may be impossible to attain.
In order to set up the projector correctly the following situations should apply:1. The image should be high enough so that all students can see it.
2. The projector should be low enough so that it is easily accessible by the
teacher.
3. The image should not be distorted by "keystone".
If no adjustment is made to the angle of the screen when the projection head is
tilted, the image will appear like this:-

When an image is "keystoned", either top or bottom of the image must be out of
focus. It is possibleto adjust the focus so that this is not a distraction, however,
many people, unaware of the problems they are creating for their students,
present an image where there is lateral keystone as well. Now one side is also
out of focus and the value of using the OHP is being destroyed.

To overcome all these difficulties, the OHP should be placed low - possibly on a
chair. Most commercial stands that are provided for OHP's are too high.

The screen must be high and angled so that it is at the same angle as the
projector head - this will eliminate "keystone". The best position for the screen is
in a corner of the room, preferably in the left corner (when one is looking towards
the board) as this will suit right-handed teachers.

The cheapest and best screen is a white roller-blind. If this is attached to

brackets which extend it from the corner, it can be pulled down and tied back
when using it with the OHP, and left vertical when using it with all other
projectors. When not in use it can be rolled up so that it also does not provide
distraction.
The perfect set-up may be impossible to attain. The constraints of the classroom
may not be able to be overcome, however, being aware of the perfect situation,
and doing all in one's power to approximate it, will ensure that students are
faced with as few distractions as possible.

TEACHING WITH THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR

Whenever the OHP is ON, the beam of light and the projected image are in direct
competition with the teacher - and these distractions are frequently more
attractive to a class than the teacher.
The most important part of the OHP is theOn/Off switch
- the moment the image is no longer required, exercise your superiority over the
machine - TURN IT OFF.
The act of turning the OHP off returns the attention of the audience back to the
teacher.
When directing the attention of your audience to a transparency, work with the
image on the projector - don't point to the image on the screen. As mentioned
earlier, one of the advantages of the OHP is that you are facing the class and
have control over their activities - once you turn to address the screen you lose

that control. Use a pointer, e.g., a pen, pencil or even a knitting needle, to
indicate items of importance, on the stage of the projector.
You can also use coloured pens to underline or fill in significant areas of a
transparency.
Remember - talking to an inanimate screen
is not only bad teaching, but may be
indicative of a more serious problem!

PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES
The OHP is very useful for presenting a sequence of ideas, through the use of a
base transparency and one or more overlays.
Overlays
Prepare the base transparency, e.g., the outline drawing of a machine, and
attach it to the underside of the transparency mount. Prepare a separate overlay
transparency for each part of your sequence. The first transparency could serve
to highlight, by colour, an important section of the base transparency. The
second overlay could add additional mechanical components, while the third
could add names to the most important parts.
Place the first overlay in position on top of the transparency mount, and tape it
into position on one side of the mount. If successive overlays are to be used as
individual overlays they must be taped to different sides of the mount, ensuring
that they can be swung into position without being caught up with other
overlays. If the overlays are to be used as successive items to build up the base
transparency, they can be taped one on top of the other - in this fashion they will
always be in the order required. Arrange some sort of numbering system so that,
in the anxiety of presentation, you can easily identify the order of overlay
presentation.

Although the finished product will undoubtedly take longer to prepare than a
quick sketch on the chalkboard, it will have greater visual impact, plus the
advantage of being available for use in other lessons.

Progressive Revelation
Progressive revelation is a lecturing technique which is used frequently with the
OHP. A cover is placed over the transparency and is progressively withdrawn to
reveal the points to be discussed. As the cover has nothing to support it on the
stage, it often falls, or is blown off the transparency, thus reducing the effect of
the technique. If the cover is placed under the transparency mount, the weight of
the mount will always hold it in place.
It must be stressed that Progressive Revelation is a Lecturing technique which
has little relevance in teaching small classes. One of the tests as to whether
information has been assimilated is to ask questions about the information
presented, and reinforce it using the points on the transparency. If a student
remembers a point in the middle of the transparency, it is almost impossible to
reveal that point without displaying all of the others. The proper Teaching
technique is, therefore, Masking.
Masking
In this technique each of the points to be presented is covered by its own coverstrip or flap. As each point is revealed the previous point may be re-covered, thus
concentrating the attention of the audience on that particular point. When the
information needs to be confirmed it will not matter which point the members of
the audience remember, as each point can be independently displayed without
corrupting the viability of the others.
Progressive Revelation for Lecturing Masking for TEACHING.
Elaborate, and expensive, moving devices are available commercially for the
OHP. In many cases the same effect can be obtained by using cut-outs of
coloured perspex, joined together with metal fasteners, rivets, etc.

THE OHP AS AN ENLARGER

As mentioned in the chapter on BOARDS, the OHP is a useful device for enlarging
a projected image. Because few of us have a flair for graphics, this technique can
overcome the lack of skill.
Create a transparency or outline of the information you wish to enlarge. Project
the image onto a sheet of paper (or onto the chalkboard) and move the projector
forward or back to create the desired size. Trace the image and add colour as
needed. When the projector is removed you will be left with a map or illustration

which is virtually an exact (enlarged) replica of the original. This technique can
also be used with slide or filmstrip projectors.
OVERHEAD TRANSPARENCIES
The most effective use of the OHP is for the presentation of prepared
transparencies. These range from simple, quickly prepared visual aids intended
for one lesson only, e.g., a copy of today's weather map, to elaborate
transparencies used for many classes over many years.
A wide range of commercially prepared transparencies is available in many
subjects. Since production costs can be recovered over many sales, it is possible
to prepare such material with considerable attention to detail, with good colour
and graphics. While these features are to be commended, choose carefully.
These transparencies tend to be very general in aspect, the most important
attribute of any transparency is that it fits in, not only with the topic and level of
the audience you are working with, but with the manner in which you intend to
present it, and with the needs and interest of your students.
Remember - it is your lesson, think
carefully before you hand it over to
another person.

PREPARING YOUR OWN TRANSPARENCIES

Transparency Layout The most important basic principle in presentation is
SIMPLICITY. A common mistake in preparing transparencies is to attempt to
crowd too much information on 30 x 30cm sheet. It is certainly capable of
carrying a great deal of data, particularly in small cramped handwriting, or a
condensed typewriter face. But how would a class react to such a mass of
information if, in fact, they could even read it?
Learn from Advertising. A large billboard is capable of carrying the entire history
of a soft drink manufacturing company. The message would be good for the
company's ego, but it would do little for it's sales - it would be ignored. Yet this is
precisely how many people present information on the OHP.
Follow the billboard advertising technique - use a few well-chosen words, or
sentences, and drive the message home with illustration and appropriate colour.
One point per transparency.
No more than 8 words per line.
No more than 8 lines per transparency.
No more than 25 words per transparency

8mm is the MINIMUM letter height.

No more than 1 or 2 simple illustrations.

A transparency containing a minimum of detail is not only more effective, but

allows for information to be added as the lesson develops.

Hand-Made Transparencies
Acetate (plastic) sheets are available in a couple of sizes, to suit the different
size transparency mounts. Add detail onto these sheets using a variety of aids.
Overhead Transparency Pens.
While it is possible to purchase many kinds of felt-tipped pens, few are suitable
for use with the OHP. While they may write well on paper, on plastic it is a
different matter - they tend to form small globules of colour and are unsuitable.
Although the proper pens can be expensive, it is worth the money for the best
result. Buy pens with a tight fitting cap, so that they will dry out less quickly than
cheaper versions.
The pens come in a range of colours and tip widths, and two types - permanent
and non-permanent. Permanent pens have a spirit-based ink which can be
erased from the acetate using a spirit-soaked cloth, or a special eraser. Generally
it is not worth the effort - most permanent pens etch the surface of the
transparency, and even when erased still leave an image which is visible.
Non-permanent pens have a water and spirit base which allows them to be
erased with a water-soaked cloth, and which does not etch the surface.
In the same way that the two different pens are used on a whiteboard, these
pens allow the build up of information on a transparency. For example, the
outline of the map of a country could be created using a permanent pen, and
subsequent information could be added and removed using a non-permanent
pen.

Transparency Letters and Stencils Hand-prepared lettering is often of poor

quality. Lettering guides and stencils are cheap ways of creating fairly
professional lettering.
A more expensive, but more professional form of lettering is Dry Transfer or "rubdown" lettering. There are two types of these letters - the more common type is
generally black and is designed to rub-down onto paper. This type is NOT
suitable for hand-made transparencies. If rubbed-down onto plastic they project
dirty marks from the glue around each letter.
The correct lettering is specifically designed for use with transparencies and
comes in a limited range of colours, and in strong, bold, typefaces. These
transparent letters rub-down easily onto acetate, and project well in colour.
Unfortunately they are also less common, and more expensive. You can increase
the life of dry transfer lettering on a transparency by lightly spraying the
transparency with clear spray. Since there is a variety of acetate sheets, and
letter transfer systems, experiment with a small sample before spraying your
precious transparency.
Transparent Coloured Materials Coloured inks do not colour large areas well.
Coloured self-adhesive films are available, and are designed to colour large
areas. Cut a section of the colour slightly larger than the area to be coloured. Rub
the colour down on the underside of the transparency. Using a scalpel or a razor
blade, cut through the film along the outline of the area to be covered - take care
not to cut through the base transparency. Peel off the excess film and rub-down
over the area to eliminate any air bubbles.
Transparent Coloured Lines Most graphic material suppliers are able to provide a
range of coloured transparent tapes which can be used on overhead
transparencies. These tapes come in a range of colours and widths, and are
particularly useful for created straight line transparencies such as graphs, or for
underlining for emphasis.
Use of colour The use of correct combinations of colours in any visual display, is
as important as any other aspect of the preparation. It is more complicated with
a transparency as the projected colour may not have the same appeal as the
colour that was placed on the transparency - actual colour and projected colours
may not be the same.
Some colours have more appeal to the eye than others, Red is a very good
example of an attractive colour. These colours can be termed as dominant
colours - they include Red, Orange and Yellow. Less effective, or recessive
colours, include the Greens, Indigo, and Violet. These colours are all Primary
colours - secondary colours made from combinations of dominant or recessive
colours, have similar effects on the eye.
When choosing colours for use on a transparency, the golden rules are:Use fewer rather than more Use dominant colours sparingly - Red may be attractive,but it is likely that your

audience will remember ONLY what is presented in Red, and not retain the
equally important information presented in Green. Use less of the dominant
colours to balance the recessive.

MAKING TRANSPARENCIES USING A PHOTOCOPIER

For many years machine-made transparencies have been made on thermal
copiers, but as these machines are being phased out it is becoming more
common to make OHP transparencies on photocopiers. It is possible to buy
special transparent materials that can withstand the heat of a photocopier and
produce transparencies. The limitation with transparencies made on a
photocopier is that the image is limited to the colour of the toner - generally
black, and the transparencies are normally clear, which means that an audience
may rapidly become bored with a presentation which constantly uses black
images on a clear background.
To enhance these kinds of transparencies, it may be necessary to add colour
using transparency pens or other transparent coloured materials.
The advantage that most photocopiers have is their ability to enlarge images.
Unfortunately many transparencies created on a photocopier are simply images
taken straight from a book or magazine. These images almost never work as OHP
transparencies because the detail is too fine and congested. By using the
enlarging features of copiers, the image can be increased in size, extraneous
information eliminated, and then the finished effort can be made into a
transparency. Remember if the information is too small to be easily read by a
class, it has no place as an OHP transparency.... unless you provide photocopies
for them to read in conjunction with the transparency.

MAKING TRANSPARENCIES USING A LASER OR INKJET PRINTER

Along with the increased use of photocopiers, many instructional areas now have
access to the use of computers and quite sophisticated printers attached to
them. Again special materials can be purchased which can be fed through the
printers to create attractive OHP transparencies. Most cheaper laser printers
image only in black or ranges of grey so that the same limitations that are
evident with photocopiers also apply, however, because of the great range and
features of computer graphic and word processing packages, the range of
images that can be created is virtually unlimited. Additionally many inkjet
printers are able to produce coloured images which, with the use of the correct
materials, are able to produce complex and colourful transparencies.
It should be pointed out, however, that the cost of these transparencies can be
quite high and some judgment must be made as to the value of "one-off"

transparencies made in this manner. [Check out the notes on SCANNING and
POWER POINT for more information]
Be aware that some computer software, such as Powerpoint offers a menu to
allow full colour screen rendered "slides" to be printed in Black and White,
Greyscale or Paler Colour (to save ink) Sometimes the software offers the option
of designing a presentation as a set of overheads from the first instance so
automatically printing less intense background colours on plastic.

MAKING THERMAL TRANSPARENCIES

One of the simplest ways to make a transparency for the OHP is to use either a
photocopier, or a thermal copier. The advantage of thermal copiers is that they
can produce images in black or colour on a coloured background, in black on a
clear or coloured background, and in colour on an opaque background. The
options available through the thermal copier make this machine very useful in
the process of producing transparencies.There are several makes of thermal
copiers commonly available, such machines as the Thermofax - which is beltdriven - and the Fordifax and Vista Fax - which use glass rollers to feed the
materials through the machine. The thermal process works when heat generated
by a strong lamp heats the carbon in the inks of the original material, and this
heat, in turn, reacts with the chemicals on the transparency material to
reproduce an image.
In order for the process to work the original MUST be printed with carbon-based
or metallic inks. Normally these are black inks, newsprint, photocopies, this page,
are all examples of materials that produce an image in the thermal process.
Coloured printing inks do not contain carbon and cannot therefore, be used. A
photocopy (black) of a coloured page, will produce an image. Dry Transfer
lettering produces excellent images but the heat can ruin the lettering - a
photocopy of the lettering will produce a dozen transparencies.
The process works best with line drawings - half-tone pictures do not reproduce
well.
Thermal Transparency Materials There are two kinds of thermal transparency
materials - the single sheet transparency, and the dual or donor sheet material.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Thermal transparencies are identified from other plastic or acetate sheets by the
fact that one corner of the material has been clipped. When fed into the machine
the material is placed on top of the original with the clipped corner at the top
right-hand corner. In this way the chemicals or the donor sheets are correctly
located so an image can be created.
The disadvantage of the single sheet material is that the chemicals are
impregnated into the plastic and if a transparency is left on the OHP for long

periods of time, the heat from the lamp will continue the imaging process. The
transparency will eventually turn brown.
The dual or donor sheet transparency overcomes this problem by placing the
chemicals on the donor sheet. After the transparency has been imaged the donor
sheet is removed and so no further imaging can take place. This transparency
tends to fade in time, so really it is six of one, half a dozen of the other. There are
no real differences in the prices of these materials so make your own choice.
Photocopy transparencies, though lacking in the range of colours and
alternatives, are currently cheaper to buy than thermal transparencies. This
difference is offset by the cost of the machines and the toner replacement costs.
A thermal copier is relatively cheap and with proper maintenance has few
replacement parts apart from the occasional belt. If cost is a problem there is a
cheap alternative.
The Alternative For quick, one-off thermal transparencies, or for those many
occasions when the budget will not extend to commercial thermal materials, it is
possible to substitute thin, non adhesive book-covering plastic. The polyester
film used to cover books has no chemical covering, however when it is placed on
top of an original and fed into the thermal copier, the heat distorts the plastic
and creates opacity, which, in turn, creates an image.
The transparency is not of the same standard as a commercial transparency - but
who can quibble about the price?
Remember THIN book-covering plastic - and
NEVER EVER GLAD WRAP.

Colour Transparencies There is a commercial process which uses a colour

photocopier to produce OHP transparencies (in colour) from a 35mm
transparency. The cost is so high that it is difficult to justify the expense.
Colour-Lift Transparencies
Many high quality "glossy" magazines are printed on clay-coated paper. It is
possible to laminate a piece of clear plastic to this type of paper and create a
transparency which uses the original inks.
Identify the appropriate kind of paper by rubbing a moistened finger over a white
area of a page. If it is the correct type of paper there should be a small deposit of
white clay on the finger.
There are two ways the transparency can be produced. One is to use the
laminating film that can be purchased for use with a thermal copier (or with any
other single sheet laminator), and the other is to use a clear adhesive plastic,
similar to that used to cover books. In each the original becomes the

transparency and the original picture, which must be cut from the magazine, is
destroyed.
The only differences in the process are in the method that the plastic is bonded
to the original. The essential element is that there is a perfect bond and all air
has been excluded. With the adhesive plastic it may be necessary to spend some
time rubbing the plastic down to exclude the air, with the laminating process this
will occur normally.
Once the plastic has been bonded onto the face of the original picture, allow it to
soak in some warm water to which a little detergent has been added. The water
will penetrate the clay layers and the paper should fall away from the plastic
leaving the inks bonded to the plastic. Resist the urge to speed the process by
stripping the paper away by hand, as this will dislodge some of the ink and leave
gaps in the transparency. Be prepared to spend some time becoming familiar
with the process - the rewards are worth it.
After the paper has fallen away, place the transparency (ink side up) under
running water, and gently rub the surface with wet cotton wool to remove the
clay that has been left there. Clay is opaque and must be removed. When the
clay has been removed attach the transparency to a transparency mount with
the ink side uppermost, and allow to dry.
Lay the transparency on a flat surface and apply a light coat of clear hairspray allow it to dry - do not touch the surface - and add a second light coat. The third
and final coat may be a little heavier and your transparency is complete. When
dry, turn the transparency over and use it as normal on the projector. You now
have a transparency in all the colours of the original inks.
STORING TRANSPARENCIES
All transparencies should be mounted on OHP transparency mounts - even
though it costs a few cents more, the advantages of the mount far outweigh the
extra cost.
The transparency mount reduces the amount of light on the screen and prevents
distraction by concentrating attention on the subject of the transparency.
Without a mount there can be no overlays. The mount is also an ideal place for
notes to be read as prompts during a lesson. The transparency can be
catalogued and if holes are punched in the mount, the transparency can be
stored in ringed binders.
After all the time and expense to create the transparency, protect it by storing it
correctly.
http://www2.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/overhead_projection.html