Art instruction has been made easier for students at Massapequa High School on Long Island, New York. Until recently, when Art Educator Vickie Ahearn needed to show her class close-up pictures of brush strokes or other fine artistic details, it required passing a book around the room or having students surround her desk to view illustrations. Now, however, a Canon REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector provides the class with large-screen displays of crisp XGA resolution images and all the 3500 ANSI lumen brightness necessary to view art illustrations without having to dim the lights.

"The Canon REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector has changed how I teach my classes," Ahearn declared. "I can sit at my desk and demonstrate an art technique to the students, and they don't have to leave their seats to see it. The bright, crisp image allows me to use the projector without having to turn off the lights in my classroom. Students can work along with me, step by step, throughout a demonstration of a drawing or painting technique. This has had a huge impact on my teaching and use of technology as a seamless part of delivering instruction."

"I am able to demonstrate techniques to the entire class," Ahearn continued. "Students no longer struggle to see. They can view large, brilliant images with magnified details and no distortion. I've demonstrated rendering and painting techniques using pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, oil pastel, pen and ink, and water color using the REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector and it has greatly impacted my students understanding of these techniques. The razor-sharp image from the REALiS X600 allows me to show how to blend colored pencils, creating subtle nuances of value."

The intricate detail of the REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector's XGA resolution is made possible by Canon's patented, proprietary AISYS (Aspectual Illumination System) optical engine, which equalizes the light from the projection lamp and maximizes the performance of the next-generation LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) display device employed by the REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector to produce lattice-free, intricately detailed, rich-color motion or still-image projection.

"In the art classroom, a lot of the work we are doing is very detailed and intricate," Ahearn affirmed. "For every type of project that the students do, it is critically important to be able to see the detail. In my architecture class, my textile class, and my fashion design class, students are able to use the intuitive controls of the technology to spotlight the finest pencil line of their renderings."

Additional features of the Canon REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector that have made it an indispensable part of Ahearn's classroom are its Auto Set-Up function, which instantly identifies and selects the input source, corrects keystone distortion, sharpens focus, and adjusts for wall color. Also crucial is the REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector's quiet (31 dB in Silent Mode) operation. "Setting up the projector is effortless," she remarked. "The Auto Set-Up feature is a great time-saver in the classroom, ensuring that the projected images are perfectly focused. In addition, it emits very little heat and is almost silent while in use. This enables students to sit next to the projector and focus on the lesson, not the projector."

The possibilities opened up to Ahearn's classes by the REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector have been extraordinary. "The REALiS X600 Multimedia Projector has revolutionized the way that I teach," Ahearn concluded. "Students can remain in their seats with the classroom lights on, working with me step-by-step on their artwork. They have been actively involved in creating lessons and presenting them to the class. The projector has opened up many possibilities to enhance my lessons and it creates an exciting learning environment for my students."

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For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Canon REALiS X600 projector page.