How Scanners Help Students and Teachers

Since 2020, we have seen a rise in hybrid and online learning due to COVID-19, when schools were forced to shut down. However, in a post lockdown era, this new way of learning has stuck for many schools around the world. As digital learning has become more popular, schools have been looking for new ways to teach, the use of scanners has risen in education. Document scanners are an extremely useful and powerful tool that can help revolutionise the classroom. We have put this blog together to show you how you can take teaching or learning to the next level by investing in a new scanner. 

Useful Ways to Utilise a Scanner

Digitise Assessment Papers or Essays

A scanner can turn students’ written exam papers or essays into digital documents, which can be extremely useful for teachers. It allows teachers to view exam papers from their computer, mobile or tablet. This can boost productivity, as you can take them around with you and mark when you get a spare minute. It also allows both students and teachers to have a digital copy. Overall, using a document scanner to digitise assessment papers is hugely beneficial to both students and teachers. It is time saving, reduces classroom clutter and can improve learning. 

Reduce Paper Usage

There are so many benefits to reducing your paper usage, whether you are a teacher or a student. Benefits include: 

• Saves time for students and teachers, as hours do not need to be spent standing next to the printer waiting for the task to be completed. 
• Reducing the amount of paper used can help cut costs. According to Tech Wire, “Schools use an average of 1,000 sheets of paper per pupil each year. Some schools spend as much as £65,000 on printing costs alone”, this is a huge and unnecessary cost.
• Promoting sustainability is important. As climate change is becoming a more prevalent issue, everyone needs to do what they can to reduce its effect and speed of it. Promoting this concept to young people may help change the course of the future.
• Paper takes up a huge amount of space. Find some space and reduce the amount of storage that paper takes up. This could be put to better use! 

Fast and Easy to Use

Scanners are fast and easy to use. Students and teachers of all technology skill sets will find it easy to use a scanner - they are easier to use than a printer and take less than 5 minutes to set up! If you are interested in investing in a scanner, then check out our blog post ‘Questions To Ask Before Buying A Scanner’, to ensure that you are buying the right one for you. 

Find the perfect scanner for you today! Search by function on our website now.

Preserving Certificates 

Being awarded a certificate is one of the most rewarding parts of being a student. It signifies your hard work and commitment to studying - whether it is for attendance, improvement or excellence in a subject. You also may receive an exam certificate when you complete an accredited course. Certificates are physical evidence of achievement. Therefore, it is important to preserve them. 

It is easy to lose or damage certificates over time, which can be a huge inconvenience. Some employers or further education institutions will ask for certificates. So having them to hand and keeping hold of them is essential. Using a scanner to scan the certificates and have them as proof enables you to keep hold of them and organise them on your devices. 

Book Scanners

Book scanners are extremely useful in educational settings. Simply place the book or document underneath the scanner, and it will transfer it over to your device.

Textbooks are often very expensive! Many students cannot afford to purchase them. However, if, as a teacher, you have a copy then you can scan it in and send the appropriate chapters or sections to your students. This ensures that educational materials are made accessible and no one has to miss out. 

Read about scanners in our blog post “An Introduction to Overhead Book Scanners”.

Check out some of our book scanners: 

• Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600: One of the most accurate book scanners on the market today. Created by the market leader, Fujitsu, and revolutionising education and workplace document usage. This device can also scan photographs and business cards. 
• OpticBook 4800: Designed to eliminate shadows when scanning the double page spread of an open book. Hardware design and software technology work in tandem to minimise any unsightly shadows. Perfect for scanning books, magazines or historical documents. 
• IRIS Desk 5 PRO: A cost effective overheard scanner which produces incredibly accurate digital files. Excellent lens and image capture capabilities coupled with a compact design make this overhead book scanner a great option.

Recommended Products

If you would like to find out more about the different types of scanners, and what their individual advantages are then check out our blog post ‘Different Scanners And Their Unique Benefits’ to find out more. 

The Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 is a powerful and advanced product that is extremely capable. This is ideal for teachers who plan to use the scanner for taking in assessment papers or essays. Here are the specifications: 

• A4 document scanner 
• 600 dpi
• Speed 30ppm
• Can feed up to 50 documents
• Colour touch screen

The Epson DS-70 is the perfect option if you are limited on space and budget. The DS-70 is compact, portable document scanner, capable of producing fast, accurate scans.
Here are the specifications: 

• Lightweight and portable (Scan Anywhere!)
• Connected via USB
• Scans A4 or smaller documents
• Scans business cards
• 5.5 seconds per page
• Ideal for students 

New and Noteworthy

Brother have recently released an upgraded version of their desktop ADS scanner range. The ADS4 series has five new models including the impressive ADS-4300N A4 network document scanner. With an in-built ultrasonic multi-feed sensor to eliminate misfeeds, the ADS-4300N also has a large 80 sheet ADF capacity and rapidly scans up to 40ppm. With USB3.0 and USB host, you can securely scan documents without the need for a PC. Configure the ADS-4300N with additional Brother Barcode Scanning Utility software. This allows teacher or student to scan a range of barcodes on a document and perform a variety of time-saving functions. Separate batch scans, re-name files and arrange your digital paperwork with any predefined barcode found on a document. The Brother ADS-4300N plus Barcode Scanning Utility is an excellent document management solution for any learning environment.

Brother ADS-4300N Key Features

• Scan up to 40ppm
• 80 sheet automatic document feeder (ADF)
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and scan to USB host
• Scan from mobile device
• Daily duty cycle of 6,000 pages
• Wired network capability