Reflectivity is the catalyst for dialogue that makes good teaching contagious. Teachers take what they learn from their peers and put it into practice. Teachers are who teachers best learn from.

Danieli Parker | Hallsville Independent School District, TX

USE CASE

To provide a district-wide professional development resource

Danieli Parker

Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology

School/District:

Hallsville Independent School District, TX

A powerful tool for our district

Danieli Parker is the Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology for her school district in East Texas. Her role allows her to utilize technology to support teachers in becoming the most powerful educators they can be in the classroom. With experience as a former elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal, Danieli understands the demands of the classroom through many lenses. These prior roles largely influence which technologies her district decides to invest in. 

In her mission to provide district-wide support, Danieli found the perfect ally in Reflectivity. No other solution could match its versatility and impact on optimizing peer learning and collaboration.

“Makes good teaching contagious”

In 2015, Hallsville ISD was recognized as a model PLC. Even with this recognition, they were still struggling to coordinate live observations.

“We truly believe in learning from each other and using the strengths of each teacher to build peer learning. But, the biggest challenge in scheduling live observations was making them relevant and meaningful to each teacher. We needed a 4th-grade teacher to observe another 4th-grade teacher, even if they were in different schools, instead of having a 4th-grade teacher observe a 2nd-grade teacher because of availability.”

 Everything changed in 2018 when they were introduced to Reflectivity + Robot. Instead of needing to coordinate live schedules for observations, or travel to different schools to learn from each other, these Swivl solutions enabled each teacher to record high-quality video and audio to be watched asynchronously.

“We would record short lesson segments and then watch the videos together during PLC meetings. The recordings were a catalyst to drive conversations. Teachers would pick up on things happening in the video that I didn’t even notice! This allowed us to have deeper discussions about instructional practices.”

Danieli firmly believes that peer-learning lessons are the gems that stick. “Reflectivity is the catalyst for dialogue that makes good teaching contagious. Teachers learn best from other teachers. They take what they learn from their peers and put it into practice.” The videos she has her teachers record are leveraged to empower her teachers which sustains their professional development throughout the entire year.

Built-in adaptability

Reflectivity’s versatile features offered the teachers at Hallsville multiple ways to collaborate. In addition to the deeper instructional practice discussions, and watching relevant recordings asynchronously, teachers have the option to share written reflections. They can join communities around specific skills, and share links to resources, to build a collaborative mindset, outside of watching lesson recordings.

“Reflectivity has been a game-changer for our new teachers. The educators coming out of teacher prep programs are lacking in their conversation skills,” she said. “They’re more comfortable messaging back-and-forth, which they can do in Reflectivity. They don’t experience any barriers to asking for help or finding resources. Reflectivity provides a comfortable space for both newer and veteran teachers to  converse about instruction.”

Creating your Reflectivity plan

Want to see what Reflectivity can do for your institution’s Instructional Coaching? Schedule a consultation with the Swivl team to learn more.

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We’ve all had that colleague that we’ve gained so much learning from while teaching beside them. I wanted to scale that. I’m setting up Reflectivity so that every teacher has constant access to valuable professional growth.

Karen Fox | Crow Creek Tribal School

USE CASE

Increase district-wide communication and provide constant access to professional development

Karen Fox

Instructional Coach

School/District:

Crow Creek Tribal School

Grade Level

Multiple grades across 21 teachers

Karen Fox, an instructional coach for Crow Creek Tribal School District, in SD, is nearing retirement. She is adamant about ensuring the professional growth of her 21 teachers won’t be diminished with her departure — and with Reflectivity it won’t.

Reflectivity by Swivl has been Karen’s go-to solution for empowering educators she works with. Reflectivity supports self-reflection and peer learning that hinges on written resources, video observation, and a community platform to leverage both. “I’m not going to be here forever but I still want them to utilize this tool that I know will enable them to learn from one another.”

In her previous experience as a superintendent, Karen understands the value of creating a safe, judgment-free environment for teachers to observe and critique themselves. Reflectivity is where they can receive feedback and learn from each other’s strengths. As she puts it, “Despite how people typically feel when they watch themselves for the first couple of times, I know they’ll learn so much from getting into the habit.”

A universal bridge for the faculty 

Crow Creek Tribal School is located on tribal lands and unfortunately, the leadership turnover has been high. The impact of onboarding a new administration affects the entire institution and can slow professional development to a complete halt. Reflectivity bridges the gaps between administrative fluctuation by providing actionable insights generated by teachers for teachers. The end result is streamlined teacher support and more time to work with students. 

When turnover occurs, “we end up focusing a lot of attention on the adults that could be spent supporting the students,” Karen notes. Reflectivity creates more stability for her district. It provides continual and much-needed support on the administrative and teacher level. It is a resource for coaching, conversation, and goal achievement. Constant access to these resources reduces lost growth opportunities between in-person teacher coaching sessions while improving overall communication across the district. Reflectivity is an immediate method of assimilating knowledge for application inside the classroom.  

Fostering a dynamic, risk-taking environment is the key to reaping greater rewards at the district level. “We expect kids to take risks every day for us. But why are we not taking risks in our own practice to help them to grow?” Karen challenges. Reflectivity creates that safe space for vulnerability and experimentation, enabling teachers to continuously learn, adapt, and transform student outcomes.

Creating your Reflectivity plan

Want to see what Reflectivity can do for your institution’s Instructional Coaching? Schedule a consultation with the Swivl team to learn more.

The post Constant access to professional growth with Reflectivity appeared first on Swivl.

Swivl’s commitment to supporting our initiatives has opened up incredible possibilities for studying and strengthening math instruction across America’s rural schools.

Dr. Cynthia Carson | University of Rochester

USE CASE

Long-term data collection in higher education research

Dr. Cynthia Carson

Academic Program Coordinator

School/District:

University of Rochester

For math teachers in rural districts across the country, high-quality professional development opportunities can be few and far between. With limited resources and colleagues nearby, these educators often lack access to robust training programs focused on enhancing math instruction and improving student outcomes. Dr. Cynthia Carson, an education researcher at the University of Rochester, and her colleagues from the University of Idaho, recognized this challenge. As a project director, she and her team have made online instructional coaching central to their research work — Project SyncOn (Synchronous Online Video-Based Development for Rural Mathematics Coaches). Throughout this research and as Dr. Carson’s team expanded their projects, Swivl has played a prominent role.

Over the past eight years, the University of Rochester has secured two major 4-year grants from the National Science Foundation to design, implement, and study a fully online professional development learning program. “We wanted a model that could connect teachers from rural districts nationwide and provide them with top-notch training opportunities right from their classrooms,” explains Dr. Carson. “The key was finding the right video technology to capture high-quality footage and audio of instruction while enabling easy sharing and collaboration.” 

Dr. Carson and her team decided to partner with Swivl for the software and hardware solutions that could power their initiative. Using Swivl Robot’s tracking capabilities, teachers could effortlessly record their math lessons from anywhere, capturing crisp audio and wide angle views. These videos, automatically uploaded to Swivl’s secure cloud library Reflectivity, provided instant access for coaches and researchers. Prior to Swivl, Dr. Carson had teachers orchestrate recordings of their classes using traditional cameras, transfer video to flash drives, and mail those flash drives back to the university. Poor file compatibility, postal delays, and low video quality created hurdles for their program and threatened the effectiveness of their research.

“Swivl’s ease of use was a game-changer,” says Dr. Carson. “Teachers didn’t need extensive technical skills – they could just hit ‘record’ and knew the video would be high quality and readily available for their coaches to review. We needed something that was easy, because we didn’t want technology to be a barrier for us in terms of getting the data that we wanted.” 

Privacy matters

Swivl’s impact went beyond powerful recording capabilities. Its robust data privacy controls allowed Dr. Carson to tightly manage video access –  a crucial factor in gaining approval for her research from university ethical review boards. Dr. Carson even recalled meeting with Swivl co-founder Vlad Tetelbaum who worked closely with her team to ensure compliance and additional security criteria for her research. 

Throughout the years, Reflectivity has continued to support the evolving privacy requirements for this project. “To preserve the privacy of data, Reflectivity allowed me to create groups between a teacher and a coach. The only people that would have access to videos posted in these groups were the teacher, the coach, and the researcher who was approved to see the data.”

Robust research support

Swivl’s time-coded commenting feature drives coaching conversations. Instructional coaches are able to pause videos, leave contextual notes at precise moments, and engage teachers in guided discussions around specific teaching practices. “With Swivl’s technology, we could move our entire professional development cycle into the online space,” remarks Dr. Carson. “From discussing and modeling lesson plans to providing targeted feedback on implementation, everything became more seamless and impactful.”

With multiple cohorts spanning rural districts nationwide, Cynthia’s research has explored the immense value her video-based model has had improving math instruction in rural areas and building teacher capacity. And at the center of this transformative work is the power of Swivl’s technology, eradicating geographic barriers and facilitating cohesive data collection.

Supporting research with Swivl

Interested in learning how Swivl can support your research projects? Schedule a consultation with the Swivl team to learn more.

Disclaimer: The opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant Award 2006353. This work was supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant Award 1620911. This work was supported by the University of Idaho.

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In Reflectivity I made a group where we meet, discuss things together, and the teachers watch their video recordings together. Because we can do this asynchronously, I can scale my coaching.

Tammy Tucker | Randolph County Schools

USE CASE

Professional development coaching

Tammy Tucker

District Curriculum Specialist

School/District:

Randolph County Schools

Tammy Tucker is a professional development coach in West Virginia’s Randolph County Schools, and has been a Swivl user since 2019. She has coached up to 12 schools in her district with an average of 7 teachers in each school virtually and in-person. Reflectivity enhances her ability to support those teachers, motivate them, and create a network wherein they can support each other. “Reflectivity is how I communicate with the teachers I coach. I encourage them to use the video feature, conference with me, and communicate with each other.” This structure has created a supportive ecosystem each teacher can use for their professional development.

Tammy designed a schedule where her teachers could engage in weekly written reflections, supplementing their current monthly video reflections. This process, along with discussion between teachers and feedback from Tammy,supports Randolph County teacher development through holistic reflection. “In Reflectivity I made a group where we meet, discuss things together, and the teachers watch their video recordings together. Because we can do this asynchronously, I can scale my coaching.”

A better coaching system

As Tammy plans to retire from Randolph County Schools and begin private coaching through ELFPD, she plans to continue to use Reflectivity. The collaboration of the platform and the video functionality are staples for Tammy’s coaching process. In her upcoming role, she plans to onboard her teachers on Reflectivity for its features. “I can bookmark key points in the video and leave comments about which part of the video to watch. It makes it easier to show larger teams and find key points to share with school administration.”

One of her conditions of taking on private coaching after her retirement was that she could still onboard the schools she works with onto Reflectivity. “I told the organization about the work that I have been able to accomplish with Swivl Reflectivity and Robot, and that I feel like I can’t be as effective at my job without using Swivl solutions.” 

As a coach, Reflectivity has enabled Tammy to build support and community for her teachers while enabling the schools she works with to have more control over their professional development.

Creating your Reflectivity plan

Need support getting started with Reflectivity? A consultation with the Swivl team gives your school dedicated support that effectively achieves your objectives.

The post I can’t do it without Reflectivity appeared first on Swivl.

When administrators in Dodge City, KS, reviewed their student data in 2019, it was clear that literacy, specifically for their English Language Learners (ELLs), needed to be a top priority.

With 80% of the district’s 7,000 students identifying as Hispanic/Latino, this was already an area of focus. After receiving funding from a state grant, though, the district was ready to take a new approach.

Instead of focusing on top-down PD, Dodge City leaders invested in teacher coaching and self-reflection as a path to student literacy growth. 

To better support ELLs, Dodge City needed to remake their tools and systems for coaching

According to Kelley Clark, Literacy Project Manager and Professional Development Coordinator, this was a research-informed decision.

“We had seen a body of evidence saying that PD sessions alone won’t give us the return we wanted,” Kelley said. “We needed to support what we were doing with instructional coaching.”

In the past, Dodge City had had versions of instructional coaching, and even used classroom video in support of it. But they had identified several challenges to address.

“Coaching looked different across buildings and between individuals. Coaches often did ‘other duties as assigned’ instead of true coaching,” Kelley said.

Their old method of capturing classroom video was also a challenge to address.

“Lots of teachers found coaches visiting classrooms and using iPads to record them intimidating. The teachers had questions: What’s going on with the video? Whose video is it?” Kelley said.

With a clear goal and challenges to address, Dodge City was ready to get to work.

Leaders replaced classroom visits with Swivl Robots to create a more teacher-centered coaching program

Dodge City systematized and focused their coaching efforts by adopting Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle. While coaches used to visit classrooms to record lessons with an iPad, teachers now recorded their own lessons with Swivl Robots. 

Kelley was unsure how teachers would feel about recording themselves with Swivl Robots.

“The teachers actually preferred using the Robots to record themselves over having their coach record them with an iPad,” Kelley said.

At the same time, administrators and coaches audited coaches’ time. This clarified the job’s responsibilities and opened new ways for coaches to offer teacher support.

“Coaches began to leverage video captured by Swivl Robots at multiple points of the coaching cycle,” Kelley said. 

This included:

• Capturing video before coaching to capture the current reality
• Coaches sharing model lessons for teachers to refer to during the coaching cycle
• Recording lessons during the cycle for reflection and richer coaching conversations

Additionally, Dodge City started using Swivl Robots to empower curriculum implementations. When ELA and Math teachers wanted to see a new curriculum taught in a lesson, coaches recorded and shared model lessons. These acted as concrete examples of instructional expectations teachers could revisit and share with others.

“We invested in teachers, focusing on collective efficacy,” Kelley said of the changes Dodge City made to support ELL achievement.

Teachers are empowered to reflect with classroom video, and ELLs show growth in crucial skills

“Change takes time. But we are seeing teacher practice shift,” Kelley said. 

This shift in practice has led to concrete results related to Dodge City’s goal to support ELLs. Recently, the Dodge City ESOL and Diversity Director shared assessment data showing growth in speaking, listening, and reading skills for ELL students.

“It’s steady, incremental growth, which is what we want to see,” Kelley said.

Kelley believes that giving teachers tools to engage in meaningful self-reflection and coaching is a key piece of that growth.

“When the Swivl Robot is in the classroom, it’s an objective observer,” Kelley said. “Teachers look at what they’re doing, and how their kids are responding. That’s more powerful than anyone coming in and saying ‘you should be doing this or that.’”

Kelley looks forward to expanded use of Teams by Swivl (now Reflectivity) for asynchronous discussion through time-stamped commenting, as a way to enrich face to face conversations with teachers.

During a recent coaching session, Kelley observed the power of giving teachers tools to reflect on classroom video.  While watching a video, the teacher saw how often she laughed with students and had fun moments with them during class. 

“She was laughing and having a good time, but she wasn’t conscious of it,” Kelley said. “It’s not always about identifying negative things. There are so many positives to discover.”

The post How Dodge City Schools Transformed Their Coaching Program to Support ELL Achievement appeared first on Swivl.

Guilford County needed a flexible, efficient way to support and assess a math curriculum implementation.

Kat Stevens is the PreK-12 Director of Math in Guilford County Schools, a district of over 70,000 students and 120 schools in North Carolina. The district’s 27 middle schools recently adopted a new math curriculum with a goal of providing an equitable math education for all students.

But a successful curriculum implementation would require ongoing teacher support and assessment. “Just handing out books is not enough,” Kat said. 

To support this, Guilford County needed an implementation plan that was time and resource-efficient, while encouraging teachers to self-reflect and collaborate with coaches.

Another challenge for Guilford County was their size. District leadership needed to assess and support hundreds of teachers with various needs and experience levels. Kat recalled needing to help a 30-year veteran teacher buy-in to the need for a district-wide curriculum, while helping a first-year teacher master the new curriculum content.

Ultimately, Kat’s vision was about equity. “Every kid deserves high-quality math instruction,” she said.

District leaders assess 27 middle schools and coaches support hundreds of teachers through Swivl Teams + Robots

With one math supervisor dedicated to supporting 27 middle schools, Kat and her district leadership team have leveraged several outside teacher coaching consultancies to provide job embedded coaching. This coaching supports the implementation of the new math curriculum across the district’s middle schools.  

Through recording, sharing and discussing instructional videos through Swivl Teams + Robots, Kat shared that her coaches approach their work with a mindset of, “What do we see? What do we hear? How do we support the glows and grows of math curriculum implementation?”

Video also helps Guilford develop a shared language and consistent set of expectations for the delivery of their curriculum. Instructional leaders visit classrooms to model lessons streamed live for coaches and others to watch and discuss. Through this process, they ensure district leaders, coaches, and teachers are aligned with what success looks like and how to talk about it.

Guilford County has learned that the benefits of self-reflection and coaching over classroom video go beyond reducing the need for travel. Even though coaches have returned to visiting classrooms, they record lessons so that teachers can self-reflect over the videos during PLCs and coaching sessions.

“It’s always important for teachers to self-reflect,” Kat said. “When you think about an effective coaching model, it’s not about a coach telling teachers what to do, but a coach supporting me in conversation and helping me see what I need to do.”   

As Guilford County navigates large-scale change, Swivl tools make alignment and growth easier at all levels

Guilford County’s use of Swivl tools has led to improvements at all levels of the district.

In the classroom, Kat believes Swivl Teams + Robots empowers teachers to not only improve through work with coaches, but to take ownership of their growth through self-reflection over video.

“Swivl Teams + Robots has improved our coaching conversations because teachers are not only able to have their coaches watch them, but they’re able to go back, watch the video and reflect on their own teaching,” Kat said.

Kat believes the Swivl Robot’s ability to track educators as they move around the room, as well the high-quality audio captured by Swivl’s audio markers make a significant difference in the coaching and self-reflection experience.

“There’s such a difference between putting up a laptop and recording versus having that Swivl full view and seeing everything that’s going on,” Kat said. She also noted Guilford County teachers and coaches love to use audio markers to bookmark important moments during lessons.

While classroom visits can be stressful for teachers and students, videos captured by Swivl Robots and shared through Swivl Teams allow administrators to get a more accurate picture of their implementation with less stress on teachers and students. 

Ultimately, it’s about putting tools and systems in place to ensure a great math education

At the building and district level, capturing, sharing and discussing classroom videos ensures everyone in Guilford is “aligned with what high-quality instruction looks like,” as Kat put it.

Kat believes the biggest impact Swivl Teams + Robots have had on her leadership team has been helping the district be more aligned while saving time by capturing, sharing and discussing classroom video.

“We can have conversations no matter where we are,” Kat said. “I can go into a classroom anytime, anywhere, even if I’m not in the building. So it supports our conversation as leaders.”

Through frequent self-reflection, coaching, and administrator alignment, all supported with classroom video, Guilford County has put the tools and systems in place to ensure every student gets the high-quality math instruction they deserve.

Ready to ensure all your teachers have the support they need

to deliver high-quality instruction?

The post How Guilford County Supports Math Curriculum Implementation at 27 Middle Schools with Classroom Video appeared first on Swivl.

By June 2021, half of American schools were using a hybrid learning model. 

Since then, schools have invested in hardware and software. Teachers have expanded their tech skills.  It’s been a crash course in using tools and talents to stay connected and solve problems, even when apart.

Now, administrators are applying the same tools and talents to one of the most urgent issues in education: teacher support. 

Let’s look at how two innovative districts re-imagined teacher support using classroom video to build relationships and maximize educator growth.

But first, let’s review current teacher support practices, and why they’re inadequate for helping teachers with the challenges of a return to in-person instruction.

New tools can help improve old teacher support models

Student behavior issues and academic skills gaps make today’s classroom challenges uniquely acute.

Traditional teacher support practices, including new teacher mentoring, observations, one-size-fits-all PD, and walk-throughs, are inadequate to address current instructional challenges because feedback happens too slowly and too infrequently. For most teachers, support drops significantly after year one. 

Some districts have invested in instructional coaching, formal peer collaboration like professional learning communities (PLCs), and personalized professional learning paths. 

While these structures are an improvement, they also bring challenges. Substitute shortages and other stressors on personnel make it impractical to get coverage to observe a colleague’s class. Travel across district makes coaching time- and resource-intensive.

Without a common place for capturing instruction, reflecting, discussing, and planning next steps, support efforts can feel wasted or one-off. 

The perfect storm has emerged, where teachers need more support than ever, and districts need support to be more efficient than ever. The good news? Many districts have already discovered tools and systems that can help make it happen.

Here are two examples. 

How an Arizona district leverages classroom video to support early-career and “singleton” teachers

Littleton Elementary, a district of seven physical and one virtual schools in Avondale, Arizona, was first introduced to Swivl Robots to support remote instruction. 

“Then, we realized the power of video and streaming,” Director of Instructional Technology Jim Verrill said.

Jim and his team saw how Teams by Swivl paired with Robots would address the district’s challenges in supporting high-quality instruction for all students with many early-career teachers on staff.

Littleton has implemented a continuum of teacher support practices all based on classroom video:

• Self-reflection: Principals encourage teachers to identify instructional challenges through self-reflection
  
• Peer collaboration: Singleton teachers collaborate cross-district with colleagues teaching the same subject. Content or grade-level teams record, share and reflect on lessons to maintain curricular alignment.
  
• Coaching: Coaches have increased their frequency and depth of feedback by having teachers share and discuss classroom video through Teams.
  
• Admin support: Leaders assess school progress through remote walkthroughs, where they view and discuss short instructional videos around key themes. 

Through self-reflection, collaboration, coaching and admin support, Littleton has developed an efficient, effective way to build relationships and encourage educator growth.

These Florida coaches use video to expand teacher support and reduce distractions

While traditional coaching can be powerful for teacher support, it comes with the potential for distraction. 

“What we want teachers to do is maintain their power in the room,” St. Lucie Instructional Specialist Dana Miller said. “And we don’t want distraction for students.” St. Lucie Public Schools is a Florida district with 50 schools and over 40,000 students.

St. Lucie had a strong foundation of coaching pre-pandemic, and they used their Robots to help absent students stay up-to-speed with missed work.  They now leverage Swivl Robot + Teams with Jim Knight’s Coaching Framework to make their coaching more efficient and discreet. 

St. Lucie does not require teachers to record themselves, but offers Robots to teachers looking for support. After teachers self-reflect, coaches encourage teachers to identify where they may want to work with a coach. Because teachers have already captured video, teacher and coach can discuss without having to schedule a new observation. 

This year, St. Lucie coaches have pushed their work further using Robots for live-streamed lessons with in-ear coaching. 

“As a coach, we see a problem in the moment, and we can help the teacher make a fix right away,” Dana said. “We use as few words as possible so the feedback is quick, immediate, and not distracting to the teacher.”

In a time of uncertainty, the need for teacher support is clear

While much is uncertain for school and district leaders in the coming months, a few things are certain. 

Teachers will need support to overcome challenges and help students continue to make academic progress. These support interventions will need to be effective, but also time and resource efficient because of the circumstances districts face. 

As both Littleton and St. Lucie demonstrate, it’s time to repurpose the tools and talents adopted for hybrid and remote learning. It’s time to offer teachers a continuum of support options and pathways to get help. And it’s time to make classroom video the centerpiece of teacher growth.

The post From Florida to Arizona, Districts Have Reimagined Teacher Support appeared first on Swivl.

We love seeing how our Swivl Community keeps connections and relationships at the forefront of all they’re doing this school year, while still offering robust teacher support. A great example of these efforts is Littleton Elementary School District #65 (LESD) in Arizona.

Teachers at LESD are incorporating the Swivl Robot+Teams (Teams is now Reflectivity) into their classrooms. By live streaming with Swivl Robot+Teams, teachers are able to broadcast their lessons to remote learners. Using these tools gives remote students a view of everything going on within the classroom, which helps them feel more connected.

In this video, Jim Verrill (Director of Instruction Technology/Integration) and Rio Stinger (Tres Rios Elementary Teacher) talk about their experience using Swivl Robot+Teams in their classrooms.

Littleton Elementary School District at a glance:

• Location: Avondale, Arizona
• # of teachers: 334 teachers
• Grade level: K-8
• Swivl products used: Teams+Robot
• Started using Swivl Teams+Robot in 2021 

For more information about how educators around the world are using Swivl tools to build relationships with students, follow Swivl on social media.

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

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About River Forest Public Schools District 90

• Located in the Chicago Suburbs
• Upper middle class neighborhood
• Total student population is about 1500
• Adopted a hybrid learning model for 2020-21

About Renee Epstein

• English teacher for 16 years
• First year as district Technology Integration Specialist

When Renee Epstein took on a new role as a technology integration Coach at River Forest Public Schools, she had to help teachers make hybrid instruction engaging for middle school students during 75-minute block periods. She helped teachers leverage Swivl to create engaging hybrid learning lessons, and observed a clear difference between teachers using Swivl and those teaching behind their laptops. Additionally, Renee used Swivl to differentiate professional development for her colleagues, empowering teachers to transform instruction and deliver engaging hybrid lessons.

75-Minutes of Zoom + hybrid learning = Uncertainty

When Renee Epstein began her role as technology integration coach of her middle school in June of 2020, she faced a unique challenge. 

Her job was to help teachers leverage EdTech during hybrid learning, to engage with their students during 75-minute instructional block periods.

“I had no idea what was coming,” Renee explained.

As hybrid learning began, Renee noticed there was a challenge with making lessons engaging and energetic for students. 

While in front of the computer, teachers had to stare at their screen, check the chat on their live video stream, and focus on the remote students at home. This made it harder to give students in class an engaging experience, and reduced their energy levels.

Roosevelt had a problem with their hybrid instruction model. Enter Swivl…

Fortunately, Forest River Schools had anticipated a need for teachers to stay mobile in the classroom while streaming live video to students learning from home. After Renee helped teachers bring Swivl into their hybrid classrooms, she observed an immediate change.

“Swivl has given us the ability to teach like we’ve taught before because we can be hands free,” Renee said. 

Renee uses Swivl to narrate a sample Physical Education lesson her colleagues can use as a model.

For the teachers committed to using Swivl for hybrid instruction, Renee has noticed a clear difference in class energy levels and a new approach to how teachers engage with their lessons. Swivl has allowed teachers to not have to stare at their laptop or check the live chat as frequently. 

Renee noted that once the Swivl was quickly and easily set up, teachers discovered they could focus on teaching instead of managing the technology.

As teachers move around the room, Swivl allows for easy streaming of the teacher and classroom environment to the students logged in and learning from home. This creates a more connected hybrid learning environment. 

“That freedom for kids at home to see [those] in class and the classroom environment makes the instruction feel more authentic,” Renee said.

To further enhance hybrid instruction, Renee encourages teachers to use Swivl markers, which can capture and/or record audio. This allows students in class to interact with those at home.

Renee has supported teachers in STEM, English Language Arts, Math, and other subjects using Swivl. She has specifically observed an instructional “transformation” in the Physical Education department. “Our P.E. teachers were your quintessential P.E. teachers, playing flag football and dodgeball. They didn’t need to use technology before hybrid learning,” Renee said. 

Now, they are engaging middle school students for 75 minutes using Swivl to lead students through workouts over live video. Renee says this has made them more involved in daily class activities because “they’re doing the workouts themselves instead of observing from the sidelines.

Empowering teachers through personalized professional learning.

Renee credits strong relationships built over 16 years in her school as a difference maker in transitioning into her new role and helping to get teachers to embrace Swivl for hybrid instruction.

However, she also leveraged her experience as a teacher to craft a meaningful professional learning experience to help onboard teachers using Swivl. 

This past summer, Renee created Swivl instructional How-To videos across different subject areas. The videos are about four minutes long and include quick sample lessons for different use cases.

“I put on workout clothes and created videos for how a Physical Education teacher would use Swivl. I created a sample STEM lesson, and did the same for math and other subjects,” Renee said.

She even went the extra mile to address specific situations that teachers might encounter during hybrid instruction. For example, she took to the outdoors and created instructional videos to show how Swivl can work in any environment, even ones with background noises, like traffic and chirping birds.

Renee was even willing to make herself look silly on camera. She worked hard to create authentic professional development for her colleagues using Swivl. 

Swivl is here to stay. It’s the tool for equity and differentiation.

Renee and her colleagues have been thinking about how Swivl will continue to play a role next fall when she anticipates they’ll “go back to a more normal school year.”

With Swivl’s ability to support live streaming, and record video for later use, she is already thinking how it can support district priorities of differentiation and equity. 

To help increase equitable learning opportunities, Renee anticipates that Swivl can be used to stream video to students who are home for planned absences or long-term illnesses. By providing students a window into the physical classroom environment, even if students can’t make it to school, they’ll have a better opportunity to stay on track with the class, as well as feel more connected to their teacher and classmates.

There are also opportunities to use Swivl for collaborative group projects and other assessments. 

“Normally, the kids are holding their iPads, trying to record on iMovie,” Renee said. “But with Swivl the kids can record hands free.”

Swivl has made it easier for student agency, with many students better able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through spoken word, live performance, or other forms of creative response that encourages ownership and engagement with their projects and assignments. Swivl also gives teachers high-quality assessment options they can offer to students as a way to differentiate an assignment.

“They’ve enjoyed re-imagining what happens in their classroom,” Renee said. “They wouldn’t be able to do it without the Swivl.”

With a foundation of supporting teachers through meaningful professional learning, and a mindset of using technology to create meaningful and innovative instructional moments, Renee and the teachers at Roosevelt Middle School are on track to continue growing, adapting, and offering their students the best possible learning experience – however school may look.

Additional resources: Watch two of the professional development videos Renee created using Swivl below.

• Renee’s video for gym teachers
• Renee’s video for reading teachers

To learn more how Swivl can be used in your school, contact us.

The post How One Tech Coach Ignited Hybrid Learning with Swivl appeared first on Swivl.

Fairmont School leaders knew their teachers would be feeling the strain of this situation as they split up the student body into two groups, in-person and at-home, for hybrid learning. Classes were happening synchronously, on a regular school schedule, with teachers instructing both groups at once through interactive instruction.

After exploring a few options for engaging students at home and in-person, Fairmont leaders realized that most options would limit teacher mobility.

When teaching in person, teachers need the freedom to move around the room instead of sitting in front of a computer to address students in the classroom and at home.

Teachers are up and moving instead of “teaching at little squares”

Thanks to the school’s robust hardware set-up based on a daily use of Swivl, teachers are empowered to do more of what they love, even during this time of increased stress and responsibilities.

“No one got into teaching so they could teach at little squares on a screen for eight hours a day,” Fairmont Schools Director DJ Clovis said.

The teachers who have had the most success have committed to using Swivl every day as a way to “get their teacher legs back” as DJ described it.

Parents of Fairmont students who are engaged in remote learning this fall have shared positive feedback with DJ about the school’s use of Swivl to make class interactive for students in the classroom and at home.

“The parents say that the kids at home really feel like they’re part of the class for the whole school day,” DJ said. “They’re getting more of a real classroom experience.”

Importantly, DJ explained that by using Swivl to give students at home a portal into the in-person classroom, it encourages everyone in the Fairmont community to honestly address their health needs.

Because they know they can experience a live interactive class from home, students who don’t feel well can stay home without fear of missing something important. The same goes for teachers, who can broadcast classes from home, too.

DJ believes teachers are essential workers, and he is inspired by the way that Fairmont’s current Swivl set-ups empower them to meet their goal of giving all kids the best access to education that they possibly can.

“We respect our teachers so much, and they’re the real heroes for us,” DJ said.

Entire school community takes ownership of the system

Fairmont uses a solution in over 100 classrooms based on the use of Swivl robots and markers, an iPad, desktop computer, television and projector.

DJ notes that students have quickly adapted to their new environment, and teachers have empowered students to take part in running their hybrid classrooms.

DJ recalled a story of one teacher who was recently absent. Throughout the year, she had marked and labeled all of the devices and had walked students through the routine of setting up for the day. With a teaching assistant, students set-up all of the audio/video needed for the class to continue in-person and for remote learning students, even with a substitute present.

“This is a teacher who invested in our system, and because of that, she has the kids invested in the system, too,” DJ said.

Not only does Swivl free up Fairmont teachers to engage students in a hybrid classroom in a way that feels natural to them, but it also affords them the opportunity to increase student agency and leadership at the same time.

Explore hybrid learning resources.

The post How Fairmont’s Swivl Setup Gives Teachers and Students More Freedom in Hybrid Classrooms appeared first on Swivl.