by Dr. Jeremy Lowe
When you think of educational technology, what pops into your mind? Is it one-to-one initiatives, SMART Boards, iPads, or MacBooks? Do your hands get clammy when you wonder how in the world to budget for technology within your schools or how to or who will lead teacher training? In a rapidly changing and technology dominated educational culture, it’s something I think about often. However, if you are looking for something that is student-centered and effective, consider the following below.
Back in 2012 while serving at Vail Christian High School (VCHS), we noticed a significant problem: competent students who missed classes due to school activities were academically struggling, and we needed to address this issue. Thanks to a generous donor, VCHS received a small grant to develop a student video podcasting initiative aimed to academically help students who traveled for school athletics or students who trained for Junior Olympic skiing. Our school struggled with keeping students caught up when they were gone for games, meets, or races. Tangentially, teachers shared how hard it was to keep pace in classes and work to support students making up coursework, so we needed a solution that helped both the student and teacher.
Athletically speaking, Vail is home to a world-class ski resort and during the winter, numerous students participated in competitive skiing. Many of these same students traveled internationally for skiing competitions, yet loved the educational ministry the school provided. We found a solution in Swivl (www.swivl.com). The Swivl is a robot that uses a camera or smart device to record content. Core teachers (math, science, history, and English) used a Swivl Robot to capture portions of their classes and upload them to the Cloud for student review. Teachers agreed to use this educational technology solution (after much trial and error) to record 10-15 minutes of lecture/class in which they would to identify the objective, tie it to a standard, and provide the important information students may have missed.
Here’s how it works: In each vodcasted core class, teachers set up a video camera tripod with the Swivl robot attached to the top. The Swivl holds a smart phone or tablet steady with a small clamping mechanism on the top of the unit. The teacher wears a small remote control which wirelessly connects to the Swivl to record audio and tracks any teacher movements to keep the teacher in the picture frame at all times. The teacher turns on the device and opens the Swivl app. Immediately before instruction, the teacher presses a button on the Swivl remote control, and the camera begins to record. To stop recording, the teacher presses the remote button again and the saves the video while uploading it to the Cloud. PowerPoint or Keynote slides can be added to the lecture to create a quality video presentation. Over the course of three years, more teachers were trained and began using the devices to capture sections of lessons ostensibly creating a library of lessons in each class. We found many students would watch lessons on the bus, on bleachers between games, or over weekends to keep pace with their coursework. Teachers found by posting portions of class online, they would save hours “catching students up” when they returned from school absences.
Today, I serve as Upper School Principal at Prince of Peace Christian School in Carrolton, Texas. As part of our teaching duties, core academic teachers “Swivl” sections of their classes and post them online. Providing this resource for parents and students not only differentiates us in a crowded educational market in North Dallas but also provides an excellent technology integration opportunity that truly helps student achievement. Check out the video link below to see how Swivl might work for you.
https://cloud.swivl.com/v/03d5dbfcd698777dd94c38ff1c2ecb10
I would be happy to share more about our Swivl initiative should you desire. I’m praying God richly blesses you and your school ministry. Your work has never been more necessary and needed in our world today.
Dr. Jeremy Lowe is the Upper School Principal at Prince of Peace Christian School in North Dallas and can be reached at jeremy.lowe@popcs.org.