Challenge: Lake County Schools needed a video technology solution that would help conduct teacher reflection and improve learning outcomes.
Solution: A video technology solution that included Swivl Robot Pro, Swivl Expand Case, and Pelican Aircase.
Results: Improved teacher reflection that helps increase student achievement, the district’s ultimate goal.
Lake County Schools is a public school district in Tavares, Florida with 5,500 teachers, leaders, and staff serving some 42,000 PK-12 students across 48 learning sites. They aim to be a dynamic, progressive and collaborative learning community where every student will graduate with the skills needed to succeed in post-secondary education and the workplace.
Meeting this bold mission requires educators and leaders who can reflect on their teaching and make needed changes to meet the needs of a diverse student population. But it’s not easy to see what’s working—and what isn’t—from the front of the classroom.
That’s when Lake County School’s Innovative Professional Development Facilitator Andrea Pyatt
came up with a strategy for using video technology to conduct teacher reflection and improve
learning outcomes.
Armed with a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, Pyatt enlisted the help of Jon Redding, online manager, and Lisa Sabino, district instructional coach. Together, they set out to provide the district’s educators with a video platform that would help teacher reflection and increase student achievement.
They had several requirements and wouldn’t settle for anything less than the perfect solution. The video technology had to be simple and easy to use so that educators would immediately see the value and not be afraid to use it. It also had to operate independently and not rely on additional staff time for camera operation.
Teachers had already expressed concern over permanent ceiling cameras as too “Big Brother-esque,” so those were immediately ruled out. They also passed on a video robot due to its difficulty of use.
It was at the 2015 Learning Forward Conference—at a Swivl demonstration given by Troxell Account Executive Ian Wiengold—where they found the perfect solution. They immediately saw Swivl’s potential as a video tool that supported feedback on classroom instruction, and tapped Troxell Account Executive Eric Blomquist who worked tirelessly to create a custom solution that fit the district’s exact needs.
With the Swivl Robot Pro, the instructor simply wears a Bluetooth-enabled necklace which the Swivl tracks and records as he or she moves around the classroom. After watching the playback, the instructor sees things that he or she didn’t observe live and how certain actions might impact the learning experience. This reflection is critical to helping teachers become aware of blind spots or potential classroom inequities.
Lake County Schools then invested in a Swivl Expand Case with a wide angle lens to capture more of the classroom, and a Pelican Aircase with a customizable “Pick N Pluck” interior that snugly protects the equipment.
The result is improved teacher reflection that helps increase student achievement, the district’s ultimate goal. Blomquist not only went above and beyond to build a solution that exactly fits the needs of Lake County Schools, he earned Redding’s respect—and established Troxell as his “go-to” for additional solutions.