Fairmont Schools Director DJ Clovis shares the standard operating procedures he developed to help over 100 teachers in his school network use Swivl every day for hybrid learning.

After investing in new hardware, district technology departments and administrators want to ensure that teachers make the most of their tech by fully utilizing it to enhance student learning.

During hybrid and remote learning, this challenge is magnified by the additional stressors, responsibilities, and tasks placed upon teachers.

Getting 100+ teachers moving in one direction

This was the situation experienced by Fairmont Music and Dance Academy Director DJ Clovis, who was tasked with helping over 100 teachers develop a smooth process for using Swivl every day as part of Fairmont’s hybrid learning set-up.

From a leadership perspective, DJ needed to get buy-in from all of the teachers in his school network in order to provide an equitable experience to all Fairmont students, whether they were learning in-class or at-home.

A Swivl-focused plan creates an equitable hybrid learning environment

Using a solution based on Swivl robots and markers, DJ observed that the teachers who had the most success were the ones who committed to using Swivl every day as a way to “get their teacher legs back.”

“Obviously, it’s more layers of technology, but at the end of the day, giving all of your students the ability to feel like they’re part of the class is the number one thing,” DJ said.

When Fairmont opened its door to students for the fall of 2020, they had outfitted 122 classrooms across their network of schools with Swivls to empower teachers to engage students for in-person and at-home learning.

How DJ helped all Fairmont teachers use Swivl everyday

First, DJ conducted training sessions to help teachers get comfortable with Swivl, create a routine for its use, and answer questions teachers had about its implementation. To streamline daily teaching with Swivl, DJ and teachers created standard operating procedures (SOPs) for how to set-up the Swivl and other tech in the beginning of the day, how to ensure everything ran smoothly during the day, and how to end the day effectively.

The procedures are broken down into three phases, listed below: Daily Set Up, During the Day Procedures and End of Day Procedures.

By using a Swivl as the center-piece of their hybrid classroom set-up, Fairmont Schools gives their students an experience that better mimics a traditional classroom, and connects them to their teacher and classmates.

In the summer of 2020, Fairmont School leaders realized they would need to teach students in-person and at-home for the upcoming school year. This meant they needed to develop a technology plan that would facilitate a quality, equitable learning experience for all students.

After exploring options for engaging students at home and in-person simultaneously, they realized most options would limit teacher mobility. 

When teaching in person, Fairmont teachers need the freedom to move away from the computer and move freely around the room. This was the best way to address students in the classroom and those attending live on Zoom.

Logistically, it was difficult to determine how teachers could give all students access to the multiple sources of video and audio that make up a hybrid classroom. They had several challenges, including:

• Teachers needed to project digital content to students in class and at home
• Students in class needed to see and hear students at home, and vice versa
• Teachers needed to flexibly move throughout the room while conducting class

A typical set-up using a webcam, laptop, or iPad would not meet their needs. Fairmont needed a more robust solution.