M2 is an AI-powered device that helps teachers engage students better in class, deepen everyone’s thinking, and effortlessly enhance instruction with real-time feedback and automated insights. Its integrated MirrorTalk software automates reflection with customized prompts. Durable, mobile, and uniquely sized, M2 serves as an intelligent co-teacher in various educational spaces.

Your AI Teaching Companion

M2 is more than your average video tool. We leveraged our 12-year expertise in video observation by working with Swivl Robot users around the world to give teachers the best experience when recording themselves for observation and coaching. We built M2 to become your AI teaching companion and help you build skills while you teach by delivering on the spot feedback and strategies for keeping students engaged. For formal observation, M2 features a 180° camera with automated tracking, high-quality audio, and follows up each recording experience with a reflection to capture the teacher’s experience, while its still fresh on their minds.

Small group leader

M2 is also a multi-modal small group leader for classrooms, featuring built-in tools like Recharge, Whiteboard, Links, Timer, Recording, and step-by-step directions to keep students focused. Teachers simply set up M2 at a designated station and load an activity from the Library or create their own based on their lesson plan. After each activity, students reflect on their learning and receive instant feedback.

Reflection kiosk 

M2 prioritizes and measures metacognitive skill development. Its presence constantly offers immediate, personalized feedback for growth as learning happens. Educators gain key insights into participants’ thinking, including understanding, mindset, and challenge level, and actionable feedback to help their participants improve.

In this article, hear from real M2 users about the unique ways they are making the most of this intelligent co-teacher!

Student projects and presentations

M2 enhances projects and presentations by fostering peer collaboration without classroom chaos. Its built-in Workspace tools keep small groups focused, allowing teachers to assist students who need extra help. After completion, M2 prompts student reflection, provides instant feedback, and gives teachers automatic insights into the learning experience.

Hear from several different teachers on how they have transformed their classrooms into project-based learning centers with M2:

M2’s Workspaces are transforming our mathematics instruction. Students enthusiastically solve problems and reflect together, celebrating successes while thoughtfully addressing challenges. It’s remarkable to watch how this guided group work naturally cultivates growth mindsets and genuine excitement for learning.

Brittany Carpenter | Technology Instructor and RESA Coordinator

With M2 Workspaces, science teachers don’t have to keep repeating the same safety procedures and instructions for a lab, they are just built into every activity automatically. This kind of autonomous guidance truly helps teachers meet students where they are with minimal lift on their part.

Phyllis Balcerzak, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, University of Missouri – St. Louis, MO

We love how M2 offers the students many opportunities to practice. Even if a student doesn’t feel like their initial presentation went well or they didn’t master a concept, we can just structure a workspace to include a quick resource, like a video, to watch before they practice it again. And during the reflection, they still get a separate opportunity to explain what they really know about the concept.

Annette Lang | Instructional Coach, Bio-Med Science Academy Stem School, OH

Multi-modal learning for ELLs

M2 assists teachers in balancing ELL and native English speaker needs. It allows ELLs to access content in their native languages and reflect independently, while providing teachers feedback in English. Tools like whiteboard, timers, and group reflection foster digital collaboration, peer modeling, and language practice for all students.

M2 bridges crucial gaps for our newcomer students from El Salvador, recognizing their true academic capabilities while addressing language barriers. By enabling initial reflections in Spanish, then slowly transitioning to English, it builds confidence and creates pathways to their English acquisition, helping these students demonstrate their actual academic potential and integrating them into our classroom community.

Harley DeKeyzer | Librarian/Technology Coordinator, Albany Middle School, Livingston Parish, LA

PBIS that really supports

Transform tense moments into opportunities for growth with MirrorTalk on M2. Placing this powerful tool outside counselors’ or administrators’ offices works wonders for dysregulated students. It guides them through calming exercises and self-reflection, empowering them to process their emotions at their own pace and verbally reflect on their their experiences more productively. Watch as students shift from stressed to serene, ready to engage in constructive conversations. M2 isn’t just a device – it’s a game-changer for student well-being and conflict resolution.

M2 uniquely supports students from challenging home environments by providing a safe, structured space for conflict resolution. Through guided dialogue and calming exercises, it helps students who frequently experience behavioral issues develop essential communication skills and emotional regulation strategies before returning to class.

Rachel Tyson-Wiley | Teacher, City Of Chicago School District 299, IL

Amplify the power of instructional coaching

M2 is the ultimate ally for instructional coaches—because it’s every teacher’s ally too. This powerful tool streamlines teacher development, providing real-time feedback from pre-observation prep to post-lesson reflection. It captures every teachable moment, delivering instant insights and end-of-class summaries that help teachers understand and refine their practice.

With M2, teachers can reflect out loud, deepening their learning, while coaches gain invaluable insights into mindset, tone, and cognitive bias. Skip the recall—jump straight into meaningful, targeted discussions with every teacher that drive real growth.

M2 has completely changed how teachers engage with feedback. The moment they receive a meta-analysis with different strategies, they’re instantly thinking, ‘I can try that!’ The ‘Team Learning Summary’—our coaching strategy—has been a game-changer. Every time teachers see it, they get excited to implement new ideas. It’s not just improving their practice; it’s making them more receptive and fully bought into our coaching cycles.

Meagan Stass-Macdonald | Instructional Coach, Barrington School District 220, IL

Actually measure PD’s impact

Empower everyone with M2! Watch as it transforms post-PD moments into goldmines of insight. Teachers pour out their thoughts at the door, while facilitators instantly gauge their impact. It’s a win-win: educators feel valued, and PD becomes razor-sharp. With M2, every reflection sparks growth, turning feedback into fuel for educational excellence. Get ready to revolutionize professional development – one M2 at a time.

M2 has been an invaluable resource for our PD program: it’s a comprehensive coaching platform, facilitating anonymous PLC feedback, structured support cycles, and data-driven professional development planning.

Amarius Reed | Elementary Math Coordinator, Atlanta Public Schools, GA

Involve the whole community

Unleash M2’s magic at your next school event! From art shows to open houses, M2 captures honest feedback from parents and community members in a private, judgment-free zone and turns them into active participants. Watch as stakeholders dive deep into school initiatives, sharing thoughts that truly matter. Get ready for a avalanche of insights that’ll supercharge your community relationships. With M2, every event becomes a launchpad for meaningful connection and school improvement. Don’t just host events – ignite engagement!

The problem with feedback tools we’ve used in the past is that there is no accountability for the parent (usually a form we send digitally afterward) and then it takes a while for us to sift through the data and publish what we find. M2 is quick, painless, and enjoyable for parents and lets us instantly collect and disseminate the data we gather.

James Wilborn | Elementary Educational Technology Specialist, Atlanta Public Schools, GA

M2 is the intelligent co-teacher that helps teachers engage students better in class, deepen everyone’s thinking, and effortlessly enhance instruction with real-time feedback and automated insights. With all these ways (and more!) it could support your school, isn’t it time to let M2 do the heavy lifting? 

Watch me do even more tricks!

Schedule a live demo to learn more!

The post M2 is the intelligent co-teacher to help you reflect, instruct, and grow appeared first on Swivl.

This article pertains to the M2 device (hardware). Looking for an easy way to get started with MirrorTalk reflection activities that work on any device? Check out this article.

Get ready to meet your new classroom guide! M2 is an AI-powered device to revolutionize small-group learning. This clever all-in-one platform not only offers daily feedback and actionable advice for teachers, it is powered by MirrorTalk, software that automates the entire process with customized prompts and instant feedback for students and teachers. Packed with pre-built thinking activities, MirrorTalk unlocks peer-to-peer chatter, creativity, and teamwork while keeping classroom chaos at bay.

The data you’ll gather from MirrorTalk is a goldmine for student growth, providing educators with automatic insights into understanding, mindset, zones, and more. Say farewell to hours of planning and hello to effortless collaborative experiences from day one – MirrorTalk + M2 is about to become your go-to tool for small-group magic!

Here are 10 fun out-of-the-box activities to get your small group stations rolling! 

Get them talking

Activity: Presentation/Speech Practice

Students need strong presentation skills to thrive in today’s communication-driven world. Whether pitching ideas, defending their work, or simply expressing themselves clearly, the ability to present confidently and effectively opens doors in students’ futures.

Activity: Collaborative Storytelling

Students who become skilled storytellers develop a powerful tool for engaging audiences and conveying complex ideas in memorable ways. The art of storytelling not only enhances communication, but also fosters creativity, empathy, and the ability to connect with others on an emotional level – all valuable assets in school and throughout life.

Activity: Discussion Warm Up/Calentamiento de la discusión*

Increasing opportunities for communication between non-English speaking students and their native English-speaking peers promotes cultural exchange and mutual understanding. These interactions not only accelerate language acquisition for non-native speakers but broaden the worldview of native speakers, preparing both for success in our interconnected global society.

*available in Multiple Languages

Get them doing

Activity: Prototyping

Learning to prototype empowers students to transform abstract ideas into tangible solutions. Prototyping helps students develop critical thinking abilities, learn to iterate on their designs and gain valuable hands-on experience that bridges the gap between concept and reality.

Activity: Tallest Paper Tower

Learning to build things with their hands gives students a unique sense of accomplishment and helps develop practical problem-solving skills that can’t be gained from textbooks or personal devices. Hands-on experiences not only enhance spatial awareness and fine motor skills but also boost confidence, creativity, and the ability to think in three dimensions – all valuable assets for students to possess if they ever want to become engineers, architects, or designers.

Get them in the zone

Activity: Stress Transformer

Learning effective stress-coping techniques improves students’ mental health and enhances their academic performance and social relationships which helps them navigate life’s challenges even beyond the classroom. 

Activity: Brain Break

Brain breaks are essential for students to recharge and refocus, preventing mental fatigue and improving overall learning. These short, intentional pauses during the lesson allow the brain to process information, boost creativity, and enhance attention span, ultimately leading to better retention of material and more productive learning.

Let them have fun

Activity: Pictionary

Pictionary is a fun and engaging way for students to reinforce vocabulary while honing their artistic abilities. As students strive to convey words through quick sketches, they not only practice using and recognizing key terms but also develop their visual communication skills, creativity, and ability to express concepts through art – all while enjoying an interactive game with their classmates.

Activity: Number Hop

Getting kids on their feet to practice math skills transforms abstract concepts into physical, interactive experiences, making learning more engaging and memorable. This approach not only caters to kinesthetic learners but also increases overall student participation, boosts energy levels in the classroom, and helps children associate math with fun and movement – potentially reducing math anxiety and improving retention of mathematical concepts.

Activity: What is your favorite food/¿Cuál es tu comida favorita?*

Discussing favorite foods provides a relatable and enjoyable topic for non-English speaking students and their native English-speaking peers to connect, bridging cultural gaps and fostering genuine friendships. This culinary presentation not only enhances language skills for non-native speakers but also expands the cultural awareness of all students, creating a more inclusive classroom environment. 

*available in English and Spanish

The now for the best part

With MirrorTalk + M2, you’ve got a clever all-in-one platform that offers ready-made activities that foster lively student interaction, imaginative thinking, and collaborative efforts, while maintaining a structured learning environment. You can even copy our pre-made templates to get some inspiration for your own activities.

And perhaps the best part? While M2 keeps your small groups humming along, you’re free to move around the class, giving extra attention to students who need it most. When students are finished, you’ll get actionable insights on their work from their reflection and – perhaps most importantly – get to watch all of the fun they had!

See it in action!

Ready to turn your classroom into a collaborative maker-space?

Schedule a live demo with the Swivl team to learn more.

The post 10 small group activities that M2 offers, right out of the box appeared first on Swivl.