Professional Development

Teachscape Partners with Swivl on Video Professional Development

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 05/13/15

Teachscape, a company that provides resources for classroom observation and professional development, has partnered with video and robotics company Swivl in an effort to provide more effective video-based professional development.

"Through the partnership, educators can use the Swivl Robot, in conjunction with their mobile devices, to capture classroom videos of their own instructional practices and then upload them to the Teachscape Effectiveness Platform to receive meaningful feedback, engage in self-reflection and collaborate and share best practices with their colleagues," according to a news release.

Swivl allows teachers to attach a smartphone or tablet to the Swivl robot, which then tracks and follows them to record as they interact with students and move around the classroom.

"We are committed to providing schools and districts with the most robust resources to help improve teaching practices and, ultimately, student achievement," said Andrew Morrison, CEO of Teachscape, in a prepared statement. "Our partnership with Swivl further advances this goal by providing educators at all levels — from teaching candidates to experienced educators — with better video of their own classroom practices so that they can engage in more meaningful self-reflection and evidence-based professional development."

"These technologies have been an asset in allowing our coaches, evaluators and teachers to work together to improve professional practice," said Andrew McKenzie, teacher incentive fund project manager of Fort Worth Independent School District, in a news release.